Religious Freedom News
The Daily Signal provides coverage of religious freedom issues in the United States and around the world, with reporting on policy, legal challenges, persecution, and the impact on people of faith.
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opinion
Major US Initiative Could Spark New Era of Expanding Religious Freedom
Last week may have marked an inflection point for international religious freedom. Historically, governments that strongly protect religious freedom have been a rarity. It is no small thing, then, that essentially all countries are now willing at least to pay lip service to the idea, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that religious… -
news
What Jeff Sessions’ New Task Force Will Do to Defend Religious Freedom
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a task force on religious liberty Monday to build on President Donald Trump’s earlier executive action to provide protections for what some call Americans’ “first freedom” under the First Amendment. “A dangerous movement, undetected by many, is now challenging and eroding our great tradition of religious freedom,” Sessions said in… -
opinion
Podcast: The Importance of Religious Freedom Around the World
Aaron Rhodes, president of the Forum for Religious Freedom Europe and author of “The Debasement of Human Rights: How Politics Sabotage the Ideal of Freedom,” joins us to talk about religious freedom around the world. Plus: San Francisco is considering effectively banning tech companies from providing free lunches. -
news
7 Big Moments From Pence Address on Religious Freedom
Vice President Mike Pence called out Turkey for imprisoning a Christian pastor and criticized Nicaragua for its attacks on the Catholic Church in a speech Thursday, where he also announced the Trump administration’s agenda to protect religious freedom. “A stunning 83 percent of the world’s population live in nations where religious freedom is either threatened… -
news
These 6 Cases Show How Brett Kavanaugh Might Rule on Religious Freedom
While serving on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., Judge Brett Kavanaugh heard cases touching on religious liberty that could indicate how he could rule on such issues that go before the high court if he’s confirmed. Kavanaugh also advocated on behalf of religious freedom while in private law practice. “Overall, he… -
news
Amendment to Protect Religious Freedom of Adoption Providers Attached to Appropriations Bill in House
An amendment to protect the religious freedom of adoption providers was passed by the House Appropriations Committee to be part of the fiscal year 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill in a vote Wednesday. “What occurred today is a milestone,” Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., said in a statement provided to The… -
opinion
In Baker Decision, Justice Kennedy Stresses the Importance of Religious Freedom
This is a lightly edited transcript of an interview on The Daily Signal podcast, where we talked with The Heritage Foundation’s Emilie Kao about why she thinks the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Jack Phillips will “lead other courts to protect people who have the same view of marriage that Jack Phillips has,”… -
news
Under Trump, HHS Acts to Protect Religious Freedom
The Trump administration took a step toward protecting religious freedom Thursday by establishing a new division of the nation’s largest social services agency that marks a dramatic shift from the Obama administration. “We face today a time of rising religious persecution … a new orthodoxy, and it is intolerant of dissent,” @GOPLeader says. During a… -
opinion
We Hear You: Term Limits, the Russia Probe, the NFL, Religious Freedom, and Other Obsessions of 2017
Editor's note: For our roundup of letters at year's end, we thought we'd highlight some letters from The Daily Signal's audience that we meant to publish earlier. Enjoy, and don't forget to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Americans elected Republicans to stand behind President Trump and work out any plan that needs… -
opinion
What the Founders Understood About Religious Freedom That We Must Recover
Friday, Dec. 15, marks the anniversary of the day our young nation ratified the Bill of Rights in 1791. Given the national discussion in recent days over whether the government may compel speech from an ordinary baker, now is an especially good time to consider the very first words of our charter document: “Congress shall… -
opinion
Promise Kept: Trump Administration Protects Americans’ Religious Freedom
The Justice Department fulfilled President Donald Trump’s promise to provide clear guidance on the administration’s commitment to restore robust protection of religious freedom across all federal agencies and executive departments Friday. This fix was sorely needed in the wake of actions by President Barack Obama’s administration that harmed Americans’ religious liberty. The May 4 executive… -
opinion
Trump Administration Undoes Obamacare’s Egregious Assault on Religious Freedom, Conscience Rights
The Trump administration issued interim final rules Friday that will provide much-needed relief to those with moral or religious objections to one of Obamacare’s most egregious assaults on rights of conscience and religious liberty: the HHS mandate. The mandate, from the Department of Health and Human Services, requires that nearly all insurance plans must cover abortion-inducing… -
news
Trump Administration Reverses Obama-Era Policies on Religious Freedom
The Trump administration came out strongly in defense of religious freedom Friday, with new legal guidance and a move to reverse one of the most controversial Obamacare mandates. “Every American has a right to believe, worship, and exercise their faith,” Jeff Sessions says. The Justice Department guidelines direct attorneys and agencies that freedom of religious… -
news
Religious Freedom Advocates Rebuke Al Franken for ‘Hate Group’ Slur
One of the nation’s most respected champions of religious liberty draws a line at being called a hate group by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. During a confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett, a Notre Dame law professor nominated by President Donald Trump to a federal judgeship, Franken said Alliance Defending Freedom is a hate group… -
news
Report Shows More Violations of Americans’ Religious Freedom
Hostility toward religion is on the rise in the United States, according to a new report. The report, recently released by the Family Research Council, shows an increase in the number of incidents involving “religious freedom violations” since the first report was released in July 2014. The original report spanned over a decade and contained 90… -
news
Religious Freedom Advocates Fire Back After ‘Hate Group’ Smear Over Jeff Sessions Speech
The Southern Poverty Law Center, once revered but now often ridiculed, again attacked a prominent religious liberty organization as an “anti-LGBT hate group” after Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke at its conference in California. “The Southern Poverty Law Center is the real hate group here,” @Vadum says. The Christian legal aid group, Alliance Defending Freedom,… -
opinion
We Hear You: Bernie Sanders, Religious Freedom, and Fake News
Editor’s note: What could be more appropriate this Fourth of July weekend than to round up some audience comments on basic American freedoms such as freedom of religion, speech, and the press? Happy Independence Day.—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: There is a disconnect in the statement Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., put on his Senate website after… -
news
Defender of Religious Freedom Sues Nonprofit Tracker GuideStar Over ‘Hate Group’ Labels
A conservative organization dedicated to upholding religious liberty has sued the leading tracker of U.S. nonprofits for publicly listing it as a “hate group.” “It is dangerous to label organizations as hate groups when they’re not, [and] people have used that information to commit acts of violence.”—@MatStaver Liberty Counsel is taking GuideStar to court after… -
opinion
Circuit Court Win for Religious Freedom on Gay Marriage
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously on Thursday that a Mississippi law that protects religious liberty and the rights of conscience in light of the redefinition of marriage may go into effect. In the decision, the circuit court overruled a previous judgment from a district court judge who had declared the Mississippi… -
opinion
Blasphemy Conviction for Christian Governor Could Be Sign of Deteriorating Religious Freedom in Indonesia
Jakarta’s Chinese Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, more popularly known as Ahok, was found guilty of blasphemy by a panel of five judges in Indonesia and sentenced to two years in prison. This latest application of blasphemy laws calls into question the commitment to religious freedom in a country often held up as an example…