Religious Freedom
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Stanford law professor: Government should not decide whether religious worship is ‘essential’
“It is none of the state’s business to decide that religious worship is not important, it is the state’s business to decide whether particular forms the religious worship might take may be dangerous to public health.”
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Religious Freedom 101: How did U.S. get to the point where religious services are ‘nonessential’?
There appear to be three factors at work: a decline in formal legal protection of religious freedom; an increase in general regulations that impact religious practice; and a decline in religiosity among Americans generally.
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Courts siding with worshipers on overly strict pandemic directives
Fifty percent of Americans feel their freedoms have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from State Policy Network conducted by Heart + Mind Strategies.
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The economy seems to be falling off a cliff. Is America’s commitment to religion doing the same?
The report provides careful and detailed analysis on the decline of “religiosity” – measured by affiliation with churches, church attendance, and other factors – in the United States.
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Religious Freedom 101: War and consequences, as U.S. embraces its ideals of protecting beliefs
During a massive conflict with the Nazi government in Germany (which practiced state-enforced oppression and prejudice), the United States began to embrace its own religious traditions of openness, tolerance and freedom.
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Meet the nuns behind the Supreme Court case
Whether we as individuals identify as religious or not, we are all better off because the Little Sisters of the Poor do what they do. There is nothing wrong with crafting our laws and court decisions in recognition of that…
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Pandemic is a stress test for government and society
Much of what we are learning through the pandemic experience can be positive, but we must also let these kinds of lessons sink in and change how the government functions going forward.
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Pastors being arrested. Mayors shutting down churches. What does the law say about all of this?
In the fluid pandemic situation, religious freedom is being tossed around both as an excuse for continuing public gatherings and as a focus of derision from those who are using the crisis to argue that religious people are the problem.
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SCOTUS to hear arguments by phone – and can a state go too far to protect religious liberty?
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to conduct oral arguments by phone next month. This effort to adjust to ongoing pandemic conditions will be a first for the court.
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Pandemic brings out religion’s unifying power … even for the nonreligious
In a time of crisis, such as the present pandemic, we are often reminded of fundamental realities that can be easy to forget or take for granted during better times.