What religious freedom *isn't*

[kengr]

Reading an article conuly linked to:
The future of sex ed has arrived. Is America ready?

Several bits got me thinking about the many problems with people and the concept of religious freedom. the quote below will do.

Meanwhile, many parents say CHYA violates their parental rights. “This law doesn’t respect our beliefs and rights as parents to teach our children how they should behave and live,” one mom, Ofelia Garcia, tells me.

No, law doesn't do a *thing* to that right. What it *does* do, and the state has every right to do is teach their children that their parents beliefs aren't the only ones out there

So what they are *actually* complaining about is that the state won't let them keep their kids ignorant of different beliefs.

IMHSHO, the way freedom of religion *should* be taken is this:

You can have any religious beliefs you care to. You can *not* impose those beliefs on others. Nor may you require them to act in accordance with your beliefs.

And that's where almost the protests of "religious freedom" from Christians and conservatives come from. They want other people to live their lives in accordance with the *protester's* beliefs.

It doesn't help that many of those folks not only think that you have to follow their "moral code", but in fact believe that it's not possible to be against things like murder, rape and theft *without* invoking a moral code set by some higher power.

Sorry folks, it's possible to derive all the necessary laws from first principles. Things like personal autonomy, preventing harm to others, and the idea of personal property.

Comments

Re: Sigh

[kengr]

Pity there's approximately *zero* chance of implementing the Kingdom of Valdemar's guiding principle ("There is no 'One True Way'") here.

Also, remember that for them *they* have The Truth and *you* are pushing a "preferred mythology".

That's why I phrased some of my arguments the way I did.

It *should* be a "render unto Caesar" situation.

You can teach your kids anything you want, but they still have to learn what the school teaches. And if your teaches come up short after the kids think about them, that's not the *school's* fault.

Re: Sigh

[dialecticdreamer]

Honestly, too many parents use faith as a substitute for THOUGHT. It's not just Christians, but it does bother me a great deal because it seems like a huge step backwards for society as a whole.

Re: Sigh

[kengr]

I think it was Heinlein who had a character say something about people putting some ideas in a mental boxed labelled "sacred: do no touch"

Re: Sigh

[fayanora]

Robert Anton Wilson said "when dogma enters the brain, all intellectual activity ceases."

Re: Sigh

[kengr]

I dare you to tell Alex that next time he's getting all dogmatic in one of his rants.... :-)

Re: Sigh

[fayanora]

We are Locutus of Christ. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. Let us tell you about the Good News, or we will make you.

Re: Sigh

[dialecticdreamer]

I debated theology with ministry students for FUN. I nearly made one cry when I was barely eighteen and had HALF the amount of topical reading under my belt as I do now.

Locutus would NOT want my distictiveness- the hive would collapse under my questions!

Re: Sigh

[kengr]

http://www.sandraandwoo.com/2012/05/31/0381-larisa-will-burn-in-hell/

Re: Sigh

[dialecticdreamer]

HEHHEHEHEHEHEHE.

But I'm not blonde...

ROFLMAO

Re: Sigh

[fayanora]

LOL

Re: Sigh

[we_are_spc]

And then the parents expect their kids to follow that faith blindly. Hence them not wanting them to hav access to information to the contrary.

...

Now I think about it, it's part of the reason I left a certain organization along with a myriad of other reasons.

...

I am much more tolerant because of it, though, and I regret nothing.

-Trausio~

Re: Sigh

[dialecticdreamer]

I'm currently writing a story for the Strange Family where the idea of tolerance versus faith is being tested, and trying to do that while maintainin respect for other religions is going to be more difficult than writing the plot or dialogue.