| ICRF is a non-profit, non-sectarian, educational organization dedicated to defending the religious freedom of all, regardless of creed, gender or ethnic origin. Contributions to ICRF are tax-exempt under section 501-c-3 of the Internal Revenue Code of the USA. |
 |
|
|
|
DEFINING RELIGION IN AMERICAN LAW |
|
by Bruce J. Casino
This paper will seek to provide an insight into the issue of how "religion" is to be defined. This issue is crucial to international human rights law since the protections afforded religious freedom by the various international and national treaties, conventions, declarations and constitutions apply only to religious beliefs and actions. The American legal system has long been concerned with this definitional issue and has developed more case law and legal commentary on the subject than any other nation. Thus the insights provided by American law may prove useful as governmental agencies or courts in other nations or international tribunals consider the issue.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
More than 4,000 members of the Unification Church of Japan have been illegally confined by their families and “deprogrammers” in an attempt to make them leave the religion which they, as adults, freely chose to join. Those who escaped their captors report the use of force, prison-like conditions, an intense effort to pressure the believer to change his or her faith, even beatings, starvation, and rape. Read more..
|
 |
|
|
|
