Abstract:

This article applies the concept of implicit religion to law in order to give a new
understanding of English law: its sacredness and its theology; its organizational
structures and its social forms. Having constructed a table of potential elements,
illustrating the concept of implicit religion, read against both Christianity and
Law, three entries from that table are explored in further detail. Ultimately, the
article argues that not only is English law an implicit religion templated by
Christianity, but that it contains within itself a sacred paradox, formed by the
interaction of its implicit and explicit religious dimensions.

Author: Sharon Hanson