Florida has been the most successful state at protecting religious liberty in the past year. West Virginia has been the least successful in protecting religious liberty. The rankings come from the fourth-annual “Religious Liberty in the States” report from First Liberty Institute. The report focuses on select legal safeguards of religious exercise in laws and constitutions.
5 months ago
The fourth annual "Religious Liberty in the States" report, published by the First Liberty Institute's Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy (CRCD), assesses and ranks all 50 U.S. states based on their legal safeguards for religious exercise 1, 3. The report aims to provide legislators and concerned citizens with findings to identify areas for improving religious liberty protections within their states 1, 3.
The report assigns a percentage score to each state, derived from an analysis of 47 legal protections across six categories: government, health care, economic life, religious life, and family and education 1, 3. These protections are consolidated into 20 "safeguards," which are then averaged to produce a single index score for each state 1, 3.
For the first time since the research began, Florida secured the top spot in the 2025 report, achieving a score of 74.6% 1, 3. Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated this ranking, noting the state's leadership in protecting religious freedom alongside its achievements in education, economy, and tourism 1, 3. Following Florida in the top five are Montana (70.6%), Illinois (68.8%), Ohio (66.9%), and Mississippi (66.4%) 1, 3.
Conversely, West Virginia ranked last for the third consecutive year, with a score of 19.6% 1, 3. Despite passing a Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2023, the state still holds the lowest score 1, 3. The bottom five also include Wyoming (23.3%), Michigan (27.4%), Nebraska (29.1%), and Vermont (29.3%) 1, 3.
The CRCD researchers found that the majority of states, 38 in total, fall within the 25% to 50% score range, indicating "significant room for improvement" 1, 3. On average, most states utilize less than half of the measured safeguards to protect religious liberty 1, 3.
Despite overall low scores for many states, some have shown notable progress 1, 3. Montana has improved the most since the 2022 report, increasing its score by approximately 31% due to recent legislation protecting the rights of health care workers 1, 3. Idaho also demonstrated significant improvement since 2024, attributed to new protections in the health care and family categories 1, 3.
How does the Church define and defend religious liberty?
The Catholic Church defines religious liberty as a fundamental human right rooted in the dignity of the human person, asserting that all individuals should be immune from coercion in religious matters , . This immunity means that no one should be forced to act contrary to their beliefs, whether privately or publicly, within due limits . The Church defends this right by emphasizing its foundation in human nature, reason, and divine revelation , .
The Second Vatican Council's Declaration Dignitatis Humanae is a cornerstone of the Church's teaching on religious freedom. It states that the right to religious freedom is based on the inherent dignity of the human person, which is known through both revealed word of God and reason , . Human beings are endowed with reason and free will, making them responsible for their actions and morally obligated to seek the truth, especially religious truth , . This intrinsic vocation to seek truth and enter into a relationship with God is the radical and ultimate foundation of religious freedom .
The Church argues that individuals cannot fulfill their obligation to seek and adhere to the truth unless they are free from external coercion and enjoy psychological freedom . Therefore, religious freedom is not a concession based on subjective disposition but an ontological right arising from human nature , .
A key aspect of the Church's definition of religious liberty is immunity from coercion by individuals, social groups, or any human power . This means that society and the State must not force a person to act against their conscience or prevent them from acting in conformity with it . The exercise of religious freedom primarily involves voluntary and free internal acts by which a person directs themselves toward God, and no human power can command or prohibit such acts .
However, this immunity is not absolute; it is exercised "within due limits" and provided that "just public order be observed" , . Religious freedom is not a license to adhere to error or an implicit right to error, but rather a freedom from coercion in the search for truth .
The Church advocates for religious freedom to be recognized and protected as a civil right within constitutional law , . Governments are called to commit to the recognition of a citizen's right to religious freedom through normative legislation . This recognition is seen as essential for civil conviviality, true democracy, and the guarantee of life, justice, truth, and peace .
Pope John Paul II affirmed that religious freedom is not merely one right among others but the "guarantee of all freedoms that ensure the common good of individuals and peoples," serving as the "cornerstone of the structure of human rights" . Pope Benedict XVI further emphasized that religious freedom is the synthesis and summit of all other fundamental rights, essential for authentic and integral human development .
The Church also defends the right to public manifestation of religiosity. Human beings are social beings who live and manifest their religiosity in society through internal acts and public worship . Civil and political authorities, whose task is the care of the temporal common good, have no right to interfere in matters of personal religious freedom, provided that the public manifestation does not negatively impact the just public order .
In summary, the Church defines religious liberty as an inherent right stemming from human dignity, emphasizing immunity from coercion in religious matters, the moral obligation to seek truth, and the necessity of its recognition as a civil right for the common good and integral human development , , , , .