Academic named as Chair of national religious charity

Freedom Declared Foundation was set up to promote freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) within the UK in a way which is not biased to any one faith or belief. It believes that throughout Government departments across the United Kingdom, the importance of religion or belief in individual lives is not truly understood, resulting in lower awareness about the implementation of freedom of religion or belief in the UK. 

James has published widely in the area of Religious Education and Religious Studies. He is the author of Religious Education in the Secondary School (Routledge, 2015- the second edition is to be published next April) and Beyond the Big Six Religions (University of Chester Press, 2019), and is currently writing a six book series for Bloomsbury on individual religions.

Through his work as a teacher, and for the last 13 years at the University of Chester in preparing teachers to teach RE James has felt the need to give a voice to those all different religious beliefs and none.

In this new role James will assume the responsibility in working with fellow trustees and the advisory board - made up of people from different religious and non-religious backgrounds - to enable freedom of religion and belief to be a reality for all, especially in the UK.

James said: “I used to think that my own experience as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was unique, but over the last 30 years it has become evident that people of all religions and none are facing challenges in the UK and abroad in expressing and living their belief. It is not a ‘me’ problem. It’s a human problem.

“Freedom Declared Foundation is potentially unique in its focus on the exploration of FoRB in the UK. If we want to stand up and say that the world needs to do better, we first need to look internally and reflect on how we, as a nation, are doing.”