Research Guides: Religious Studies: Church and State

Religious Liberty in the United States

American Center for Law and Justice
A public interest law firm committed to ensuring the ongoing viability of constitutional freedoms in accordance with principles of justice as outlined in scripture.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Works to guarantee that all are free to follow and practice their faith – or no faith at all – without governmental influence or interference.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
The ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all.
Public Religion Research Institute
A non-profit, non-partisan think tank and advocacy organization dedicated to the research and encouragement of cooperation between religion, ethics and morality and government, politics, and policy in both the domestic and foreign arenas.
Liberty Magazine
Founded in 1906, Liberty magazine continues to be the preeminent resource for matters of religious freedom.
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
Promotes a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs by delivering impartial information.
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
An online exhibition from the Library of Congress with over 200 objects including early American books, manuscripts, letters, prints, paintings, artifacts, and music from the Library's collections and complemented by loans from other institutions.
Religious Liberty Archive
Contains a host of primary materials, including historical documents, Supreme Court cases, articles, statutes, and state constitutional information.

Religious News

Religion Dispatches
“A daily online magazine dedicated to the analysis and understanding of religious forces in the world today, highlighting a diversity of progressive voices and aimed at broadening and advancing the public conversation.”
Religion News Blog
Daily postings from “the only secular news and photo service devoted to unbiased coverage of religion and ethics exclusively.” Other parts of the site are available via a paid subscription.
Religion News on the Web
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life “seeks to promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs . . . The Pew Forum conducts surveys, demographic analyses and other social science research on important aspects of religion and public life in the U.S. and around the world. It also provides a neutral venue for discussions of timely issues through roundtables and briefings.”
The Revealer
“A daily review of religion in the news and the news about religion. We’re not so much nonpartisan as polypartisan-- interested in all sides, disdainful of dualistic arguments, and enamored of free speech as a first principle. We publish and link to work by people of all persuasions, religious, political, sexual, and critical.”
Beliefnet
A popular-level site that covers all religions as well as news and aspects of life connected with religion. Subjects include the really nutball (world is going to end, etc.)
ReligionWriters.com Religion Stylebook
An authoritative guide created for journalists who report on religion in the mainstream media.