Religion Law Commons^™

Protecting Religion Through Statute: The Mixed Case Of The United States, Jay D. Wexler

Faculty Scholarship

Various legislatures of the United States and those of other countries with transitional legal systems have much to learn from U.S. Congress's mixed record of protecting religious freedom through statute. While legal systems and religious culture differ tremendously worldwide, some general lessons transcend these variances. In this context, the successes and failures of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, (1993) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) are analyzed. Five major conclusions are reached, which focus on the danger of ambiguity and the need for clarity and strictness in order to prove a religious protection act effective.