Religious Freedom

The Family Policy Institute of WA (FPIW) believes that religious observance and faith in God have an overwhelmingly positive impact on society.  Just as marriage has a foundational effect on the flourishing of family life, religious observance has a similar effect on community and national life.  The fostering of religious observance within a framework of religious freedom is a hallmark of our culture as shaped by our Founding Fathers.  In the United States, the Judeo-Christian worldview has provided a sound basis for the flourishing of our national culture and our political system. The FPIW, in the tradition of our Founding Fathers, works to encourage the free worship of God as a great good for individuals, couples, families, communities and the nation.

Religious Liberty

The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the government from interfering with a person's practice of his or her religion.  We believe in religious liberty for people of all faiths and of no faith, but we deny that minority religions are entitled to greater protection than members of the country's majority Christian faith. The Family Policy Institute of WA opposes any actions by Federal or state legislatures to curb the freedom of religious expression, or to criminalize under so-called "hate crime" legislation any individual who expresses moral beliefs.  We oppose attempts by educational institutions to indoctrinate students in a manner which offends their religious beliefs or penalizes them for expressing those beliefs.  Similarly, we oppose attempts in the workplace to sanction those who seek to live their lives in accordance with their religious beliefs. We also oppose the forced privatization of faith, which would strip all religious expression from the public square. Faith-based organizations providing social services to the community should have access to government funding on the same basis as secular non-profit groups, without being asked to give up the religious character of their programs or staff. The FPIW also supports religious liberty around the world as a fundamental human right.