Tom Washburne
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Religious Freedom

Indiana Constitution, Article I:

“…Section 2. All people shall be secured in the natural right to worship ALMIGHTY GOD, according to the dictates of their own consciences.

Section 3. No law shall, in any case whatever, control the free exercise and enjoyment of religious opinions, or interfere with the rights of conscience.

Section 4. No preference shall be given, by law, to any creed, religious society, or mode of worship; and no person shall be compelled to attend, erect, or support, any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry, against his consent.”

As a member of the Indiana General Assembly, I take an oath to uphold Indiana’s Constitution which I treat very seriously.  Since our nation’s founding and even before, the ability to freely express religious opinion has been fundamental to the liberty we enjoy as Americans.  I believe that this dictates that government action, laws, regulations, etc., which materially burden the free exercise of religious opinions or interfere with the rights of conscience must be strictly scrutinized and voided unless a very, very good reason for them exists.  To take an extreme example, government action which burdens religion would be warranted to prevent child sacrifice.  But an example like this is rare — the norm is stated well in our Constitution:  “No law shall, in any case whatever, control the free exercise and enjoyment of religious opinions, or interfere with rights of conscience.”  My oath to uphold the Indiana Constitution allows for nothing less.

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Copyright 2015 Tom Washburne