Freedom of Religion: Suggested Study Questions and Activities

Freedom of Religion

Suggested Study Questions and Activities

Notes for Teachers

The following are suggested questions and activities that can be given to your students after they read the materials of each section. The questions are meant to be asked as a review exercise, but also as a critical thinking exercise. The activities, which may require additional research, can be presented as classroom exercises or as individual assignments for essays or class presentations (see also Resources for suggested research materials). Some activities call for students to have debates that would engage the entire class, but all of the questions and activities can be used in this way. These are only suggested questions and activities. Teachers should rewrite or develop their own as they feel necessary.

Essential Principles and History

Study Questions

Question

What were the most important developments for freedom of religion in Europe?

Question

What were the most important developments for freedom of religion in the United States?

Question

How did the essential elements of religious freedom develop? In the United States? Elsewhere?

Question

What was the importance President Franklin Roosevelt placed on freedom of worship? How did Eleanor Roosevelt implement that view at the United Nations?

Question

Is formal separation of religion and state necessary to religious freedom or is religious freedom possible where a state religion is recognized?

Activities and Study Topics

Activity

Many of the countries selected for this study guide have significant or majority Muslim populations (France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey). They offer a variety of models for the relationship between Islam and the state. Assign students a research paper to answer several or all of the questions using Democracy Web’s Country Studies: Is there a correlation of religious freedom and Freedom House’s categorization of Free, Partly Free and Free Countries? In which countries is there a state religion? Is Sharia practiced? Does it have formal sanction as state law? How are Muslims and non-Muslims treated under Sharia? Do non-Muslims have freedom of religion or are they discriminated against? What do the comparisons tell you about the practice of freedom of religion in Muslim countries?

Activity

Repeat this exercise more generally. Have students review the freedom rankings and scores on religious freedom in a range of Freedom House country reports of free, partly free and not free countries. Is there a correlation of religious freedom and Freedom House’s categorization of Free, Partly Free, and Free Countries?

United States

Study Questions

Question

The United States has adherents of just about every known religion living within its borders. Has it protected the rights of believers? If so, how has this been accomplished? In what ways has the United States fallen short of protecting religious freedom? Are there ever conflicts between religious groups in the United States? What circumstances have led to religious friction?

Question

How did the United States change to reflect its constitutional premise of separation of church and state and unhindered freedom of belief? What branch of government had more to do with expanding religious freedom? In what ways has the Supreme Court changed in its rulings on the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses.

Question

What periods in US history have seen religious discrimination? What religions have experienced discrimination? How? Review current events in the US (e.g. regarding the presidential election campaign, Supreme Court cases, issues that involve religious liberty). Has there been expression of bigotry towards religious groups? How does it compare to previous expressions and practices in the US?

Question

Democracy experts and constitutional scholars have pointed to several weaknesses in the US democratic system. What are these? How do these correlate with the decline in US scores in Freedom House’s annual Survey of Freedom in the World? How have recent rulings of the US Supreme Court reinforced these weaknesses?

Activities and Study Topics

Activity

Using Resource links, review some of the Supreme Court decisions discussed in the Country Study. What questions concerning religious freedom does the United States face today in light of recent rulings of the court? Find an article discussing one recent Supreme Court case and research the majority and dissenting opinions. Assess the positions taken in the case and advise which (majority/minority) has the better argument. Defend your position. This may be organized as an assignment for an essay or a class debate.

Activity

To address one of the more consequential cases (leading to future decisions), assign students to read Linda Greenhouse’s Opinion article in the The New York Times “Hobby Lobby in Context” (July 9, 2014). Assign an essay to answer the questions: What issues were raised in this case and other cases related to the Affordable Care Act? What other cases does Linda Greenhouse cite? How did the Supreme Court rule in these cases and what are the majority’s reasons for doing so? Is the Supreme Court “changing direction” to accommodate religious practices? How do these cases differ from earlier cases?

Activity

Have students review the decision Trump v. United States and the Brief of Amici Curiae Scholars of the Founding Era. Have class discussion or assign a paper to review how the decision contrasted with the Amici Curiae (Friends of the Court) Brief. Why do historians and constitutional scholars consider criminal immunity for presidents to be outside the scope of the founders’ conception of accountability? What was the basis the US Supreme Court ruling?

Nigeria

Study Questions

Question

In Nigeria’s history, was there religious freedom before independence? After independence?

Question

How does the adoption of Sharia law in 12 of 36 states in Nigeria affect freedom of religion? Does the application of Sharia, in civil or criminal cases, necessarily contradict the principles of freedom of religion?

Question

What recourses are there to a Sharia court ruling? Is the exclusion of Sharia from official courts itself a violation of religious freedom, as claimed by some Muslim leaders in Nigeria?

Question

What is the gravest threat to religious freedom in Nigeria today? Why?

Activities and Study Topics

Activity

Assign students to compare the section on Nigeria with the country study of Saudi Arabia (Section 8, "Rule of Law"). Have them discuss in an essay or class discussion what are the consequences of establishing religious law as the state's law? Are Nigeria’s states comparable to Saudi Arabia or is there a degree of difference? What other current or historical examples can students find to illustrate these dangers?

Activity

Have students review the articles in resources and elsewhere relating to the rise of fundamentalist movements Boko Haram and ISWAP. Assign an essay or have class discussion on the threat to religious freedom and to general freedoms posed by such extremism. Have students research the response of the Nigerian government to these religious extremist movements and read Nicolas Kristof’s Op-ed article “What Is So Scary about Smart Girls?” in the The New York Times. What approaches are likely to be effective in combatting Boko Haram?

Vietnam

Study Questions

Question

How was religious freedom observed before and after the 1954 Geneva Agreement that divided the country into South and North Vietnam?

Question

What was the influence of China’s imperial control on religious freedom? Of Vietnam’s dynastic emperors? Of French colonial administration?

Question

How does the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam justify the controls it imposes on religion?

Question

How successful has it been in manipulating religion to serve the state?

Question

What independent religious groups are there in Vietnam? Can they practice their religion freely?

Question

The Vietnamese government adopted a new law on religion in 2016. Did this improve religious freedom in Vietnam?

Activities and Study Topics

Activity

Have students compare Nigeria and Vietnam Country Studies. Assign a paper or have class discussion to review what are similarities between Vietnam's state-imposed religious practices and the federal state’s and individual northern states practices in Nigeria. How are Vietnam’s practices similar to other communist countries?

Activity

Have students compare Vietnam and United States Country Studies. Assign a paper or have class discussion to review what are similarities between Vietnam's state-imposed religious practices and the essential principles guiding US practices.

The content on this page was last updated on August 21, 2024.