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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.

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Conversations

Religion is essential to liberty. William J. Haun of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and AEI explains the historical connection between the church and your natural rights. That's why everyone's freedoms are at risk when government starts threatening religious groups. Religious liberty is essential to our freedoms

Religious liberty is essential to our freedoms

A healthy system of self-government depends on more than laws and elections. Defending Ideas Host Nic Dunn explains how families and religious institutions help form people, communities and civic life. And that's why some things should remain beyond the government’s reach. Religious institutions are essential to freedom

Religious institutions are essential to freedom

Where should the government’s authority end and religious freedom begin? From the Little Sisters of the Poor’s battle over the Affordable Care Act to disputes involving Catholic, Baptist, and Jewish institutions, what happens when government regulation reaches into religious life? In this interview from Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn sits down with William J. Haun of the American Enterprise Institute and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, as well as Sutherland Institute’s Bill Duncan to discuss why protecting religious liberty isn't just about protecting religious people. It's about preserving the foundations of a free society. The conversation also explores why families and religious organizations provide something government cannot: the institutions and communities that help people flourish and become self-sufficient. Government needs to stay in its lane

Government needs to stay in its lane

Religious freedom isn't just about what people believe. It also means giving religious institutions space to govern themselves. William J. Haun of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty explains why government power has limits when it comes to religious organizations. It's a bad idea for government to violate religious liberty

It's a bad idea for government to violate religious liberty

Why should religious groups be free to make decisions, even if many people strongly disagree with them? In this interview from Defending Ideas, William J. Haun of the American Enterprise Institute and Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and Bill Duncan of Sutherland Institute, join Nic Dunn to explain why the answer is much bigger than any one church. They argue that the Constitution protects everyone’s freedom by keeping certain powers out of the government’s hands. When religious institutions lose their independence, everyone’s freedoms can be at risk. Haun, Duncan, and Dunn also explore how religious liberty helped shape the freedom and limited government we enjoy today. Religious liberty is good for everyone – not just religious people

Religious liberty is good for everyone – not just religious people

Religious liberty is a natural right, not something that needs a permission slip from the government. But what happens when laws collide with religious beliefs and institutions? In this interview from Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn sits down with William J. Haun of the American Enterprise Institute and Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, as well as Sutherland Institute's Bill Duncan, to explore some of the biggest religious freedom questions in the country. Why has the government been suing religious schools? Why do some churches fight laws requiring priests to tell law enforcement what happens in confession? They also discuss the constitutional foundations of religious liberty, the intersection of religion and public accommodation laws, and why the government keeps overstepping its authority. Religion doesn't need a permission slip from the government

Religion doesn't need a permission slip from the government

From Ep. 131: https://youtu.be/Pr5VJNdPiR4 What happens when students are asked to publicly advocate positions that violate their religious beliefs or conscience? Bill Duncan and Nic Dunn preview a key Utah legislative proposal to protect students from compelled speech in higher education. The conversation explores where academic inquiry ends, where conscience rights begin, and why this debate matters for the future of religious freedom on campus. Religious freedom and conscience in higher education

Religious freedom and conscience in higher education

With Utah's legislative session underway, lawmakers are weighing major questions about religious freedom, judicial authority, and the proper balance of power between states and the federal government.  In this episode of Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn is joined by Sutherland's constitutional law and religious freedom fellow, Bill Duncan, to preview the key bills driving these debates. Their conversation explores how courts impact public policy, where legislative authority begins and ends, and how federalism can protect pluralism in a diverse society. Along the way, they examine what these proposals mean for religious liberty, democratic accountability, and self-government in Utah. 0:00 Introduction 0:53 Federalism and religious liberty in practice 16:35 How courts shape religious freedom 28:08 Federalism’s role in protecting faith 39:46 Takeaways Religious freedom, courts, and federalism in Utah | Bill Duncan

Religious freedom, courts, and federalism in Utah | Bill Duncan

In breaking down the data of a recent Sutherland survey, Dee Allsop of Heart+Mind Strategies explains that many religiously unaffiliated Americans see the benefit religion has on society. The benefit of religious contributions to society

The benefit of religious contributions to society

Religion is essential to liberty. William J. Haun of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and AEI explains the historical connection between the church and your natural rights. That's why everyone's freedoms are at risk when government starts threatening religious groups. Religious liberty is essential to our freedoms

Religious liberty is essential to our freedoms

A healthy system of self-government depends on more than laws and elections. Defending Ideas Host Nic Dunn explains how families and religious institutions help form people, communities and civic life. And that's why some things should remain beyond the government’s reach. Religious institutions are essential to freedom

Religious institutions are essential to freedom

Where should the government’s authority end and religious freedom begin? From the Little Sisters of the Poor’s battle over the Affordable Care Act to disputes involving Catholic, Baptist, and Jewish institutions, what happens when government regulation reaches into religious life? In this interview from Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn sits down with William J. Haun of the American Enterprise Institute and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, as well as Sutherland Institute’s Bill Duncan to discuss why protecting religious liberty isn't just about protecting religious people. It's about preserving the foundations of a free society. The conversation also explores why families and religious organizations provide something government cannot: the institutions and communities that help people flourish and become self-sufficient. Government needs to stay in its lane

Government needs to stay in its lane

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Impact Analysis
Survey data shows progressive ideology is creating fissures in Jewish students’ views on Israel

Survey data shows progressive ideology is creating fissures in Jewish students’ views on Israel

Introduction The last year has seen a flourishing of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests on college and university campuses. Protesters have set up encampments, occupied buildings, spewed antisemitic rhetoric, and physically barred pro-Israel Jews from campus...

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Jun 3, 2025 | 14 min read

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