Three Ways of Thinking about Reasonable Accommodation

Brett G. Scharffs is Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies and Rex E. Lee Chair and Professor of Law for the BYU Law School.  Brock Mason is Student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies and PhD Candidate at Fordham University.

Our age is one of increasing diversity. We rub shoulders with those who believe differently, act differently, and look differently. Many countries that historically were religiously or ethnically homogenous have changed. People of every religion, or no religion, live together under common laws and political institutions. This diversity is a strength, but it also produces challenges. One challenge is how to deal with those whose religious beliefs may put them somewhat at odds with cultural and legal norms. For example, real challenges arise, such as when a Muslim woman wants to wear a hijab at work despite a dress code forbidding it, or a Seventh-day Adventist seeks to avoid conscription into a combat role despite a universal military draft. Should such religious accommodations be allowed? And if so, why?

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Religious Freedom and Same Sex Marriage Laws: Constitutional and Other Issues

Neil Foster is an Associate Professor at Newcastle Law School (Australia). His blog,  Law and Religion Australia,  treats Law and Religion issues not only in Australia and other Commonwealth nations, but in the United States and elsewhere.

Recognition of “same-sex marriage” has been proceeding apace in Western societies for the last few decades. Adoption of same-sex marriage, however, raises religious freedom issues. It does so because the move effectively amounts to a change in a nation’s public morality and takes a stance on the issue as to what kind of sexual activity is legitimate, which is in sharp opposition to the views taken by mainstream religions for many years. Representatives of those religions have long been involved in solemnizing marriages; questions now arise as to whether they will be required to solemnize same-sex unions. Similar issues arise for believers involved as small businesses in related “wedding industries.” At a broader level, the change means that many religious groups are now opposed to the wider societal consensus on the question of sexual morality, and questions are raised as to whether they will still be able to play a role in the public life of the community.

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Covid-19, Religion and FoRB: 2020 Vision – Looking Backwards and Seeing the Way Forward. Reflections upon the Completion of the Covid-19 & FoRB Webinar Series

 

Since its launch in April 2020, our Covid-19, Religion and Belief webinar series has offered hundreds of academics, civil society, government, and religious leaders a space to reflect upon some of the consequences of the pandemic and its effects on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Using a cross-cutting approach, we looked at the impact of the pandemic at the intersection of religiosity, religious freedom, civil rights, the economy, and humanitarian aid.

The aim of our concluding webinar was to take stock of good practices and lessons learned and try to imagine what the world will look like six months from now. To accomplish this, this episode was slightly different from the others. We wanted this to be truly a participatory exercise. To this end, listeners were invited to respond to the question, ‘How has Covid-19 impacted your region, what you have learned from this experience, and what you will do (or think should be done) moving forward?’

To capture this final webinar, and review the entire series, we have compiled the posts by Brett Scharffs, Pasquale Annicchino, Judd Birdsall, and Marco Ventura.
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