{"id":46695,"date":"2022-02-15T18:18:07","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T23:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/religious-liberty"},"modified":"2025-06-17T17:13:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T21:13:13","slug":"religious-liberty","status":"publish","type":"issue","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/religious-liberty","title":{"rendered":"Religious Liberty"},"parent":0,"menu_order":206,"template":"","class_list":["post-46695","issue","type-issue","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"featured-image":210893,"intro":"The ACLU strives to safeguard the First Amendment\u2019s guarantee of religious liberty by ensuring that laws and governmental practices neither promote religion nor interfere with its free exercise.","what-you-need-to-know":[{"highlighted":"81%","description":"Eighty-one percent of Americans say the law should not allow companies or other institutions to use religious beliefs to decide whether to offer a service to some people and not others."},{"highlighted":"3,500","description":"3,500 groups make up the American religious landscape. "},{"highlighted":"All Americans","description":"The ACLU vigorously defends the rights of all Americans, from Christians to members of minority faiths, to practice their religion."}],"promo":{"description":"","button":"","url":""},"faq":{"description":"","faq-items":null},"featured-stories":null,"latest-stories":null,"whats-at-stake":{"title":"What's at Stake","description":"The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that \u201cCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.\u201d As enshrined in the First Amendment, religious freedom includes two complementary protections: the right to religious belief and expression and a guarantee that the government neither prefers religion over non-religion nor favors particular faiths over others. These dual protections work hand in hand, allowing religious liberty to thrive and safeguarding both religion and government from the undue influences of the other.\r\n\r\nFrom our foundational work on behalf of conscientious objectors to our historic defense of John T. Scopes during the infamous \u201cScopes Monkey Trial\u201d of 1925, the ACLU has been the national leader in the struggle for religious freedom. Building on that near-century of work, the ACLU employs an integrated strategy of litigation, public education, and advocacy to protect religious liberty."},"actions":"","drupal-id":253,"is_hidden_issue":""},"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ACLU strives to safeguard the First Amendment\u2019s guarantee of religious liberty by ensuring that laws and governmental practices neither promote religion nor interfere with its free exercise.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Religious Liberty | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ACLU strives to safeguard the First Amendment\u2019s guarantee of religious liberty by ensuring that laws and governmental practices neither promote religion nor interfere with its free exercise.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/religious-liberty\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-17T21:13:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/religious-liberty\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/religious-liberty\",\"name\":\"Religious Liberty | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-15T23:18:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-17T21:13:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"The ACLU strives to safeguard the First Amendment\u2019s guarantee of religious liberty by ensuring that laws and governmental practices neither promote religion nor interfere with its free exercise.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/religious-liberty\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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