Resolution Adopted by the
CCAR
Free Exercise of
Religion and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of
1991
Adopted by the 102nd Annual
Convention of
the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June, 1991
WHEREAS, the Central Conference of American Rabbis has long
affirmed that religious
freedom and
the separation of church and state stands as a cornerstone of American
democracy, and
WHEREAS, the recent Oregon vs. Smith
case eliminated the requirement for
the government to show a “compelling state interest”
in sustaining legislation that burdens a
particular religious group, and
WHEREAS, Smith
jurisprudence has already engendered court decisions in which
the right to religious
freedom has
been subordinated to the whim of the state, and
WHEREAS, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of
1991, has just been introduced in
Congress to legislate that government may not burden a person
‘s exercise of religion,
except
where there is a compelling state interest to do so, thereby restoring
religious freedom to its proper place as a right guaranteed to every
American citizen,
THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED. that Central Conference of American Rabbis reaffirms its
conviction that the separation of
church and state is the bulwark of religious freedom;
and
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Central Conference of American Rabbis urges
Congress
to protect the fundamental
religious freedom of all Americans by passing the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act of 1991; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the
Central Conference of American Rabbis calls upon
its members to work for the passage of the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act through
the
contacting of members of Congress to serve as co-sponsors or to
support this
legislation.