Amid the current controversy over Indiana’s religious freedom law, it is important to understand just how important religious freedom has been in America’s legal history. By protecting religious beliefs and the free exercise of religion by its citizens, America has become a diverse society where people function successfully among others with whom we may not agree.

There are literally thousands of federal and state laws in the United States (and many more court precedents) that accommodate religious citizens’ practices and beliefs. In recent decades, this has included the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and similar state laws, like Indiana’s new law. The U.S. Supreme Court routinely embraces the constitutionality of such efforts.