Religious Liberty News
Stories on legal battles, faith in public life, and policies that affect religious freedom. The Daily Signal reports on challenges and victories surrounding First Amendment protections.
-
opinion
Texas Expects Students to Know the Bible Because It Is Part of Our History
On June 26, the Texas State Board of Education voted on the new K-8 social studies standards. These revised standards remove critical race theory, reject disputed claims about Islam’s influence on the Alamo, restore instruction on classical Greek and Roman influences, and—most controversially—include instructing students about America’s Judeo-Christian heritage. The motion passed 9-5. As you… -
opinion
Reclaiming Religious Liberty From Distortion
Government commissions come and go. Most deliver their reports to polite applause and prompt obscurity. But the Religious Liberty Commission that recently presented its draft report to President Donald Trump deserves a look that extends well beyond the Oval Office. At stake is something fundamental to the American character: our distinctive religious pluralism and the constitutional architecture… -
opinion
Trump v. Pope Leo XIV? Where Do Washington and Rome Go From Here?
The following is an excerpt of Daily Signal Politics Editor Bradley Devlin’s interview with Paul Kengor, editor of The American Spectator and author of the new book “American Pontiff,” for the “Signal Sitdown,” which premieres on the Daily Signal’s YouTube page at 6:30 a.m. EDT on July 8. This transcript has been edited for clarity…. -
opinion
Religious Freedom at Stake in Spain
Imagine a government deciding which parts of a church are sacred. The altar, yes. The nave, no. The chapels, the dome, the atrium, the vestibule, and great bronze doors—no as well. The faithful may pray here, but not there, and only after passing through a state-run exhibition with a political and ideological message before entering. It might sound invented, but it is happening right now in Spain. … -
opinion
Rep. Mark Harris: The Faith That Made America Free
As America approaches her 250th birthday, we will look back to Philadelphia; to the signing of the Declaration of Independence; and to the courage of the men who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of liberty. The declaration was not written merely in rejection of England’s rule. It was… -
analysis
The Left’s Socialist Wave Will Come for Religion Next, Catholic Bishop Warns
Catholic Bishop Robert Barron is warning Christians to take seriously the implications of far-left socialists who rack up victories in Democrat primaries across the country, most recently in Colorado. The popular preacher and founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries didn’t mince words in an X post Monday, a week after self-described socialists scored big… -
opinion
Protecting Religion: The Battlefield of the Future
On June 6, 1876, as the United States approached its centennial anniversary, President Ulysses S. Grant addressedthe youth of America. “My advice … no matter their denomination,” is to hold fast to faith, to not merely know one’s religious precepts, but to live them. By Grant’s counsel, in this would be the flourishing of the… -
news
Inside Speaker Johnson’s Private Capitol Tour: Faith and America’s Founding
House Speaker Mike Johnson led a private tour of the U.S. Capitol recently, emphasizing the role of faith in America’s founding 250 years ago. Frank Turek, founder and president of the Christian ministry CrossExamined.org, recorded portions of Johnson’s May 20 tour and shared clips on his show “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an… -
opinion
Peter Xu: The Billy Graham of China
This is an adapted excerpt from “China’s War on Faith” by Sam Brownback with Michael Arkush, released May 12 from Republic Book Publishers. Peter Xu never lost faith in his Lord and Savior. Not even when death was near. In 1997, Peter hung from the metal bars of a sliding prison door for nearly four hours…. -
exclusive
GOP Leadership Announces Nomination of Religious Freedom Commissioner
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise have nominated a new commissioner to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Gene Mills, a religious leader and president of the Louisiana Family Forum, will serve alongside eight others to ensure religious freedoms are protected around the world. “I am… -
opinion
Balancing Religious Liberty and National Security: A Lesson From Ancient Greece
Pericles, a leader of the first democracy in Athens, gave a famous speech extolling Athenian greatness at a funeral for fallen soldiers. “Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves,” Pericles boasted in Thucydides’ account of the speech. Athens served as the “school”… -
news
Riley Moore Acts to Protect Catholic Veterans’ Right to the Crucifix
Nearly 1 in 5 veterans who serve our country are Catholic, yet the Department of Veterans Affairs does not grant them the option to display the crucifix on their headstones when buried at national cemeteries—but this is about to change. With strong Catholic members on the House Appropriations Committee, this will soon be mandated by… -
opinion
First Pick in NFL Draft Puts God First
Fernando Mendoza, the quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner, and national champion from the Indiana Hoosiers, was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. He was projected to be the sure pick for the Las Vegas Raiders but rather than be in Pittsburgh for the big night, he decided to remain at… -
exclusive
EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Florida Insider Looks to Flip Democrat Seat in Florida House
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Miguel Granda, a longtime Republican staffer and “Christian conservative whose ideas are rooted in his Christians values,” told The Daily Signal he has filed his candidacy for Florida House District 117 on Tuesday. Granda, 34, told The Daily Signal that his experience as a legislative aide to Florida Rep. David Borrero… -
opinion
Does the First Amendment Protect Progressive Bakers From Serving Republicans?
A progressive baker asks Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave her croissant shop because her presence makes her staff feel uncomfortable. Across the nation in Oregon, Melissa Klein and her husband await a state appellate court decision whether their right to free exercise of religion includes the right to decline designing a cake celebrating… -
news
Religious Liberty Commission Hears Testimony on Faith Conflicts in Health Care, Social Services
The Religious Liberty Commission held a hearing at the Museum of the Bible on March 16 to examine religious liberty issues in health care and social services. Across multiple panels, witnesses described professional and legal consequences they said followed decisions to practice their faith. Testimony came from parents, physicians, counselors, and faith leaders who addressed topics including gender… -
news
Museum of Bible Hosts First Meeting of New Religious Liberty Commission
The newly created Religious Liberty Commission held its first meeting on Monday at the Museum of the Bible in Washington. On the agenda for discussion by the commission was the history of religious liberty in the U.S. and the Supreme Court’s role in interpreting the rights to religious expression and exercise. “[I]t’s so vitally important… -
news
Religious Liberty Succeeds Because It Taps Into America’s ‘Live and Let Live’ Instincts
There is still hope religious liberty will prevail in America even though many wish to tear it down, including some in government, according to the president of the religious freedom law firm the Becket Fund. Many religious liberty cases succeed because they tap into the “live and let live instinct” of Americans, Mark Rienzi told… -
opinion
Judge’s Ordering Airline’s Lawyers to Take Religious Liberty Sensitivity Training Sends Left Into Tailspin
One of the Left’s favorite things to advocate for is diversity and inclusion training. It’s celebrated and even revered, and it’s demanded on social media, in workplaces, at corporations, and within educational institutions. But it seems the Left isn’t so happy when the tables are turned. Take the Monday ruling of a federal judge in… -
opinion
Christian Bakers Challenge $135K Fine for Quoting Bible Verse
Did Oregon officials violate their duty to remain neutral on matters of religion when they ordered Christian bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein to pay $135,000 for declining to create a custom same-sex wedding cake, a move that crushed the small, family-owned business? That’s the question that the Oregon Court of Appeals will answer after having…