The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Ranks in Top 5 States for Protecting Religious Liberties, Study Finds

Editor’s Note: The following news story was published by The Columbus Dispatch on July 27, 2024, and is authored by Alex Perry, reporter for The Columbus Dispatch.

Faith and religious freedom, and the right to exercise them, remains a deeply-rooted way of life for many Americans. The First Amendment backs up that right.

But how significant are religious protections in Ohio?

When it comes to protecting religious freedoms, Ohio ranks highly as one of the top states, according to a study from the conservative legal group First Liberty Institute.

The organization’s 2024 Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) Index developed a catalog of domestic religious freedom, which ranks religious liberty protections for each of the 50 states. The study examined legal religious “safeguards” found in state laws and constitutions, such as “protecting houses of worship from closing.”

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According to First Liberty, the study delved deeper into its previous reports and added more religious elements for consideration, from 29 items in 2022 to 39 safeguards in 2024. Protections include absentee voting, marriage and weddings, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

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Read the entire story at The Columbus Dispatch here.