Should Bible believing Christians support religious freedom?

Question

As I see very few chiming in on my last question on how the Bible supports religious tolerance . . .

Or is religous freedom only good if you are free to be Christian but nothing else?

Nikki--
Not looking for a particular answer. But I would like to see some Christian make an argument that religous freedom is a good thing--and try to back up that statement from the Bible.

Well, I see some good reasonable answers--but no Bible references.

I think this is because religous freedom is a product of the enlightenment, not of Christianity. Anyone care to debate this?

Answer 1

Supporting religious freedom would mean having to respect the views of others. Christians (and other religions) can't do that. Here Christians love to use their religion to persecute gays, Muslims and immigrants. The descendants of the people who fled to this country to escape religious persecution have become the persecutors.

Religiously inspired laws such as the bans on gay marriage are a form of religious persecution pure and simple. Religious freedom is being undermined by the very people claiming to protect it.

The answer to your question is: yes, they should support it, but they don't. Long forgotten lessons that may come back to haunt them someday.

Answer 2

Anyone truly believing in the Bible should of course support religious freedom. Jesus was all about tolerance.

Answer 3

All Americans should support religious freedom, even the Christians. We don't have to agree with the doctrine of other religions, but we should support the freedom. Unless it is a freedom to kill everyone who disagrees llike the muslim extremists. .

Answer 4

I would think religious freedom is a good thing. Kindness should be a universal virtue in all religions. If, however, religions start to encroach on the right to life and liberty of others, however, something needs to be changed.

Answer 5

Everyone should support religious freedom no matter what religion they are. However, this will never happen. There are radicals out there in every religion that will only support people of their own religion. I wonder if they think that everyone has a right to pick their own religion and support it, if they say people won't think they are good people in their religion. I think that people who are supportive of other peoples choices of religion are very secure in their own religion. I think someone who doesn't support others choices are very insecure about their religion and they think that people will change them over to another religion.

Answer 6

My opinion is yes, Bible-believers should support religious freedom--because Jesus himself was tolerant of others. If he can be tolerant, why not Christians?

Answer 7

There must be a distinction between "tolerance" and "allowance".
Jesus was not tollerant of sin, false teaching (or false teachers), heresies, etc. He did allow them, as he did not impune on their free will. One is free to believe whatever they like, the Lord will not force you to love or obey His Word. The fact is, Christian believers should warn those who are not trusting in Christ as their Savior. Yes they should have the freedom to reject the gospel message and follow after other gods, but their end will be destruction.

Answer 8

As Christians, we should support religious tolerance. God gave humans free will because He wants us to choose Him. Supporting religious freedom allows other to choose freely their beliefs.

Answer 9

Yes. God does not force himself onto anybody and neither should we. Becoming a Christian is a choice that that person has to make. I think that if God made everyone Christians that there would be no earth such as teh one that we live on today

Answer 10

God gave man free-will to choose to believe in him or not, therefore, for christians to say that religious freedom is wrong, isn't right.