Opinion ID: 431913
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Quaring's Religious Beliefs.

Text: 14 As a threshold requirement, Quaring must demonstrate that her refusal to be photographed is grounded upon a sincerely held religious belief. See Stevens v. Berger, 428 F.Supp. 896, 899 (E.D.N.Y.1977). Although a religious belief requires something more than a purely secular philosophical or personal belief, Wisconsin v. Yoder, supra, 406 U.S. at 215-16, 92 S.Ct. at 1533-34, courts have approved an expansive definition of religion. See United States v. Seeger, 380 U.S. 163, 165-66, 85 S.Ct. 850, 853-54, 13 L.Ed.2d 733 (1965) (test is whether a given belief that is sincere and meaningful occupies a place in the life of its possessor parallel to that filled by the orthodox belief in God); see also International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. v. Barber, 650 F.2d 430, 440 (2d Cir.1981); Founding Church of Scientology v. United States, 409 F.2d 1146 (D.C.Cir.), cert. denied, 396 U.S. 963, 90 S.Ct. 434, 24 L.Ed.2d 427 (1969). See generally Freeman, The Misguided Search for the Constitutional Definition of Religion, 71 Geo.L.J. 1519 (1983). 15 Quaring's beliefs, though unusual in the twentieth century, are religious in nature. The Second Commandment, the basis for her beliefs, expressly forbids the making of any graven image or likeness of anything in creation. Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 5:8. Quaring's refusal to allow herself to be photographed is simply her response to a literal interpretation of the Second Commandment, not unlike the response of the Old Order Amish to the Epistle of Paul to the Romans. In Wisconsin v. Yoder, supra, the Supreme Court noted that the daily life and religious practices of the Amish were a response to a literal interpretation of Paul's exhortation to be not conformed to this world, and held that their refusal to send their children to school beyond the eighth grade was religious in nature. 406 U.S. at 216, 92 S.Ct. at 1533. Cf. Stevens v. Berger, supra, 428 F.Supp. at 902. Moreover, Quaring's literal interpretation of the Second Commandment receives some support from historical and biblical tradition. At trial, Dr. John Turner, a professor of religious studies, testified that Quaring's beliefs can be analogized to the Hebrew concept that images of things in creation are an attempt to capture God and His creations, and that such an attempt is forbidden. 3 16 Although members of the Pentecostal group with whom Quaring associates do not share her belief in a literal interpretation of the Second Commandment, that does not lessen the religious nature of her convictions. As the Supreme Court recently stated, 17 [T]he guarantee of free exercise is not limited to beliefs which are shared by all of the members of a religious sect. Particularly in this sensitive area, it is not within the judicial function and judicial competence to inquire whether the petitioner or his fellow [adherent] more correctly perceived the commands of their common faith. Courts are not arbiters of scriptural interpretation. 18 Thomas v. Review Board, supra, 450 U.S. at 715-16, 101 S.Ct. at 1430-31. Although Quaring's beliefs might seem unreasonably doctrinaire to many, that does not mean that they can be made suspect before the law. United States v. Ballard, 322 U.S. 78, 87, 64 S.Ct. 882, 886, 88 L.Ed. 1148 (1943). 19 It is also clear that Quaring sincerely holds her religious beliefs. As the district court observed, 20 At trial [Quaring] appeared ready to support her interpretation of the Bible, based on her knowledge of several portions of the Old Testament. In addition, [her] behavior in every way conforms to the prohibition as she understands it: her home contains no photographs, television, paintings, or floral-designed furnishings, and, as she testified, she goes so far as to remove or obliterate pictures on food containers. 21 Because Quaring's beliefs are based on a passage from scripture, receive some support from historical and biblical tradition, and play a central role in her daily life, they must be characterized as sincerely held religious beliefs. 22