States can differ based on whether or not they guarantee equal treatment under law for followers of different religions, whether they establish a state religion (and the legal implications that this has for both practitioners and non-practitioners), the extent to which religious organizations operating within the country are policed, and the extent to which religious law is used as a basis for the country's legal code.
Additionally, similar practices (such as having religious organizations register with the government) can have different consequences depending on other sociopolitical circumstances specific to the countries in question.
Similarly, laws prohibiting the publication of blasphemy (with exceptions for opinions "expressed in good faith and in decent language") are also unenforced.
[3] The constitution of Barbados provides for the freedom of religion and prohibits discrimination based on creed;[9] there is a law against "blasphemous libel" but it is unenforced.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is entrenched in the Constitution, states in the preamble that Canada "is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law.
[12] In 2022, Pope Francis traveled to Canada and gave an apology to the Indigenous peoples for "the evil" committed in former residential schools.
[12] The constitution of Costa Rica establishes Roman Catholicism as the state religion and provides it with special privileges and funding.
[5] All public schools must provide general Christian religious instruction for all students, in a respectful way which promotes moral values and tolerance.
[13] However, penal codes are enforced against anyone who is a member of an unregistered group or anyone who attempts to conscientiously object to military service, with fines and prison terms as punishment.
[16] The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights noted that in 2022, 67% of people knew someone who had faced harassment due to their religious faith.
Violations included harassment, arbitrary detention, restrictions on movement and travel, prevention from attending religious services, confiscation of goods and property and attacks on social media.
Religious groups may register with the government in order to receive non-profit status, hold a worship service or carry out a wedding.
[6] Non-Catholic religious groups can register with the government in order to receive custom duties exemptions and to be allowed to officiate marriages.
[8] Religious groups are not required to register with the government, but may do so in order to receive special standing in legal proceedings, tax exemptions, and civil recognition for marriage and baptismal certificates.
Vicars, bishops, and archbishops of the Catholic Church, as well as similarly high ranking members of other religions, are not required to appear in court if subpoenaed, although they must make a statement at another location.
[24] The National Congress of Honduras has the power to legally recognize religious groups, which confers to them tax-exempt status and other privileges.
The government has also included Catholic or Protestant prayers as part of official events and ceremonies, which has been criticized by representatives of other religious groups.
A colonial-era law criminalizing Obeah and Myal continues to exist, but has rarely been enforced since Jamaica's independence from the United Kingdom in 1962.
[1] Representatives of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities in Jamaica have described Jamaican society as being tolerant of religious diversity, and identified the high level of interfaith dialogue as evidence to support this claim.
Severe restrictions on the rights of the Church and members of the clergy were written into the country's 1917 constitution that led to the eruption of the Cristero War in 1926.
This later action included granting all religious groups legal status, conceding them limited property rights, and lifting restrictions on the number of priests in the country.
It declares that Nicaragua has no state religion, but it also empowers government controlled, community-level organizations called Family Committees to promote "Christian values" at a community level.
[32] The law permits the private use of marijuana, including for religious activities and in registered spaces of worship for members of the Rastafarian faith.
[33] The constitution of Saint Lucia establishes the freedom of religion, and prohibits religious instruction without consent in schools, prisons, and the military.
[34] In the past, Rastafarians in Saint Lucia have criticized the government's prohibition of cannabis, as this discourages them from engaging in certain religious rituals.
[39] Religious groups may register with the government in order to be able to perform marriages, sponsor missionaries, or accept tax-exempt donations.
US Supreme Court rulings have re-stated and expanded upon the legal individual right of freedom of religion within the United States of America.
However, with some exceptions, such as William Penn of Pennsylvania or the Roman Catholic Lord Baltimore in Maryland, most of these groups did not believe in religious toleration and in some cases came to America with the explicit aim of setting up an established religion.
[41] Until the Freedom of Religion Act 1978, "spiritual leaders [of Native Americans] ran the risk of jail sentences of up to 30 years for simply practicing their rituals.
[57][58][59][60] As a consequence of the Patriot Act, various bodies of the American government have explicitly engaged in the targeted surveillance and infiltration of Muslim communities.