What is the boundary between freedom of religion and civil laws? The recent case in Texas of the raid on the ranch belonging to members Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints has made me think. If an important element of your religion, such as polygamy in the above mentioned case, was illegal in your home country, what would you do? Would you prefer to follow the law of your religion or the law of your county? How far is going too far for your religion? Are the FLDS being persecuted for their religious beliefs? Does freedom of religion only apply in certain cases?

These are all different questions going through my head right now since I read the article. On one hand, I do not believe polygamy is okay, and it is not part of my religious beliefs. Yet what if something else was being discussed? Something that is part of my religious belief becomes illegal, I wonder what I would do.Thanks!

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Originally posted by Leppi:
Does freedom of religion only apply in certain cases?

Amendment XIV of the Constitution of the United States mentions liberty as a right, and other parts of the Constitution mention such particular liberties as the "freedom of religion," your words, not the Constitution's, as rights. Anyway, there is no such thing as the Constitution allowing complete freedom of any of these liberties, whether they are expressly stated or merely implied, because there are so many laws and court decisions requiring that limits be placed on liberties. You should do the following for starters: read the Constitution, surf the Internet for such topics as freedom of religion, decide to use discretion as to how much of your thoughts and actions you are able to reveal, and decide to use courage as to how much of your thoughts and actions you are willing to reveal. Thinking outside of the box is one thing, but talking the talk is another thing, and walking the walk is yet another thing.

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The recent case in Texas of the raid on the ranch belonging to members Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints

This came as a direct result of an official complaint registered by a girl who was unwillingly married to a man some 40 years older than she. She was in the group by the will of her parents. Thus you have a conflict of individual rights versus religious beliefs. It doesn't help any that the FDLS is a splinter group, which opted to break away from the Salt Lake LDS on the question of polygamy. Nor does it help that a major leader is now in prison over his actions in re polygamy. On the other hand, questions such as the use of peyote in American Indian rites have been affirmed. In general, I'd say it really all should be viewed on a case by case basis.

I don't think that the freedom to practice your religion the way you see fit extends (or ought to extend) to abuse or endangerment of others, especially minors.

It is also true that religion should not be abused so that its abusers are sending the wrong message--that religion in some way can justify illegal acts.