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Although the most constitutionally acceptable accommodations apply equally to religious and secular organizations, the government at times has found reason to extend an exemption solely to religious believers or organizations. These religion-specific exemptions are often a response to an earlier law that significantly burdened religious practice or belief. For example, a law prohibiting all alcohol […]
Rumors that Obama is a Muslim, the top religion storyline of the general election, started as early as 2004 but took hold in June 2008 as the general election phase of the campaign began. The rumors then maintained a stubborn presence, both in the press and in public opinion, throughout the duration of the campaign. […]
The accommodation of religion raises some of the most difficult questions in church-state relations because it involves so many different and complicated areas of constitutional law. Most fundamentally, in seeking to promote religious liberty, such accommodations often appear to favor religion over nonreligion and thus seem to violate the Establishment Clause. Balancing these two competing […]
In an ongoing series of occasional reports, “Religion and the Courts: The Pillars of Church-State Law,” the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life explores the complex, fluid relationship between government and religion. Among the issues to be examined are religion in public schools, displays of religious symbols on public property, conflicts concerning the free […]
Updated Nov. 10, 20081 President-elect Barack Obama made a concerted effort to reach out to people of faith during the 2008 presidential campaign, and early exit polls show that this outreach may have paid off on Election Day. Among nearly every religious group, the Democratic candidate received equal or higher levels of support compared with […]
Stephanie C. Boddie, Allen Hertzke and Mehtab S. Karim to expand Pew Forum’s areas of research and expertise Washington, D.C.—Stephanie C. Boddie, Allen Hertzke and Mehtab S. Karim have joined the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and will be conducting in-depth research in several new areas. The Pew Forum is expanding its research […]
The form of religious accommodation most clearly permitted by the Establishment Clause is one that exempts both religious organizations and their secular counterparts from a particular legal requirement. Throughout American history, all levels of government have enacted these religion-neutral accommodations, most notably tax exemptions for both secular and religious nonprofit organizations. The Supreme Court addressed […]
When a legislative body grants religious groups more liberty than the Supreme Court has interpreted the Free Exercise Clause to require, the government potentially violates the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from specially favoring religion or promoting religious belief. The Supreme Court has sought to reconcile this tension between the religion clauses by designing […]