Post by: Heng Yong
This post is an update on my last blog post that can be read here. This summer was an eventful summer for religious freedom. While the European Court of Human Rights case on Lee v. the United Kingdom was pending, several other religious freedom cases reached its verdicts in the United States Supreme Court. Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru is one of them, in which the Court ruled that “ministerial exception” under the First Amendment’s freedom of religion clause bars courts from ruling against the employment-discrimination lawsuits raised by two Catholic school teachers. The Court reasoned that “Hosanna-Tabor decision was a recognition that educating young people in their faith, inculcating its teachings, and training them to live their faith” are vital parts of private religious schools; hence, the school has its own discretion to find the candidates who could meet those criteria.
I always thought that threats to religious freedom were only happening under the authoritarian governments outside of western civilization. Unfortunately, now religious freedom is under threat even inside the United States. This is an urgent wake-up call for Americans to fight for their religious freedom before it is too late. Pluralism, tolerance, and broadmindedness are the beauty of a democratic society. It can only happen when people are able to think freely and have their freedom of religion.
This post was written by a Center for Global Justice Intern. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.