Religious institutions and individuals are at the heart of America’s thriving civil society, providing effectively for the welfare of individuals and communities in ways that government programs do not have the capacity to address.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
Check out the new improved FamilyFacts.org. A resource for charts and information on why the family is so important to a free and civil society. Read More.
In 1935, President Roosevelt (D) said: “Continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fibre. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit.” Read More.
Problems like poverty, addiction, and homelessness are serious and complex. Seek Social Justice is a six-lesson DVD small group study guide that provides a framework for understanding and engaging human need. Read More.
Egypt’s transitional military regime threw down a direct challenge to the Obama Administration on Monday when government prosecutors announced that 43 people, including 19 Americans, will stand trial for allegedly interfering in Egypt’s internal politics. Egyptian officials claim that they illegally funded political groups in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, while the… Read more
Abstract: Religious staffing by religious organizations is an established, baseline position in federal law that deserves continued support. Most fundamentally, religious staffing by religious organizations is socially desirable conduct that benefits individuals and society, not unjust discrimination that should be eradicated through law. In… Read more
As Americans exercise their right to vote in presidential primaries, caucuses, and conventions, candidates face questions from voters on a wide range of issues, including religious faith. When it comes to this issue, what should they be looking for? Which questions about religion are most helpful in selecting a President?… Read more
When it came to poverty and the federal budget, 2011 was the Year of Simplistic Sentiments. Many religious leaders sought to influence the national discussion about budget cuts and how they would affect poor Americans. Some made a helpful contribution, but the overall debate left much to… Read more
Christmastime is a season of gratitude. Whether it’s because we reflect upon the birth of the Christ child or the blessings of the past year, the holiday often prompts a sense of appreciation and thankfulness as well as the tradition of gift-giving. And this year, the season… Read more
From The Heritage Foundation, I'm Ernest Istook. … Read more
The world recognized an international symbol of the hunger for political freedom in the summer of 2009 when a young Iranian woman, Neda Agha-Soltan, was fatally shot during the Tehran uprising. Now, Iran's persecution of Yousef Nadarkhani, a young pastor sentenced to… Read more
On October 5, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a very important case concerning religious freedom. Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC has to do with which employees of a church-run school count as ministers and, thus, whose employment status lies within the sphere of that… Read more
Introduction[1] By extolling freedom of religion in the schools, President Bill Clinton has raised the level of debate on the importance of religion to American life.[2] The time is ripe for a deeper dialogue on the contribution of religion to the welfare of the nation. America has always… Read more
Over the past decade, considerable research has emerged that demonstrates the benefits of religious practice within society.[1] Religious practice promotes the well-being of individuals, families, and the community. Of particular note are the studies that indicate the benefits of Religion to the poor.[2] Regular attendance… Read more
The word "justice" is on everyone's lips nowadays, and may signify almost anything. We hear the cry "Peace and Justice!" from folk who would destroy existing societies with fire and sword. Other folk fancy that perfect justice might readily be obtained by certain financial rearrangements -- as if anything in this world ever could be… Read more
No metaphor in American letters has had a more profound influence on law and policy than Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation between church and state." Today, this figure of speech is accepted by many Americans as a pithy description of the constitutionally prescribed church-state arrangement, and it has become the… Read more
Abstract: Did America have a Christian Founding? This disputed question, far from being only of historical interest, has important implications for how we conceive of the role of religion in the American… Read more
Abstract : Some same-sex marriage activists might wish to exclude certain moral and religious viewpoints from the same-sex marriage debate. Evidence shows, however, that religion… Read more
Families have good reason to be concerned about how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010[1] will affect them. While the law will deliver a health insurance entitlement to millions of individuals and families, many of its provisions weaken family choice of coverage, undermine… Read more
Abstract: President Barack Obama’s FY 2012 budget proposal would harm charitable organizations by raising the tax rate on upper-income individuals and families and reducing their income tax deduction for charitable donations. These two changes in the tax code would discourage charitable donations and leave… Read more
The Obama Administration is moving rapidly to overturn federal "conscience clause" regulations protecting health care providers who object to performing procedures that violate their religious beliefs or moral convictions. These regulations implement longstanding federal laws expressing the decided opinion of Congress and the American people that no individual--doctor, patient, or other health professional--should be… Read more
STUART M. BUTLER: What does the evidence show in terms of the connection between religious practice and other characteristics of our society: poverty, welfare, health? Also, what might be the implications of this research and analysis, if any, for public policy? These are the objectives of this Center, and we are… Read more
Abstract: Proponents of religious freedom have firmly established that same-sex marriage threatens religious freedom in a number of ways. In response, some have argued that certain threats to religious freedom discussed in this context have more to do with nondiscrimination laws than with the… Read more
Abstract: Today, religious liberty issues are more complicated than simply freedom from government interference in religious worship or teaching. Threats to religious liberty and respect for conscience are emerging in the health care field, in the area of institutional religious freedom, and in the… Read more
The government of Illinois does not understand the importance of, and the legal protections for, religious liberty. The law protects the right of conscience of health care providers, but the Illinois bureaucracy is on a six-year (so far) unholy war to force two pharmacists who own their own businesses to… Read more
Abstract: The repeal of the 1993 law prohibiting open homosexuality in the military poses significant risk for military service members and chaplains who, as matters of religious or moral conviction, hold to traditional values regarding marriage and sexual… Read more
Abstract: The Egyptian government has played a major role in creating and maintaining a religiously intolerant environment in Egypt that is hostile to non-Muslims and any Muslims who deviate from government-endorsed religious norms and traditions. This intolerant environment… Read more
It is a rare moment indeed when faith denominations of all stripes unite together in common cause, and it is rarer...… Read more
In last week’s Republican primary debate, a Jacksonville, Florida, resident asked the candidates what role their...… Read more
A remarkable page in the history of American conscientious objection is being written by citizens throughout the United...… Read more
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back at a few of the victories and challenges for religious liberty during...… Read more
How does marriage fare as the nation heads into the new year? Unfortunately, the most recent government data indicate...… Read more
"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time," Thomas Jefferson once wrote. "The hand of force may...… Read more
Last week the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) requested review by the U.S. Supreme Court in Alpha Delta Chi v. Reed, a case...… Read more
Amidst the bustle of shopping for gifts, baking cookies, and wrapping presents, many Americans will celebrate this...… Read more
When Pam Tebow was counseled to abort her baby to save her own life, the doctor referred to him as a "mass of fetal...… Read more
The vast majority of American adults hold a definite belief in God. Yet, despite this persistence of belief in America...… Read more
Research Fellow
Director, Domestic Policy Studies
Visiting Fellow