Free Exercise of Religion on a Slippery Slope – By Howard Sierer – Where do we draw a line limiting the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment ? For those tempted to answer that no limiting line should be drawn, read on. When religious beliefs lead to action, especially when those actions might harm others, those actions are necessarily subject to laws and regulations. And laws and regulations are necessarily subject to judgment. No one in this country would argue that cannibalism or female genital mutilation should be protected as the free exercise of religion. Yet both are practiced by some religions elsewhere in the world resulting in obvious harm to unwilling victims. Surprisingly, parents in this country are allowed free exercise even when harm to their children may result. An extreme case: The state of Idaho allows faith-healing parents to withhold medical treatment from their children when they suffer from easily treated ailments. Under Idaho law, parents will not be criminally charged even if their children die. Forty-four states allow parents not to have their children vaccinated on religious grounds while some states allow parents to ignore compulsory education laws . Like most Americans, I’m […]
