Policy
Religious Freedom
Respecting human dignity requires that we respect the core elements of how people and groups identify themselves, including their religious beliefs. Religious belief has been a powerful motivation for protecting the rights and liberties of others; it kindled movements to abolish slavery and protect Americans’ civil rights. For millions of Americans, religion is the source of the values required in a free society, such as understanding, respect and sacrifice for others. Additionally, religious institutions provide irreplaceable care for the most vulnerable people in society.
For all of these reasons, the right to exercise religion is a fundamental human right. The law should respect the independence of religious institutions, defend the right of conscience, and protect the right of individuals to act on their religious beliefs, while establishing reasonable protections for public health and safety in a spirit of fairness for all.
Religious Freedom
Respecting human dignity requires that we respect the core elements of how people and groups identify themselves, including their religious beliefs. Religious belief has been a powerful motivation for protecting the rights and liberties of others; it kindled movements to abolish slavery and protect Americans’ civil rights. For millions of Americans, religion is the source of the values required in a free society, such as understanding, respect and sacrifice for others. Additionally, religious institutions provide irreplaceable care for the most vulnerable people in society.
For all of these reasons, the right to exercise religion is a fundamental human right. The law should respect the independence of religious institutions, defend the right of conscience, and protect the right of individuals to act on their religious beliefs, while establishing reasonable protections for public health and safety in a spirit of fairness for all.
Published Research
Conversations
Religious liberty is essential to our freedoms
Religious institutions are essential to freedom
Government needs to stay in its lane
It's a bad idea for government to violate religious liberty
Religious liberty is good for everyone – not just religious people
Religion doesn't need a permission slip from the government
Religious freedom and conscience in higher education
Religious freedom, courts, and federalism in Utah | Bill Duncan
The benefit of religious contributions to society
Religious liberty is essential to our freedoms
Religious institutions are essential to freedom
Government needs to stay in its lane
Insights & Takeaways
ReportReligious Contributions to Serving the Vulnerable: Social Benefits of Religion, Volume 1
Religious freedom has become an issue of great national concern. At one time, there was strong consensus that this foremost constitutional right deserved protection, but now there seems to be a more critical construction of religious practice, going so far as to...
InsightsSchool choice case: Unpopular doesn’t mean unconstitutional
Within legal limits, political protests are commonly held on public property. Recent protests at local public universities are an example. This type of demonstration is a way in which governments facilitate free speech. This does not, however, mean that the...
InsightsLooking at Supreme Court and religious freedom through the lens of the presidential campaign
The headline of a recent satirical article highlighted the unusual nature of the 2024 presidential election: “America Honors Earth Day By Recycling Used Presidential Candidates.” Elections involving two candidates who both previously served as president are...
InsightsHere’s why the First Amendment’s religion clauses are not in conflict
One of the more novel (and controversial) religious cases now pending involves a challenge to a decision by Oklahoma’s Charter School Board to allow a charter school that would be operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The ACLU has sued in state...
InsightsWisconsin inserts itself into deciding what is ‘religious enough’
One of the reasons recent decades have seen an increase in religious freedom conflicts is that governments have regulated more and more aspects of daily life. This reality has interacted with some courts’ grudging protection of religious freedom – producing a...
CommentaryHow Utah Has Turned Religious Freedom from a Controversy to a Consensus
Originally published in the National Review. Georgia and Iowa are considering legislation to protect religious practice of state residents from burdens imposed by state and local government. Sounds innocuous enough, but not to some. The headline of a local news...
InsightsWhy religion strengthens families – and why policy should protect it
Religion is the family’s strongest ally. Religious practice is associated with dedication to marriage and parenting, promoting a happy and successful family life. Religious freedom helps by allowing people of faith to act in ways that strengthen families. Religion...
ReportReligious Contributions to the Family: Social Benefits of Religion, Volume 5
The previous publications of this series have examined links between religion and social services, human rights, education, and mental health. Each has focused on thesocial contributions of religious institutions and people of faith in each of these fields. In a...
CommentarySCOTUS ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor strengthens parents’ educational rights, partnership with schools
Originally published in Deseret News. The U.S. Supreme Court just affirmed that parents have the right and responsibility to direct how their children are taught about moral topics and clarified that schools must accommodate the religious practices of families....