Your religious liberty quiz

A gauge of what you think should be the case, not what the law says.

Multiple choice test sheet. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

(RNS) — The nature and extent of religious liberty in the U.S. has been a contested issue since the middle of the last century and in recent years a particularly neuralgic one. Judicial decisions and legal standards aside, what are your religious liberty druthers? If you haven’t considered the topic in the abstract, this quiz will help you gauge your reaction to some of the religious liberty questions the courts have wrestled with.

Answer each of the statements in the comment section below with (a) for “yes,” (b) for “no,” (c) for “it depends,” and (d) for “not sure.” A subsequent column will analyze the results.

  1. Students should have a religious right not to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
  2. Service personnel on military bases should be permitted religiously mandated headwear regardless of uniform dress codes. 
  3. Incarcerated persons should be permitted religiously mandated headwear regardless of prison dress codes.
  4. Children should have a religious right to attend school without being vaccinated.
  5. Individuals should have the right to proselytize in public spaces regardless of anti-solicitation ordinances.
  6. Individuals should have the right to proselytize in semipublic spaces like shopping malls and baseball stadiums.
  7. Teacher-led prayer should be permitted in public schools.
  8. Student-led prayer should be permitted at public school assemblies.
  9. Business owners should have a religious right to refuse service to customers on the basis of gender.
  10. Business owners should have a religious right to refuse service to customers on the basis of race.
  11. Pharmacists should have a religious right to refuse to sell contraceptive products to customers.
  12. Houses of worship should be exempt from zoning regulations.
  13. Religious organizations should be exempt from employment anti-discrimination laws.
  14. Religious organizations should be exempt from workplace safety regulations. 
  15. Religious exemptions from vaccination mandates should be allowed under any circumstances.
  16. Religious exemptions from vaccination mandates should be allowed if medical exemptions are allowed.
  17. Individuals should have a religious right not to work on their holy days.
  18. Religious organizations should have the same right to apply for government funding that secular organizations have.
  19. Women should have a religious right to obtain an abortion regardless of government restrictions.
  20. Indigenous peoples should have a religious right to refuse infrastructure construction on land they deem sacred.
  21. Polygamy should be permitted as a religious right.
  22. Publicly traded companies should have religious rights.
  23. Religious organizations should have the right to refuse to cover contraceptive services in their health insurance plans.
  24. For-profit companies should have a religious right to refuse to cover contraceptive services in their health insurance plans.
  25. There should be a religious right to practice ritual cannibalism.

Extra credit: In 25 words or less, explain the rationale(s) for your answers.


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