Christian Law: Religious Freedom and Persecution

The Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is the primary source of Christian Law.

Matthew 22:21, which states 'Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's', is often cited as the foundation for religious freedom.

Religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and free exercise of religion are all legal terms used to describe the right to practice one's religion without interference.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights all recognize the right to religious freedom.

Religious persecution, religious discrimination, and religious intolerance are all terms used to describe the systematic mistreatment of a religious group.

North Korea has been consistently ranked as one of the worst persecutors of Christians, with severe restrictions on religious freedom and reports of torture and imprisonment of Christians.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects religious freedom, including the free exercise of religion and the establishment clause.

Engel v. Vitale (1962) was a Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a state-sponsored prayer in public schools was unconstitutional.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was enacted in 1993 to protect religious freedom by prohibiting the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion.

Town of Greece v. Galloway (2014) was a Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a town's practice of opening its monthly board meetings with a prayer was constitutional.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion in employment, among other things.

Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002) was a Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a state program that provided tuition assistance to parents of children attending religious schools was constitutional.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) allows religious organizations to refuse to provide certain services that violate their religious beliefs, such as providing same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC (2012) was a Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a religious organization could fire an employee who had engaged in sexual harassment, even though the employee claimed that she was fired because of her religion.

The Charitable Choice Provision, part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, allows religious organizations to receive government funding for social services, such as homeless shelters and drug treatment programs.