Freedom Of Religion

Question 1

how does court consider religious beliefs?

Answer 1

Although the validity of religious beliefs cannot be questioned, the role a belief system plays in a person’s life can be examined to determine whether the beliefs are indeed religious. The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, prohibits punishing people for their religious beliefs. When a person claims that he is being punished for his religious beliefs, the court may consider whether the person challenging the law sincerely holds those beliefs. Thus, the court may consider whether the parents’ beliefs play a role in their lives similar to that of orthodox religious beliefs.