(TheConservativeNews.org) – The US Supreme Court has expanded religious freedoms over the last several years. Their rulings in 2020 were particularly important for people personally, businesses and schools. But how protected are the rights of Americans to practice their religion without government interference?
That is a question devout people are forced to ask themselves all the time, especially in a country that’s full of “woke” folks.
Religious Rights at Work
If you work in the service industry, you might wonder if you could refuse to serve someone on religious grounds. In 2012, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, Jack Phillips, refused to bake a cake for a gay couple citing his religion as the reason. The couple sued the business owner based on the state’s anti-discrimination law and won in the state Supreme Court.
Phillips appealed to the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) and in a 7-2 ruling, in 2018, the justices overturned the previous rulings. However, whether or not other businesses could do the same thing was left unanswered.
What does that mean for you? If you truly believe serving someone will violate your religious liberty, you could refuse, but be prepared for a battle. You might have to take the case all the way to the high court.
Religious Freedom in Schools
How well are student’s First Amendment rights protected in schools? The high court ruled in 1990, in the case of Westside Community Board of Education v. Mergens, students are allowed to pray in schools and hold prayer circles they’ve organized themselves.
A decade later, in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, the SCOTUS held that students aren’t permitted to use the school’s loudspeaker to lead a prayer.
In 2020, the justices on the SCOTUS issued two very big rulings dealing with religion and schools. The first case, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, ruling allows state funds to now go to religious schools. In the other ruling for the St. James School v. Biel case, the court held anti-discrimination laws do not extend to teacher’s who are working at a religious school.
How Protected Are You?
In schools, it appears kids are really well protected. However, the rest of us still have some issues to tackle. The good news is the current SCOTUS seems willing to expand religious rights, so this might be the court we need to get religious freedom laws reviewed and passed.
https://theconservativenews.org/how-safe-is-your-religious-freedom/Copyright 2020, TheConservativeNews.org
