Part I | Brief Summary

Category F | Doctrines

Topic 32 | Non-establishment and free exercise

The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment provides, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . .” These two provisions, the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause, both serve a single objective: religious freedom for all. The Establishment Clause (or, more accurately, Non-establishment Clause) does this by guaranteeing that there will be no state religion and that religious groups should be treated equally. The Free Exercise Clause does this by limiting the types of burdens the state can place on religious actions or manifestations.