Commenting on the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that Scientology is a religion in R (Hodkin & Anor) v Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages [2013] UKSC 77, Simon Barrow, co-director of the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia, said:

“Even leaving aside the controversies surrounding Scientology itself, this Supreme Court ruling raises significant questions about marriage law, about the role of the state in defining religion, and about the various privileges that can currently accrue to recognised religious bodies in public life.

“Along with others, we will be examining and reflecting upon those issues at greater length after studying the decision in more detail.”

* Court ruling on Scientology as a religion ‘raises big issues’ – http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/19659