Should discrimination be legal?
The recent supreme court decision in Fulton v. Pa Pennsylvania, while not making it impossible to enforce anti-discrimination laws based on religious belief, does reinforce the idea that religious dogma can trump the rule of law. This sets a dangerous precedent.
If an agency that is run by a church, and receiving federal money, can discriminate based on sexual orientation, why not on race or religion? We have already seen this happen in South Carolina by a church-run agency. Will I, as an atheist, be refused service by a religious organization simply because I do not believe in god?
And let us be honest; in our country, this interpretation of religious freedom seems to only apply to Christians. There are many cases where non-christian groups tried to assert their religious freedom, only to be denied.
The bible, as well as the majority of religious traditions, is not the least bit respectful of other religions. Even in today’s world, If you worship or believe in another god or no god in some places, you are subject to being executed. This does in fact occur regularly.
That is why the secular US Constitution rejected that view and established protection and neutrality toward all religions and no religion. Our ancestors made many sacrifices to enjoy the freedoms of thought, religion, politics, and philosophy. We struggle to defend them still.
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Concerned about something happening in your neighborhood or school?
- Who is behind the issue? Is it a religion?
- Is it an equal rights issue? Is religion trying to impose its belief on the public?
- If we had true separation of state and church, would the issue go away?
If you can answer yes to any of these three questions, there may be help available from one or more of the following groups: