True Religious Freedom Means No Government Involvement

[SecularMotion]

Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “The State of Religious Liberty in the United States.”

The United States is the most religiously diverse country in the world. In no other nation can you find as many varied religious groups, beliefs and practices as there are here. The Founders’ recognized in their own times the great theological differences among not only different religions but also among the many Protestant sects. They saw the tyranny that government-sponsored religion wrought. That is why our nation has a secular constitution – and Bill of Rights—that provide strict protections for religious practice and safeguards against government-endorsed religion. Our secular government and protections of religion are what allow religion to flourish and grow here.

However, there has been a constant stream of legislation and executive action to impose religious ideas into law with the mistaken belief that what is good for one group of religious people should be good for everyone.

Whether it is slavery, a woman’s right to be a citizen, LGBT human rights and legal issues, advances in science and medicine, ideas about sex and reproduction, or how to live and die, there is always a religious viewpoint that insists everyone must accede according to its demands. This kind of religious bullying is exactly why Puritans, Calvinists, the Pilgrims and many others left England to find a place to practice their own religious views.

http://www.secular.org/blogs/amanda-knief/true-religious-freedom-means-no-government-involvement

[cleanhippie]

1. And no involvement IN government.

[DCKit]

4. The point is their legislatinng religion.

Not just yours, everyone's freedom of and from religion is based on that.

Do unto others.... we Atheists get that. why don't the professed Christians? Y'all totally suck at your own religion.

[NMMNG]

7. They always seem to think

that it's bad when somebody else's religion is in government, but OK when their own is. Why? Enter rationalizations like "those other people aren't True Christians", "nobody would want to live in a society devoid of some religious influence", "I'm doing it for the right reasons", etc.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

2. Some religious practices wouldn't comport with a civil society

And the policing interests of civil government would allow for banning those practices.

[atreides1]

3. Such as?

A small list please.

[bengalherder]

5. Child abuse?

Life-saving transfusions/ medical treatment to minor children?

Spouse abuse?

Disconnection policies that separate families forcefully and illegally?

Abuse of religious visas?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

6. Human sacrifice

Eating one's dead enemies
FGM
Arranged marriages
Religious rules on divorce pre-empting civil law

[defendandprotect]

8. Unfortunately, those same Pilgrims tried to impose their religious views on others --

And "Christians" like George W. helped the Vatican out with their "faith based" organizations

now being subsidized by our government/taxpayers -- and coincidentally just at a time when the

Vatican most needed the $$$ to pay off their pedophile lawsuits!


:evilgrin:


Let's remember that democracy is the official enemy of organized patriarchal religion

based on male-supremacy and dictates --

Even Pope John XXIII in Vatican II tried to make the RCC a democracy -- telling Catholics to

use their own free thought and personal conscience to decide for themselves whether or not to

use birth control. Almost immediately afterward there was a RW coup within the church and

two other Popes were quickly disposed of -- until up popped what looked like a CIA Pope.