Why Religious Freedom Should Matter to Everyone (Even Atheists)
Religious freedom is not just for people of a particular religion, like Christians. It is not even just for people of faith. It is for the religious and irreligious alike. Everyone has convictions about religion, and religious freedom enables you to live out those convictions without being punished by the government.
Do not be fooled by people who say that religious freedom is sometimes used as an excuse to discriminate against gay people. These are the same people who say that freedom of speech is often used as an excuse to offend people. These are sneaky ways of trying to place limits on religious freedom by people who want to silence and punish those who do not celebrate their behavior or agree with their ideology. In other words, their true intent is to do the exact thing thing they condemn -- discriminate against people with whom they disagree.
Religion is not about discriminating against people, but devotion to God. If God does not want me to celebrate your behavior or agree with your ideology, then I have the freedom to obey Him, even if that offends you. And if you do not agree with my God, then you have the freedom to disobey Him, even if that offends me. But if the government has the authority to restrict my religion today, then it also has the power to restrict your irreligion tomorrow. A government that has the authority to punish me for over-exercising religion also has the power to punish you for under-exercising religion.
Many people today seem to be falling in to the trap of only supporting the freedom of religious expressions that they like and agree with. But you don't have to agree with my religion to support my religious freedom. You simply need to remember that if you don't want the government to ever punish you for your religious convictions, then you must never support efforts by the government to punish and restrict other religious convictions. The government is not a club to be used by those in power against those with whom they disagree. Otherwise that same club will be used against you when your enemies eventually wrestle it out of your hands.
This is why religious freedom is the first freedom, the most important freedom. A threat to religious freedom is a threat to all freedoms, and a threat to people of all religions.
Do not be fooled by people who say that religious freedom is sometimes used as an excuse to discriminate against gay people. These are the same people who say that freedom of speech is often used as an excuse to offend people. These are sneaky ways of trying to place limits on religious freedom by people who want to silence and punish those who do not celebrate their behavior or agree with their ideology. In other words, their true intent is to do the exact thing thing they condemn -- discriminate against people with whom they disagree.
Religion is not about discriminating against people, but devotion to God. If God does not want me to celebrate your behavior or agree with your ideology, then I have the freedom to obey Him, even if that offends you. And if you do not agree with my God, then you have the freedom to disobey Him, even if that offends me. But if the government has the authority to restrict my religion today, then it also has the power to restrict your irreligion tomorrow. A government that has the authority to punish me for over-exercising religion also has the power to punish you for under-exercising religion.
Many people today seem to be falling in to the trap of only supporting the freedom of religious expressions that they like and agree with. But you don't have to agree with my religion to support my religious freedom. You simply need to remember that if you don't want the government to ever punish you for your religious convictions, then you must never support efforts by the government to punish and restrict other religious convictions. The government is not a club to be used by those in power against those with whom they disagree. Otherwise that same club will be used against you when your enemies eventually wrestle it out of your hands.
This is why religious freedom is the first freedom, the most important freedom. A threat to religious freedom is a threat to all freedoms, and a threat to people of all religions.
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