Celebratingand LimitingReligious Freedom
by Dr. Marty Klein
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Bill of Rights, Article I
Thats what the Bill of Rights says:
* The government cant establish an official religion;
* The government cant prevent people from practicing their religion.
I totally support both of these. Dont you?
Heres what the Bill of Rights does NOT say:
* People can force others to follow their religious beliefs;
* The government should make it easy for people to follow their religious beliefs;
* The government should give peoples religious sensitivities more weight than peoples non-religious sensitivities;
* The government should give religious institutions a voice in government decisions, or any privileges whatsoever such as tax breaks.
Read it again: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Today, millions of Americans expect that their religious beliefs entitle them to special privileges: e.g., exemptions from doing their jobs when tasks conflict with their sincerely held beliefs; zoning that prevents businesses they dont like from opening near their churches.
One of the most important of these expected privileges is the privilege to require non-believers to behave like believers: e.g., prohibiting liquor sales on Sunday; prohibiting nude sun-bathing on beaches. Religious people also tend to feel that they should be protected from the behavior of non-believersfor example, from seeing condoms advertised on TV.
But its much worse than that.
Mainstream religions are obsessed with sexuality. But theyre not all that interested in sexual integrity, or sexual self-expression, or sexual communication, or sexual education. Theyre interested primarily in limiting sexual expression. Mainstream religions distrust sexual autonomypeople making sexual decisions for themselves, relying on their own values and ethics.
Thus, since the religious program about sex is primarily dont do this, dont do that, when organized religion gets or seeks political power, it inevitably wants to institutionalize dont do this, dont do that in the legal system.
It doesnt matter what the this or that is. The problem is the You may not do it part.
Organized American Christianity wants to limit the sexual expression not just of believers, but of non-believers. And so they demandand often passlaws that:
* prevent strip clubs
* prevent swingers clubs
* prevent birth control
* prevent abortion
* prevent same-gender marriage
* prevent actual sex education
* prevent sex research
and more.
When progressives challenge the Churchs right to do this, they typically cry freedom of religion! But thats bogus. This is like a publisher wanting a law requiring everyone to read his newspaper, and when challenged, him crying freedom of the press! Both freedom of religion and freedom of the press involve freedom from government control, not control of government machinery to force others to live as believers do.
Westerners are viewing the increasing militancy of worldwide Islam with alarm. In countries as diverse as Nigeria, Indonesia, and Turkey, more and more government agencies are requiring people to live as believers, punishing non-believers who dont do so.
We should notice how thats happening right here. After all, its Independence Day. Happy Birthday, America.
by Dr. Marty Klein
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Bill of Rights, Article I
Thats what the Bill of Rights says:
* The government cant establish an official religion;
* The government cant prevent people from practicing their religion.
I totally support both of these. Dont you?
Heres what the Bill of Rights does NOT say:
* People can force others to follow their religious beliefs;
* The government should make it easy for people to follow their religious beliefs;
* The government should give peoples religious sensitivities more weight than peoples non-religious sensitivities;
* The government should give religious institutions a voice in government decisions, or any privileges whatsoever such as tax breaks.
Read it again: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Today, millions of Americans expect that their religious beliefs entitle them to special privileges: e.g., exemptions from doing their jobs when tasks conflict with their sincerely held beliefs; zoning that prevents businesses they dont like from opening near their churches.
One of the most important of these expected privileges is the privilege to require non-believers to behave like believers: e.g., prohibiting liquor sales on Sunday; prohibiting nude sun-bathing on beaches. Religious people also tend to feel that they should be protected from the behavior of non-believersfor example, from seeing condoms advertised on TV.
But its much worse than that.
Mainstream religions are obsessed with sexuality. But theyre not all that interested in sexual integrity, or sexual self-expression, or sexual communication, or sexual education. Theyre interested primarily in limiting sexual expression. Mainstream religions distrust sexual autonomypeople making sexual decisions for themselves, relying on their own values and ethics.
Thus, since the religious program about sex is primarily dont do this, dont do that, when organized religion gets or seeks political power, it inevitably wants to institutionalize dont do this, dont do that in the legal system.
It doesnt matter what the this or that is. The problem is the You may not do it part.
Organized American Christianity wants to limit the sexual expression not just of believers, but of non-believers. And so they demandand often passlaws that:
* prevent strip clubs
* prevent swingers clubs
* prevent birth control
* prevent abortion
* prevent same-gender marriage
* prevent actual sex education
* prevent sex research
and more.
When progressives challenge the Churchs right to do this, they typically cry freedom of religion! But thats bogus. This is like a publisher wanting a law requiring everyone to read his newspaper, and when challenged, him crying freedom of the press! Both freedom of religion and freedom of the press involve freedom from government control, not control of government machinery to force others to live as believers do.
Westerners are viewing the increasing militancy of worldwide Islam with alarm. In countries as diverse as Nigeria, Indonesia, and Turkey, more and more government agencies are requiring people to live as believers, punishing non-believers who dont do so.
We should notice how thats happening right here. After all, its Independence Day. Happy Birthday, America.