Religion or Government – Which Laws Prevail?

Does the First Amendment permit religions to ignore secular law?

I was watching a Diagnosis Murder television show this evening.   You may recall that is the Dick Van Dyke program where he plays a doctor who solves crimes. In this particular episode a Catholic priest refuses to tell anyone including the police who committed a murder.  His reason is that his knowledge is the result of a “confession.”  I was astonished that he held the position that he is sworn to keep all confessions private.

Then I Google the question, “Can Catholic priests reveal confessed crimes to the police?”  Apparently I am mis-informed; it is an accurate fact that “confessions” are never to be revealed.  Perhaps that explains the reason that priests who are child abusers were not reported to the police.  The priests simply “confessed” their sins.

We all know how that turned out.  Still, the laws regarding religion seem to disregard society’s right to law enforcement.

If you are an Orthodox Jewish family and a relative dies under suspicious circumstances the law requires an autopsy.  Will an autopsy be preformed against Jewish law?

How will America’s response to Sharia Law be handled?  I contend that when religious law conflicts with government law, the government prevails.  How will the Supreme Court handle this?