We can no longer support "religious freedom" says the ACLU
by StarTrekAngel 11 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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OrphanCrow
How ironic that the ACLU got its start by representing people who were fighting for religious freedom, and now, almost 100 years later, they can see the harmful effects of allowing religions to infringe on the rights of others.
Having the freedom to believe what you want is one thing - that is a no brainer - however, the practice of those beliefs, if it harms other people, should never be allowed. Far too many people are harmed in the carrying out of religious doctrine.
Institutionalized religion is a nesting ground for human rights abuses.
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fiddler
I'm reading Christopher Hitchens "god is not Great" and the statement he makes repeatedly, "religion poisons everything", is so true. -
JeffT
By my reading of the article, your post title is exaggerated. What the ACLU no longer supports is the RFRA. It looks to me like they are still doing what they always did, stand up for EVERYBODY's beliefs, not one groups over another's. -
OrphanCrow
fiddler: I'm reading Christopher Hitchens "god is not Great" and the statement he makes repeatedly, "religion poisons everything", is so true.
Fiddler, I read an article recently in a law journal (can't find it now, sorry...) that made the case that the function of religion in our society is that it acts as the site where secular law defines itself. Secular law constantly unfolds and plays itself out against religious beliefs. Religion, in that sense, is what defines secularism,
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Hold Me-Thrill Me
I'm a Christian and I agree with the ACLU, the RFRA law is being abused. Priests and ministers have done a poor job of teaching their members. Belief is a private matter not a secular one. Christians who work at state or federal jobs should obey the law. Performing a civil marriage ceremony is like collecting taxes part of the job nothing more. Serving a customer is just conducting business nothing more. Christians should differentiate between the secular and the religious and be taught how to do so.
From the Washington Post article:
"Yes, religious freedom needs protection. But religious liberty doesn’t mean the right to discriminate or to impose one’s views on others. The RFRA wasn’t meant to force employees to pay a price for their employer’s faith, or to allow businesses to refuse to serve gay and transgender people, or to sanction government-funded discrimination. In the civil rights era, we rejected the claims of those who said it would violate their religion to integrate. We can’t let the RFRA be used as a tool for a different result now.
It’s time for Congress to amend the RFRA so that it cannot be used as a defense for discrimination. Religious freedom will be undermined only if we continue to tolerate and enable abuses in its name." (emphasis mine)
"Religious freedom will be undermined only if we continue to tolerate and enable abuses in its name," I agree.
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Viviane
Yeah, that's not even close to what the ACLU said. Try again. -
skepticSam
Classic Joseph Goebbels OP ED, he would be so proud of all your half-truths and all the suckers who did not read the article or use critical thinking, you really have a heart for the Watchtower posting lies like this!
Great job Viv and others who caught the BS! There are great members on JWN who challenge Bullshit Threads, this is why it's such a great place to learn, A+ for all the members that read the source instead of believing the NAZI Style Propaganda! I read a book recently on Goebbels, this style of half-truth is what made him such a genius!
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JeffT
Belief is a private matter not a secular one. Christians who work at state or federal jobs should obey the law. Performing a civil marriage ceremony is like collecting taxes part of the job nothing more. Serving a customer is just conducting business nothing more. Christians should differentiate between the secular and the religious and be taught how to do so.
Spot on! If you don't want to rub elbows with people you don't like, go live alone somewhere.
As a side note; good for the ACLU for sticking up for the Sikhs in the army. If you know anything about the reputation they have for fighting ability you know the army needs more of them. There's a Sikh religious center down the street from me. They put up with a lot of crap from idiots that think they're Muslims.
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StarTrekAngel
Sorry. It wasn't my intention. That is why I only posted a link and did not make any comments. Although, in essence, discriminatory practices are at the core of the statement made and that is what we are interested on as a group.