What follows is an annotated list of links containing information about religious freedom. Note: Not all of them are friendly to the Seventh-day Adventist system of belief regarding religious freedom. This list runs the political gamut and should give the web surfer a good overview of what the issues are regarding religious freedom. Appearance of a link on our site does not necessarily constitute Church State Council's endorsement of the content of the linked page. End users with questions about the content of any webpage are encouraged to e-mail Alan Reinach with the subject line: "Web Surfing". If you know of a site that you feel should be included here, please e-mail our webmaster, John Bechtel. 
 

• Office of Legislative Affairs for the Seventh-day Adventist Church - Washington, D. C. - Be sure to sign up for their free e-mail updates on breaking religious liberty news. 

• ACLU -- The nations largest civil rights organization maintains this site. A portion of this site is dedicated to religious liberty.   Check out their Religious Liberty Link page.
• ACLU Briefing Paper on Separation of Church & State -- This essay sets out the ACLU's position on religious freedom. 
• American Communication Association -- This page contains several links to documents and sites germane to religious freedom issues. It is a valuable resource.
• Americans United for Separation of Church & State -- This organization was co-founded by Seventh-day Adventists in 1947 at "Protestants and Other Americans United for Separation of Church & State". It is the leading organization in the country dedicated to separation of church and state. Recently, however, SDAs have withdrawn their official support from AU because they have been hostile to free exercise. Nonetheless, this site contains good information on what's going on in the religious freedom arena. 
• Chalcedon -- This is the homepage for the official organ of Christian Reconstructionism. This movement believes in reestablishing the Old Testament law code as the legal system in the United States. This would include stoning disobedient children and Sabbath (Sunday) desecraters. This site contains good primary information on the movement. 

• Copley First Amendment  Center   -  A new site a non-profit organization that is a division of the Illinois Press Association (IPA).  One of CFAC's main goals is to educate Americans on all the freedoms the First Amendment affords them.

• Council on Religious Freedom -- promotes Religious Freedom in the whole world!  Excellent site.  Contains papers from their recent conference (Jan. 1999):  Restoring Religious Freedom in the States.
• Culture Watch -- This site is dedicated to watching the Religious Right. The site contains a few articles, some links and information on ordering their magazine. 
• First Amendment Cyber Tribune -- This site contains a list of important links. 
• Internation Religious Liberty Association - "We believe that religious liberty is a God-given right, and hold that it is best exercised where separation is maintained between church and state...." 
• Institute for the Study of Religion in Politics -- A site critical of the Religious Right's involvement in politics, this site draws parallels between current trends and NAZI Germany. It includes many essays discussing, from a theological perspective, why Christians as a body should be leary of political involvement. 
• J.M Dawson Institute for Church-State Studies at Baylor University -- The only academic institute in the nation dedicated soley to church-state studies runs this site. It contains information on upcoming conferences, the Journal of Church & State, publications offered by the center and general information on the institute. 
• Liberty Counsel is a nonprofit religious civil liberties education and legal defense organization dedicated to preserve religious freedom. 
• Liberty Express - Northwest Religious Liberty Association homepage. 
• Liberty Magazine -  One of the premier sources on religious freedom issues.  It is dedicated to the preservation of separation of church and state, with an emphasis on the Establishment and Free Excercise Clauses of the First Amendment. 
• Ontario Consultants on Religious Toleration -- This site contains excellent information on the hot issues on the religious liberty front. 
• Public Relations Center - a nondenominational, nonpolitical organization, providing an informative guide in the area of religious freedom and church - state relations in Russia.  Excellent info & news!   [The Public Relations Center is initiated by the people who study the philosophy of Rev. Sun Myung Moon.] 
• The Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith -- This site is maintained by the worlds largest organization fighting anti-semitism. It contains some informaiton on religious persecution worldwide. 
• THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE: SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE PAGE - Some excellent historical sources! 
• The Constitution Society - The Constitution Society is a private non-profit organization dedicated to research and public education on the principles of constitutional republican government. It publishes documentation, engages in litigation, and organizes local citizens groups to work for reform.  They have an excellent on-line library worth browsing and using for research.
• The Freedom Fourm Online - (part of the First Amendment Center) -  The Freedom Fourm is a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation pursues its priorities through conferences, educational activities, publishing, broadcasting, online services, fellowships, partnerships, training, research and other programs.  Great current news site. 
• The Rutherford Institute -- A nationally known free-exercise organization that is opposed to church-state separation. The Rutherford Institute was founded by Reconstructionists.
• Wallbuilders -- This organization specializes in attacking separation of church and state. Founder David Barton even authored a book entitled The Myth of Separation that contained multiple spurious quotes. This page contains a list of the undocumented quotes, but still maintains that the quotes are in the spirit of the founders.

