The 'Licentiousness' in Religious Organizations and Why it is Not Protected Under Religious Liberty Constitutional Provisions

Abstract

There is no doubt that the sexual abuse of children occurs within religious organizations and that these organizations too often operate to perpetuate cycles of abuse. There was a time when such a statement was counter-intuitive, but it is now merely a statement of fact. One difficult question to answer is how the law has failed to protect the vulnerable in religious organizations. Misguided reliance on the First Amendment is partly to blame.

Keywords: First Amendment, free exercise, licentious, licentiousness, Constitution, conduct, belief, religious liberty, sex abuse, polygamy