Research Paper: Religious Liberty Assignment Instructions

Overview

The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to apply all that you have learned in this course to a significant current issue. As a result, you should be able to draw some conclusions about the current state of our constitutional and religious history in the U.S. in the 21st century. You will get to look at a specific issue in contemporary culture from the vantage point of our constitutional history. You will also have the opportunity to assess where the United States is today in terms of our legal and religious history.

One of the most controversial areas of Supreme Court recent adjudication lies in its decisions related to religion and politics.  You will get to explore two important recent cases regarding religion and politics in the specific area of marriage and marriage ceremonies. These two recent significant cases are Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) and Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018).  Both cases involve highly contentious issues that get at fundamental debates in contemporary America.

Analyze the Obergefell and Masterpiece cases in light of what you have learned regarding America’s religious and constitutional heritage in this course.

You will have 2 major sections to your paper:

 

Part I – Facts of the Cases

For each case, include the following areas:

  • The Facts of the Case
  • The Legal Question
  • The Court’s Decision
  • The Court’s Rationale that supports its decision
  • The Rationale of the dissenting Opinions

 

Part II – Your Informed Analysis of the Cases Based upon Course Material

Analyze what these decisions say about where the United States is today in terms of its Constitutional and religious liberties history.

Your discussion must include, but is not limited to, the following lenses of analysis:

  • These decisions in light of America’s constitutional history
  • These decisions in light of the Christian foundations of America
  • These decisions in light of specific Constitutional principles
  • These decisions in light of specific methods of Constitutional adjudication