Religious liberty excludes the attempt on the part of the government to define what a religion is. Religious liberty restricts the role of government to be its protector and a guarantor of its free exercise. Religious liberty includes the right of people to change their religious affiliation, or to have none at all, without any civil advantage or disadvantage. Religious liberty excludes any discrimination on the basis of religious affiliation. Religious liberty puts all religions on an equal basis before the law and in public and excludes government endorsement for, or restriction of, any religious group.
Religious liberty involves the free and voluntary support of adherents of churches and religions.
Religious liberty refutes the notion that any church or religion has, by tradition, a claim to a geographical area as its own. Religious liberty aims at creating vital religious communities that contribute to the good of the public rather than creating religious strife or warfare. Religious liberty must be upheld by all churches, religious groups and religions as a positive social good and the precious cornerstone of other liberties and democratic rights. If churches or other religious organizations do not respect it or, even worse, recruit the state to repress it, religious liberty stands no chance to be respected by the state. Religious liberty excludes all forms of coercion by government, religions, churches and other organizations or agencies.