Do you agree that "Christian ideas are at the heart of the British legal system"?
	A difficult question! In the 16th and 17th centuries there were disputes between Christians about tolerating diversity of belief and practice - religious tolerance has never come easily. This is one of the reasons why today's legal system is explicitly secular. Christian influence is noticeable, however, in particular laws. The 'rules' of war were influenced by a recognition that violence was forbidden by Jesus; the banning of slavery was largely brought about by Christian campaigners. Today Christians are involved in many campaigns that affect legislation - on abortion law and the status of the human foetus in medical research, for example. Other features of the British legal system - jury service for example - are not particularly Christian in origin. At the same time, the rituals of court, such as swearing oaths to be truthful on a holy book and the church services marking the beginning of the legal year, acknowledge the presence of a higher authority than human law systems alone.
	Dan Brennan argues that the spirit of the British law is fairness and that this spirit is Christian in origin. Students might also like to consider the controversial application of Sharia law in some predominantly Islamic countries, where the link between the prevailing religion and the law is much clearer. The problem with such a system is that religious minorities or those of no religion can feel alienated from the legal system. However, the same could be said to apply to those of minority religions living under British law. To take another example, some areas of Australia are considering formally recognizing traditional tribal law precisely because many aboriginal people feel alienated from the dominant legal system - spearing in the leg is seen as a much more culturally acceptable punishment than incarceration in a soulless jail. Can the students identify the issues involved in this debate and explain what they feel about the implications?