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You might be surprised, but director Mel Gibson, pacifist World War II hero Desmond Doss, and former bakery owners Aaron and Melissa Klein all have something in common. What is it? The common denominator is that they have all—in some form—brought attention to the principle of religious conscientious objection to […]

In 2007, Aaron and Melissa Klein and their family opened the storefront bakery “Sweet Cakes by Melissa” in Gresham, Oregon—prayed over by their pastor. Little did they know what awaited. Six years later, in 2013, their act of declining to create a custom-designed cake for a same-sex wedding due to […]

The sexual revolution has been rippling through American society since the 1950s and 60s, affecting laws on divorce, abortion, same-sex marriage, gender, and more. But what happens when so-called “sexual liberty” collides with the First Amendment’s first liberty, which is religious liberty? One potentially history-making answer will emerge from the […]

For most of American history, if your job title was “President of the United States,” then securing free exercise of religion was part of your job description. But who did it best? Here are some candidates for “Champions of Religious Liberty” from the annals of the U.S. presidents. Here is […]

Religious freedom for military members could be further protected — or severely inhibited — in the coming months, and it all depends on the U.S. Supreme Court. In December, First Liberty Institute asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case of Monifa Sterling, a U.S. Marine who was convicted […]

Last week, an executive order was leaked to the media that seeks to provide broad religious exemptions for all Americans. This executive order promotes personal liberty by continuing to preserve religious freedom for individuals, for churches and houses of worship, for schools, for employers and businesses, and for faith-based non-profit […]