Government Constitutions, Charters of Rights and other Documents

• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• Department of Education Religion and Public Schools site.
• Equal Employment Opportunity Law - a public service to provide educational inormation about equal employment opportunity law. 
• Human Rights U.S.A. (good collection of human rights documents and links) 
• President Clinton's Radio Address (Dec. 18, 1999) on religion in school
• Religion in the Public Schools:  A Joint Statement of Current Law (April, 1995) - Supported by Secretary Riley.
• Secretary Richard Riley's Letter to Principals on religion in schools (Dec. 17, 1999)
• United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Commission Recommends State Department Designate Laos, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Turkmenistan as "Countries of Particular Concern"
"The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom wrote Friday, July 28, 2000 to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, recommending that Laos, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Turkmenistan be listed as "countries of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.  The Commission further concluded that Burma, China, Iran, Iraq, Serbia, Sudan, and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan should be kept on the list, which the State Department will release in September. The Commission also recommended that the Department closely monitor religious freedom in India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. It also noted deep concerns about religious violence in Indonesia and Nigeria...." 
• United States Constitution 

Historical Documents

• Danbury Baptist Association's letter to Thomas Jefferson and his reply.
• James Madison's statement on religious freedom: Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785.
• John Locke's statement on religious toleration: A Letter Concerning Toleration (tolerati), 1689.
• Philip Schaff on "The American Idea of Religious Freedom" from Church and State in the United States, 1888.
• Roger Williams on freedom of conscience: From The Bloody Tenet of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience, in a Conference between Truth and Peace, 1644.
• Thomas Jefferson on religious liberty: A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia, 1785 and his letter to the Danbury Baptist Association on Separation of Church and State. 

Organizations

• American Civil Liberties Union 
• Americans United for Separation of Church State 
• Culture Watch 
• First Amendment Cyber Tribune 
• Institute for the Study of Religion in Politics 
• International Religious Liberty Association 
• Ontario Consultants on Religious Toleration
• The Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith 
• World Wide Legal Information Association 

Universities

• American Communication Association 
• First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University 
• J.M Dawson Institute for Church-State Studies at Baylor University 
• Separation of Church and State 

Churches

• "Human Rights/Religious Liberty" - Office of Social Development & World Peace -- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops  3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000 
• Pacific Union Confernence Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department. They sponsor this site! 
• Southern Baptist Convention: The Baptist Faith and Message, Adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention May 9, 1963 XVII. Religious Liberty
• World Council of Churches Church News Web Page

Essays

• ACLU Briefing Paper on Separation of Church -- This essay sets out the ACLU's position on religious freedom.
• "A Christian Looks at the Religious Right"  Dr. Don Wilkey's essays critical of the Religious Right, linking them to the John Birche Society and other causes.
• A Common Vision for the Common Good: First Amendment Principles in a Diverse Society an excellent history of religious liberty and the First Amendment, by Charles C. Haynes 
• "America: A Sketch of the Political, Social, and Religious Character of the United States of North America" by Philip Schaff -- This book is made of two lectures given in 1855 by a prominent Christian historian. Page 86ff. discusses the American form of separation of church and state. 
• Archives of CATO INSTITUTE on Education and Child Policy
• Five steps to improving public schools By David A. Pendleton, Honolulu Star-Bullitin
• School Vouchers: The Wrong Choice for American Education 
• The Roots of American Religious Liberty by Charles C. Haynes
• Think Twice About Vouchers by Howard Berkowitz.
• THE RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE OF THE UNITED STATES  - U.S. Society & Values 

Electronic Journal of the U.S. Information Agency, Vol. 2, No. 1, March 1997 

• For the complete text of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions go to Cornell Law School.