In MandM on Same-Sex Marriage and on being “sneaky” we referred to section 56 of the Marriage Act 1955 which provides: 56 Offence to deny or impugn validity of lawful marriage (1) Every person commits an offence against this Act, and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 100 pounds, who— (a) alleges, expressly or by […]
Entries Tagged as 'Rights and Freedoms'
“Same-Sex Marriage is not Valid Marriage” – A Potentially Convict-able Statement
October 4th, 2012 41 Comments
Tags: Freedom of Expression · Freedom of Religion · Gay Marriage · Louisa Wall · Marriage Equality · Ne Temere · Same Sex Marriage
MandM on Same-Sex Marriage and on being “sneaky”
August 17th, 2012 127 Comments
In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King wrote there are two types of laws: just and unjust.” He went on to ask “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust […]
Tags: Gay Marriage · Marriage Equality · Same Sex Marriage · Whale Oil
Why Defamatory Speech is not Free Speech
May 27th, 2012 10 Comments
The following argument as to why a remedy requiring the removal of defamatory speech from a publication was not a violation of the right to free speech is representative of one I have previously put before the court: The right to Freedom of Expression is protected by s14 of the Bill of Rights Act 1990 […]
Tags: Defamation · Freedom of Expression · Freedom of Speech · New Zealand Bill of Rights Act · Rights and Freedoms
Freedom of Religion in a Secular Society @ Auckland University this Monday
September 8th, 2011 Comments Off on Freedom of Religion in a Secular Society @ Auckland University this Monday
As part of AUSA’s Human Rights week at the University of Auckland, and in association with Thinking Matters, Matt and I will be giving a free public lecture with Q&A on the topic “Freedom of Religion in a Secular Society” on Monday 12 September from 7-8.30pm in Clock Tower Lecture Room 032. The Facebook page for […]
Tags: Doctrine of Religious Restraint · Events · Freedom of Religion · Human Rights · John Rawls · Rights and Freedoms · Separation of Church and State · Thinking Matters
A Godless Public Square: Do ‘Private’ Christian Beliefs Have a Place in Public Life? on Video
August 26th, 2011 4 Comments
Thinking Matters and Evangelical Union hosted an event at the University of Auckland for Jesus Week entitled A Godless Public Square: Do ‘Private’ Christian Beliefs Have a Place in Public Life? This event was essentially a conversation between Theology, Philosophy and Law on the topic of Religion in Public Life. It featured Matthew Flannagan – Analytic Theologian, Glenn Peoples – Philosopher and Madeleine Flannagan – Legal Scholar […]
Tags: Doctrine of Religious Restraint · Freedom of Religion · Gerald Gaus · Glenn Peoples · John Rawls · MandM on Video · Pat Brittenden · Religion in Public Life · Robert Audi · Steven Smith
A Godless Public Square: Do ‘Private’ Christian Beliefs Have a Place in Public Life? Part III Madeleine Flannagan – Law
August 26th, 2011 140 Comments
A few weeks ago, as part of Jesus Week at the University of Auckland, Thinking Matters and Evangelical Union hosted an event entitled A Godless Public Square: Do ‘Private’ Christian Beliefs Have a Place in Public Life? This event was a conversation between Theology, Philosophy and Law and featured Matthew Flannagan – Analytic Theologian, Glenn Peoples – Philosopher and Madeleine Flannagan – Legal Scholar. The video is still […]
Tags: Doctrine of Religious Restraint · Freedom of Religion · Jesus Week · Paul Rishworth · Religion in Public Life · Rights and Freedoms · Steven Smith · Thinking Matters
“Confronting the Challenge of Secularism” Madeleine to Speak at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture
August 11th, 2011 13 Comments
Not too long ago I wrote a post entitled We’re Going to San Francisco! In it I announced that in November 2011 Madeleine and I will jointly be giving a paper to the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, and that I will be giving a paper to the Evangelical Philosophical Association Annual Meeting and also […]
Tags: Notre Dame · Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture · Religion in Public Life · San Francisco · South Bend · Vincent Phillip Muñoz


A common objection to belief in the God of the Bible is that a good, kind, and loving deity would never command the wholesale slaughter of nations. In the tradition of his popular Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan teams up with Matthew Flannagan to tackle some of the most confusing and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. Together they help the Christian and nonbeliever alike understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of Old Testament warfare passages.




