The claimants, both scientologists, wanted to be married as the London Church Chapel. The respondent had declined to register it as a place of worship under the 1855 Act.
Held: The claim failed. Scientology is a religion. Counsel for the Registrar General preferred to confine his submissions to arguing that, whether or not Scientology is a religion, the Registrar General was properly entitled to conclude that its ceremonies and practices do not amount to religious worship for the reasons given by the Court of Appeal in Segerdal.
Judges:
Ouseley J
Citations:
[2012] EWHC 3635 (Admin), [2013] WLR(D) 3, [2013] PTSR 875
Links:
Statutes:
Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 2
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Citing:
Cited – Regina v Registrar General, Ex parte Segerdal QBD 1969
The Church of Scientology challenged the refusal of the Registrar General to register its chapel at East Grinstead as a place of meeting for religious worship.
Held: The challenge failed. . .
Cited – Regina v Registrar General, Ex parte Segerdal CA 1970
The Church of Scientology chapel at East Grinstead, Sussex was not a ‘place of meeting for religious worship’ within the meaning of section 2 of the 1855 Act since that would require reverence to a deity. The Church of Scientology’s services did not . .
Cited by:
Appeal from – Hodkin and Another, Regina (on The Application of) v Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages SC 11-Dec-2013
The appellants sought to be married in their regular church in London. The minister would be pleased to perform the ceremony, but church to which they belonged was part of the Church of Scientology, and had been refused registration under the 1855 . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Family, Administrative, Ecclesiastical
Updated: 28 July 2022; Ref: scu.468890