"Does the 1st Amendment give more freedom to churches than others?" no. They are protected from religious persecution, nothing else.

The fundamentalists that bomb abortion clinic should and will be prosecuted like any other criminal. Their freedom of religion stop when it infringes on the rights & safety of others.

Is this what you were asking?

First, I may have misunderstood, so he may not have meant what I though he meant.

My real question was did I misunderstood what was said, will take someone having heard the program or my waiting for the tape/transcript to be released to know, I was just hoping someone heard and could let me know.

If I did understand the person correctly, he was saying they are protected by the "freedom of speech" that everyone has, but that since it was in a church, even if the comments were borderline protected, they have an additional protection within the church or if it in the name of the church.

I have seen somethings which are considered illegal to all are legal for the church, e.g. there is a Native American who claimed ingesting an herb/plant which causes hallucinations was part of his religion. It was decided this was protected under "separation of church an state"

The second point was he basically said "they are harmless" I was pointing out the same could be said for those who bombed abortion clinics. No real question just stating that some (rare few) do take statements like those made in the church where the minister called for the government to kill gays who take matter in their own hands since the government isn't doing their job.

Shall make no law

prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

religion. If an established religion had always held that a preacher must say that XX Compells us to Smite the LGBT's. then that would be protected as part of a religious service. Just as a church could provide sacramental wine to members under legal age. But as the Cannabis smoking church found out inh it's court case there are specific conditions that musty be met. One can't just create the Church of Crack with a legal right to use/sell.

I have heard some haters lately claiming that pronouncing their hatred for all LGB'T's is a part of their religion. But I think their case would fail in court as there is no precedent for that being a necessary ritual. Reading the Bible, Torah or Koran in their own place of worship would be protected. Outside the place and service of worship only the generic freedom of speech would apply IMO.

protected by more than just freedom of speech? It is protected by the freedom of religion and the freedom to assemble. You could call those "extra freedoms" not explicitly covered by freedom of speech. But--This doesn't give religion special rights--we all have these rights. So, idk?