No. This index draws from as many state statutes and constitutional provisions as possible to measure religiously relevant laws that might differ across states regardless of the religious motivation for the safeguard.
Typically, states are not writing new laws to intentionally restrict religious liberty, and so the variation comes from states providing safeguards for free exercise, say, in otherwise religion-neutral laws. It is important that we allow states to indicate through the language of their laws (e.g., where they cite religious belief as providing an exemption) where their citizens, presumably, consider a law to potentially jeopardize free exercise.
In the early twenty-first century, some of these safeguards are legislative responses to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) or antidiscrimination laws, which have admittedly captured the attention of certain Christian denominations but also adherents of other religions and, of course, the media. In a democracy it is true that the most vocal or legally active communities can have a greater impact on laws, holding other things constant. Consequently, the proverbial “squeaky wheels” have a real impact on the laws of a state and, therefore, determine what scope of free exercise protections the RLS project team can consider as safeguards for the purposes of this Index. To be clear, none of the included safeguards expressly target a Christian practice.
In addressing this concern it is also helpful to note that federal law may eliminate from our consideration for the Index important provisions for other religionists. Federal provisions for the legal possession, use, and transport of peyote by Native Americans are a key example of this. (42 U.S.C. § 1996a (1994))