But to Justice Scalia and the five justice majority decision in Employment Division v. Smith, the issue of when a person could exempt himself from a generally-applicable law wasn't a tough one at all.

Justice Scalia reminded his fellow justices of the Court's 1982 decision in United States v. Lee, where Amish plaintiffs protested having to collect taxes for Social Security, since they didn't believe in government support programs as a matter of conscience.