Religious Liberty

Religious liberty is a cornerstone of our nation and is the very first freedom guaranteed to Americans by the Bill of Rights. Yet on many college and university campuses, the right to associate on the basis of religious belief—and even the right to express those beliefs—is under attack. Under the guise of "nondiscrimination" policies, religious groups are often told that they may not choose the membership or leadership of their groups based on religious criteria. Other students who merely express religious beliefs in public are condemned for "hate speech" or "intolerance." FIRE's public cases dealing with religious liberty, listed below, display our commitment to defending America’s religious pluralism by protecting students' rights to express their views and to associate based upon shared beliefs.

Cases

• Brown University: Wrongful Suspension of Religious Student Group
• California State University at San Bernardino: Refusal to Recognize Christian Group
• Gonzaga University: Refusal to Recognize Christian Pro-Life Club
• Indian River Community College: Ban on ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and Repression of Free Speech
• Lakeland Community College: Disciplining of Professor for Religious Speech
• Louisiana State University: Threat to Muslim Group’s Freedom of Association
• Milwaukee School of Engineering: Threat to Christian Group’s Freedom of Association
• Ohio State University: Refusal to Allow Religious Clubs to Decide Membership Based on Religious Belief
• Pace University: Christian Student Organization Denied Recognition
• Pennsylvania House of Representatives Select Committee on Student Academic Freedom
• Pennsylvania State University: Charges of ‘Discrimination’ Due to Religious Language in Club Constitution
• Princeton University: Refusal to Recognize Religious Group
• Purdue University: Refusal to Allow Christian Women’s Group to Require Christian Membership
• Rutgers University: Refusal to Allow Christian Clubs to Require Christian Leadership
• Southern Illinois University at Carbondale: Derecognition of Christian Law School Group
• Tufts University: Refusal to Allow Evangelical Christian Club to Reject Homosexual Leadership
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Denial of Freedom of Association for Christian Fraternity
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Refusal to Allow Christian Clubs to Require Christian Leadership
• University of North Carolina System: State of the First Amendment
• University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire: Ban on RAs’ Leading Bible Studies
• University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire: Unconstitutional Student Fee Funding Amendment

Articles and News Items

• "Religious freedom vs. civil rights," Burton Bollag, Colloquy Live (Chronicle of Higher Education), January 27, 2005: Should student groups be required to respect campus nondiscrimination rules? Conservative Christian groups say they should be allowed to restrict membership to heterosexual students who share their faith. But others say that if groups discriminate, they should not receive funds and other support from their colleges. Which should take precedence -- religious freedom or protection from discrimination? Is there any way to reconcile the two concepts? How will the courts rule in these difficult cases?
• "Religious Liberty in Peril on Campus, National Surveys Reveal," FIRE Press Release, November 10, 2003: One out of every four undergraduates is unable to mention any freedoms protected by the First Amendment, and only thirty percent of them answered that freedom of religion is a right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Two surveys commissioned by FIRE reveal that college and university students and administrators are woefully ignorant about freedom of speech and freedom of religion.