67
votes
Accepted
I want to leave Islam, but they would execute and kill me. What do I do?
Legally speaking, very many nations grant asylum, and religious persecution is one of the most basic grounds for granting asylum, following the 1951 Refugee Convention. This newspaper article compares ...
- 217k
58
votes
Accepted
Can illegal aliens claim sanctuary in a church?
The case you identify is not unique. For example, the Unitarian church in Denver has done much the same thing.
There is not a legal right to sanctuary in a church. But, as a manner of law enforcement ...
- 240k
39
votes
Conflict between a religious belief that accounts for the existence of transgender people vs. one that doesn't
The law doesn't distinguish between two Christians with divergent beliefs, or between an atheist and a Christian (obviously with divergent beliefs). The law simply does not care what religion you have,...
- 217k
31
votes
I want to leave Islam, but they would execute and kill me. What do I do?
You should contact an organisation specialised in this area. Here is one for the UK, with specific information on asylum seeking apostates:
https://www.ex-muslim.org.uk/2010/09/apostasy-and-asylum-in-...
- 311
30
votes
Is it prohibited to mock the LGBT community in France?
Mockery is allowed; hate speech isn’t
While freedom of speech is guaranteed under French law it does have limits. Since 2004, these limits have applied to gender and sexuality.
Mockery is contemptuous ...
- 226k
23
votes
Accepted
Discrimination on the grounds of unsavoury religious beliefs?
What constitutes a belief for the purpose of being a protected characteristic under Section 4 of the Equality Act 2010 was examined in Grainger plc v Nicholson [2010] IRLR 4.
There are 5 criteria ...
- 10.3k
21
votes
Is religious confession legally privileged?
germany
§53 StPO (1) 1. allows clerics to refuse to testify about things they were told during spiritual care. This does not require the setting to be exactly the Catholic sacrament of confession: it ...
- 20.5k
19
votes
Accepted
What would happen to the churches (physical buildings), works of art, etc. in case of a new schism?
Precedents And General Considerations
There are cases of similar things happening in Protestant churches and it ends up being quite case by case fact specific with details of how title is held to ...
- 240k
18
votes
Accepted
Is handing out bibles near school property a 1st amendment violation?
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution does not prohibit people with no affiliation with the government from trying to convert people to their religion in a ...
- 240k
16
votes
Can a church legally initiate formal discipline against a member who has officially withdrawn/resigned from the church?
You don't have to interact with people if you don't want to
If you don't want to talk or otherwise interact with somebody in a personal capacity, you don't have to. Your reasons for doing so are your ...
- 226k
15
votes
Can illegal aliens claim sanctuary in a church?
If a person is within a political unit X, they are in the jurisdiction of X, and unless them have specific immunity (e.g. Art. 1 Sect. 6 Cl. 1 of the Constitution, congressional immunity from arrest), ...
- 217k
14
votes
Accepted
Are Satanists legal in the US?
There is no such law in the US, although there many laws prohibiting specific forms of harm, for example laws against murder, theft, assault, arson. All laws are predicated on the idea that an illegal ...
- 217k
14
votes
Can a religious baker refuse service to an underage couple-to-be, in accordance with his deeply-held religious beliefs?
As cited by @xuhdev, discrimination on the basis of marital status is prohibited in Colorado. And, even though age is not on the list, the couple could claim that you discriminate them based on their ...
- 28.2k
14
votes
Is it prohibited to mock the LGBT community in France?
Mocking, or criticising homosexuality, or LGBT as a concept is OK. For example, former governement member Christine Boutin said "Homosexuality is an abomination", and it was considered OK (...
- 892
14
votes
Is religious confession legally privileged?
In the united-states, that privilege exists, but its availability and parameters vary from one jurisdiction to the next. See, e.g., Totten, Administrator, v. United States, 92 U.S. 105, 107 (1875) (“...
- 61.8k
13
votes
Accepted
What constitutes a "religious belief"
The First Amendment essentially prohibits the establishment of a list of approved vs. not-approved religions. There is a large body of First Amendment case law that relates to claimed religious ...
- 217k
13
votes
Do US public school students have a First Amendment right to be able to perform sacred music?
This question mixes up two separate although related issues:
Does a student have a first amendment right to perform "sacred" music during school time?
Is a public school allowed to include ...
- 115k
13
votes
Can a church legally initiate formal discipline against a member who has officially withdrawn/resigned from the church?
canada
See Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Canada St. Mary Cathedral v. Aga, 2021 SCC 22.
In that case, two members of a religious organization were expelled. The Court held that any remedy ...
- 72.7k
12
votes
Accepted
Can hospitals run by trusts discriminate based on religion in India
Article 15 of the Indian Constitution states that "The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them", thus a government ...
- 217k
12
votes
Does the Satanic Temples new abortion 'ritual' allow abortions under religious freedom?
My experience is that the Pastafarian religion is indeed a parody religion. In contrast, TST has all of the indicia of a sincere religion – you can look here for a summary of their beliefs. Their ...
- 217k
11
votes
Do US public school students have a First Amendment right to be able to perform sacred music?
There has not been a concrete SCOTUS ruling on this issue, but it is highly likely that SCOTUS would find such a restriction unconstitutional.
Kennedy v. Bremerton School District was recently decided,...
- 217k
11
votes
Is handing out bibles near school property a 1st amendment violation?
"Given that this guy wasn't an employee of the school, and wasn't in the school itself" why would there be a First Amendment violation??
What part of this situation even vaguely looks like &...
- 3,191
10
votes
Accepted
Blasphemy in the Context of Freedom of Speech
In the United States, blasphemy is really not a crime even if it severely offends certain people and tends to cause them to want to riot and kill the person who offends them. Most Americans who are ...
- 240k
10
votes
Can a church legally initiate formal discipline against a member who has officially withdrawn/resigned from the church?
usa
You have a constitutional right to associate with whom you please
The Supreme court has long held that the 1st amendment right to free speech, assembly, and petition also includes the freedom of ...
- 5,515
9
votes
Are Satanists legal in the US?
The United States has two main (and perfectly legal) branches of Satanism: LaVeyan Satanism which dates to about the 1966, and the Satanic Temple founded in 2012. The Satanic Temple has Satanic images ...
- 240k
9
votes
Is religious confession legally privileged?
In wisconsin statute 905.06 says:
Communications to members of the clergy.
(1) Definitions. As used in this section:
(a) A “member of the clergy" is a minister, priest, rabbi, or other similar ...
- 7,283
8
votes
Accepted
Conflict between a religious belief that accounts for the existence of transgender people vs. one that doesn't
This question fundamentally is not about religion in any way.
Based on your question, Christine would not be discriminating against people from Ann's own sect, only against transgender people. If Ann ...
- 2,797
8
votes
What constitutes a "religious belief"
The article you link to details some of that
The city’s policy states that employees must fill out a form and “answer all relevant questions regarding the religious belief, practice or observance ...
- 3,785
8
votes
Does the Satanic Temples new abortion 'ritual' allow abortions under religious freedom?
what is the limits to what could, or couldn't, be claimed as protected by the RFRA if a parody religion claims it's part of their religion?
Without taking any position on your assertion that The ...
- 72.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible