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Religious Liberty terms
Faith and conscience under law.
Conscience clause A law protecting individuals and institutions from being forced to take part in activities they find morally or religiously objectionable, often in health care. Establishment Clause The First Amendment clause barring Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion. Free Exercise Clause The First Amendment clause protecting individuals' freedom to practice their religion without government interference. Lemon test A former three-part Supreme Court test for Establishment Clause cases, now said to have been abandoned. Ministerial exception A legal doctrine that bars courts from applying employment-discrimination laws to a religious group's choice of its ministers. Religious Freedom Restoration Act A 1993 federal law, with state counterparts, that requires the government to justify substantial burdens on religious exercise by meeting strict scrutiny. Religious liberty The freedom to hold and practice religious beliefs, protected by the First Amendment and a range of federal and state laws. Separation of church and state The principle that government and religious institutions should be kept distinct, whose meaning and limits are contested.