Landmark Judgment on NI’s Faith-Based Christian Religious Education

Mr Justice Colton ruled that the exclusively Christian nature of religious education and worship violated a non-religious family’s freedom of religion or belief.

The case was brought by a Belfast resident father and his child. Both were granted anonymity by the court.

Lawyers for the family argued that the privileged status of Christianity throughout the school system under Human Rights Law was discriminatory on the basis of religion or belief.

They also stressed the lack of a meaningful educational alternative to Christian worship and religious education for children excluded from this provision for reasons of conscience.

The Transferor Representatives’ Council, which represents the interests of the Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in the Northern Ireland education system, said the teaching of religious education and shared worship in primary schools was an “important matter”.

A spokesman added: “Mr Justice Colton has indicated today that he would give the parties time to consider his judgment and has in fact ‘… sought further input from solicitors before issuing a final order.’

“Although the transferring churches are not direct parties in this case, as this is an important and significant issue, we will also consider today’s decision and any subsequent final order that Mr Justice Colton may make in the coming weeks.”

The Northern Ireland humanists, who have long advocated objective teaching of religion and belief in schools, said they were “delighted” at the news.

The ruling marks a “huge victory” in securing inclusive education in Northern Ireland, she added.

Humanists UK has said governments across the UK must act now to follow this ruling.

NI Humanists Coordinator Boyd Sleator commented, “This is a huge step forward for inclusive education.

“To build a Northern Ireland fit for the 21st century we need a coherent education system that encourages inclusion in the community and treats all children equally, regardless of their background.”

Currently, religious education in NI is taught almost exclusively from a Christian perspective. The schools use a curriculum written in 2007 by the four main churches.

The only instruction on other faiths is a single unit on ‘World Religions’, which is included in the later levels of the secondary curriculum.

And this despite the fact that the number of non-religious people in Northern Ireland is increasing sharply.

The most recent Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey found that 27% of people describe themselves as non-religious.

The case was brought against both the Ministry of Education and the child’s school.

However, the family’s legal team stressed that the central issue was Northern Ireland’s education laws.

The Department of Education, the Council for Catholic Schools and the CCEA said they wanted to examine the ruling in detail and its implications fully before commenting further.