Freedom of religion and creed are guaranteed by the constitution of 1874. The constitution specifically states that children of all religious beliefs may attend school without being affected in any way in their freedom of creed or conscience. The Jesuit order is banned in Switzerland and Jesuits may not perform any religious activities in churches or schools. The constitution allows the same ban to be extended to other religions.
There is no single state church for all of Switzerland, but most individual cantons support one or more churches with public funds. Citizens may choose to refrain from paying a tax to contribute to church funding. In some cantons, businesses may not exempt themselves from paying a church tax.
Switzerland maintains the rights of those established religions which it recognizes. The government has adopted a hostile attitude, however, towards new religious movements. It has refused to allow the Unification Church to register as a religious organization. The government considers the church to be a dangerous sect and has published a travel advisory warning Swiss citizens who are visiting San Francisco to beware of Unification Church recruiters. Unificationists in Switzerland have had to register as an association rather than a church. In one case, a family associated with the Unification movement lost their apartment. In the past, church members have been subjected to deprogramming.
2003 US State Department International Religious Freedom Report on Switzerland
Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief Report on Switzerland
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