Question

What is the difference between the establishment clause and the free exercise clause

Answer 1

Answer:

The establishment clause stops the government from favoring a religion while the free-exercise clause allows people to express their religion.

Explanation:

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Answer 2

Answer:

The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from creating an official or established church. The Free Exercise Clause prohibits the government from interfering with the practices of any religion except in the 'compelling interest' of the greater society, i.e., you cannot practice human sacrifice, bigamy, or child abuse as part of your religion.

Explanation:

Establishment clause: Contained in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, this clause prohibits the government from establishing an official religion. It also prohibits the government from preferring one religion over another, preferring religion over nonreligion, or vice versa.

The Free Exercise Clause reserves the right of American citizens to accept any religious belief and engage in religious rituals. The wording in the free-exercise clauses of state constitutions that religious “[o]pinion, expression of opinion, and practice were all expressly protected” by the Free Exercise Clause.