Western courts understand religion as a matter of belief which deals with existential concerns. Where does this understanding come from? This talk argues that it is indebted in part to Roger Williams who maintained that religion was a matter of conscience which directed a person to worship a deity. Roger Williams was not only the founder of Rhode Island colony; he was, for all intent and purposes, an early founder of the contemporary conception of religious freedom.

About the Speaker:

Dr John Adenitire is a Strategic Lecturer in the School of Law and a Fellow of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences. Prior to joining Queen Mary, he was a Lecturer in Law at the University of Birmingham. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law and Fitzwilliam College. He is the author of A General Right to Conscientious Exemption: Beyond Religious Privilege (Cambridge University Press 2020).

The Law Society of Hong Kong has awarded this seminar 1 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) point.