Freedom of religion
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Freedom of religion is the right to worship (or not worship) the ceiling cat of your choice.
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[edit] As a basic freedom
Freedom of religious worship is included as a specific case of freedom of expression and freedom of speech. In general, what a person believes doesn't actively harm others, and yet what they believe may open them to persecution. To address this, freedom of religion is a protected right.
[edit] Codification
- Brazil - Codified since 1890, in the constitution since 1946
- Canada - Freedom of religion is a constitutionally-protected "fundamental freedom" according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Estonia - Constitutionally-guaranteed in article 40
- France - In the constitution since 1905
- India - In the constitution's preamble
- Japan - In the constitution since 1946 (article 20)
- Mexico - Since 1859. Clergy cannot run for office, or make political statements.
- Netherlands - In the constitution since 1983, though religious schools receive government funds.
- New Zealand - Codified in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, section 15
- Nigeria - In the constitution since 1999, though Muslim law is enforced in the north.
- Philippines - Codified in 1987
- Poland - In the constitution
- Portugal - In the constitution since 1976
- South Korea - In the constitution as of 2012 (article 11, paragraph 1)
- United Kingdom - Guaranteed since the ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights, strengthened since the passage of the Human Rights Act 1998. However, the UK does have an established state religion (CofE) and the abolition of legal penalties for blasphemy was shockingly recent (2008).
- United States - Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
- Vietnam - In the constitution.
[edit] Freedom from religion
While there are (apparently many) on the Religious Right that disagree, freedom from religion (e.g., the ability to be an atheist, secular humanist and so on) is an integral part of freedom of religion. This is because without the ability to choose to not partake in religious activity, the free choice of religious activity becomes meaningless. Freedom of choice requires informed consent and a cornerstone of this is the ability to withdraw consent - otherwise it's coerced, and not free consent. If the option to not be religious is removed, then being religious becomes effectively forced and the power that the belief has (because it was chosen out of all others, including the "N/A" option) is diminished.
[edit] Criticism
There are multiple problems with the concept of freedom of religion, and how far a person's freedom of worship should be protected:
- Religion and culture are often deeply intertwined. Many wars are religion-based and worshipping the "wrong" ceiling cat is seen as an act of civil, not religious, disobedience. The "9/11 Mosque" brouhaha is an example of this.
- Religion often demands actions from believers that offend the culture they exist in or conflicts with the values of the land. Examples include:
- Smoking ganja for Rastafarians
- Use of psychedelic plants
- Polygamy for Muslims, Mormons, or anyone else seeking to emulate the many polygamist prophets found in the Old Testament.[1] In 1878 the Supreme Court decided that polygamy was illegal, even for Mormons.
- Incest for anyone who noticed Sarah was Abraham's half-sister
- Killing non-believers, believers of other religions, homosexuals, non-virgins on their wedding nights, and those who work on the Sabbath[2]
- Chanting up and down Oxford Street for Hare Krishna worshipers
- Animal sacrifice for various religions, when the animal will be used as food[3]
- Human sacrifice for Aztec revivalists
- Declining medical treatment for your children on religious grounds. In 2011 the state of Oregon decided to remove religious conviction as a defense against homicide charges faced by parents who shun medical care for their kids.[4]
- Monotheistic religion, by its very nature, tends to demand that it is the only true religion. "Thou shall have no other god but me," as Yahweh put it. As such those religions tend to frown on religious freedom for infidels (i.e. the rest of us).
- Religion has historically been used as a last resort argument against, well, everything, but notably integration, and freedom of religion used as an argument to support discrimination in public accommodations, services, etc.