Securing religious freedom abroad

By JENNIFER A. MARSHALL

The Constitution protects the free exercise of religion while prohibiting the establishment of a national religion.

The Heritage Foundation

More than 60 years ago, the United Nations affirmed that "everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion." So reads Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted Dec. 10, 1948.


Despite this stand for religious liberty, today about a third of all nations severely restrict religion. And, according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, about 70 percent of the world's population lives in these countries. In some cases, totalitarian regimes oppress religious individuals and groups generally. In others, statist regimes built on an established religion persecute minority faiths.


These governments lack what we take for granted in the United States: a constitutional framework that values religion and protects religious liberty. The key to America's success story on religious liberty is in the Founders' design. The Constitution protects the free exercise of religion while prohibiting the establishment of a national religion.

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