Many people here support freedom of religion. What about freedom from religion ?

Question

What about the right not to be religious but most importantly the right not to have people try to convert others to their belief.

Answer 1

Freedom of religion implies Freedom from religion. You would have to agree to convert.

Answer 2

The 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the USA grants the freedom of choice : "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Therefore, it is unconstitutional, and impossible, to create a system that everyone in the whole USA would agree on. Madalyn Murray O'Hare is given credit for single-handedly having prayer removed from schools.
You and I have the right, guaranteed by the Constitutional 1st Amendment, to be free from listening to people try to convert us. All we have to do is say, "Please refrain from talking about religion. It is an individual, private topic." That will stop most people.
But, they, too, have rights. They have the right to try and convert or 'save' people. There is a balance of freedom. If they are asked to refrain from talking about religion with you and they continue on, they have boundary problems. It is my opinion that their behaviour, at that point, is a psychological issue, not one about Constitutional Amendments. ;-)
Good Luck with your interesting question.

Answer 3

Tell that to the chaplain, that opened the constitutional convention. Do you understand that the Constitution limits Government, not individuals. Freedom from religion, is the same as religious prohibition. So is zero tolerance, or any other cute cliche' you can produce. By the way, are you enjoying the religious conversation that you started?

Answer 4

I think freedom of religion is the same as freedom from religion. If you choose not to believe in any of the available pantheon of gods, then this too can be qualified as a belief system, since it's technically impossible to prove or disprove the existence of a non-corporeal, non-detectable presence. Thus, atheism and agnosticism qualify as religions since they're based on a non-provable (albeit easily supportable) belief system. At least in my book. And by defining and accepting them as religions, they gain the protections that religions gain (not that that's likely to happen in a legal sense any time soon...no tax breaks for the nonbelievers).

Answer 5

Sorry, pal, you don't have that right.

We live in a society where the exchange of ideas is vital to the success of the whole. We consider it good citizenship when people debate and discuss important concepts and questions and decisions with one another. So it is with religion, which informs the worldview (and therefore shapes the reasoning) of millions of Americans.

In a way, someone trying to convert you to their religious views is like a person persuading you to vote Democratic in the next election. Both are attempting to sway you and to mold your view of the world to be more like theirs - and that's what open debate is all about.

For God's sake, don't get offended when others with whom you don't agree try to change your mind. We all need a little mental calesthenics to keep our reasoning fresh. Instead, thank your lucky stars that they have the right to speak and you have the right to listen, to respond, or to tell them to jump in a lake.

Answer 6

We have freedom of religion (which includes Atheism and humanism). However, that means that everyone can believe as they wish. Part of that belief for Christians is to complete the Great Commission to spread the gospel to the world. As long as we are within the law (e.g. not trespassing, littering, etc.) then we can say or do as we wish. From my perspective, if I approached you in conversation about religion and you said you didn't want to hear it, I would thank you for your time and walk away.

Answer 7

No such thing as a right to freedom FROM religion. As for the fundies trying to convert people, if that's who you're writing about, they are really BAD Christians because they violates the teachings of Christ. (See Matthew 6)

Answer 8

There is no right not to have others try to convert you privately. Freedom from religion only involves public matters (i.e., government).

However, you have the right to tell people they're insane when they try to convert you, and laugh at them for believing fairy tales. It works both ways.

Answer 9

It's fine if you have a religion and people will leave you alone. But as soon as you say you're not religious, they see it as an opportunity to convert you to their ways. They don't understand that not having a religion is just as important to us as their religion is to them.

It's actually an insult to try an convert us. I mean, you wouldn't convert a Jew to Islam, so why try it with us. We feel just as strongly about our "non-belief" as religious people feel about their "beliefs".

Answer 10

Interesting point of view jimbob. I like that.

in response to jim's response, isn't a "reaction" still answering the question? Or is that against the community guidlines? If its a loaded question, ( I agree it could very well be) why is it a problem asking it. You have the "Freedom" to ignore it.

M Philosopher of life experiences