At what point is your religious freedom of speech violating the rights of others?

Answer 1

your question should be expanded to say..

at what point do your " rights " violate others "rights"

ok so here is the way it should be.....

your rights end when they effect my rights...

if everyone followed that we would have no problems what so ever..

it is the people that think they should be intitled to something someone else has earned / worked for / or has that cause alot of problems in the world

Answer 2

In general I am a strong supporter of freedom of speech, religious or otherwise. I feel this way even when I disagree with what is being said and when it comes to religion. I am not religious at all but think others should have the freedom to express their beliefs. Lately though a few instances have troubled me.

First, a soldier from a neighboring town in my state was killed in Iraq. Some people from that Phelps church who are vehmently anti-gay attended and held up signs saying God was glad that he was killed because America tolerates gays. I find that so offense because of the inappropriateness of the setting and the message. I think that behavior crosses a line. I think I can say that just about everyone there other than this group felt deeply offended and that this sort of thing should not be allowed.

Second, a young woman who was valedictorian of her class used her graduation speech to proslytize. The speech didn't just mention her beliefs in passing but really went into her views on the sacrifice of Jesus and her beliefs. They had warned her ahead since she had stated her intentions that if she turned the speech into a sermon they would cut her mike. She ignored this and they did in fact cut her off. There is controversy that her rights were infringed. I am more borderline on this but I know that if I would have been a member of that class I would have found her actions boorish and insensitive. Not all classmates share your beliefs and it is a ceremony that should be inclusive of the entire student population.

So I guess I am feeling that there are boundaries and it can violate the rights of others. If the area or event is supposed to be inclusive of all people and you are vigorously interjecting your particular religious views it is inappropriate I believe. If it is a venue that is for a specific purpose ( a gay pride gathering or a funeral for example) and you attend for the purpose of injecting and disrupting with your opposing beliefs/viewpoints I do believe you are violating the other people's rights to gather peacefully with like minded people.

Answer 3

"Free speech and thought is a basic human yearning, as people want to be able to say what they wish, to express their ideas, desires, and feelings. It is easy to say that everyone should have freedom of speech, but it is just as easy to present reasons for restricting freedom of speech. Some people's speech is hateful, violent, and harmful to the harmony of others. It is often easy to convince a majority that certain things should not be allowed to be said. Most would agree that free speech does not include the right to talk about hiring someone to kill, or to endanger others by yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater just to cause panic. However, most people would also not support the idea that anyone who says something unpopular should be silenced, because that would mean free speech only includes the freedom to agree with the current majority. And most people would not support the idea that "harmony" is so important that people should not be permitted to express ideas designed to try to improve their society just because those ideas are disliked by the authorities. There are still questions about what constitutes "speech," what types of speech, if any, are not entitled to protection, and how other interests should be weighed when judging speech. This is a continuing debate that probably will never end."

Answer 4

Almost never. Speach cannot violate anothers rights by being offensive to them, otherwise all speach would be forbidden. If people don't like what a certain preacher is preaching , they have a right not to attend his church. If they don't like what he says on TV, they can turn the channel.

An exception is if he is saying it so loudly that it echoes out of the public arena into other people's private dwellings to an unreasonable degree. This is callled disturbing the peace, and is illegal no matter what is being said.

The other exception is if the talk is genuinely seditious - meaning he is legitimately planning the VIOLENT overthrow of the government, or the breaking of its laws. Planning the democratic overthrow is permissable, and plotting to legally change its laws, even in unpopular ways, is also permissable.

People who feel any other kind of speach violates other people's rights are really just despots plotting their tyranny from behind a wall of false offense.

Answer 5

Freedom of expression ends at the tip of another person’s nose.

Freedom of speech (political speech) should only be limited when the other person has no way to tune it out or turn it off.

Freedom of religion is about a person’s basic right to express the feeling in his soul. This shouldn’t be limited unless it prevents others from expressing the feelings in their soul.

If you value freedom of expression and freedom of speech you should be willing to tolerate freedom of religion.

Answer 6

I think ANY freedom of speech (not just religious) violates rights of others when it promotes and encourages people to become violent towards others. Blasphemy is not a violation. Mockery is not a violation. Death threats, such as jihad and death to infidels, can and will cause some to physically harm others and should be stopped.

May God Bless you.

Answer 7

Here is it hard to say because we could tell people to shut up all day long and it would never happen. But if I were face to face with someone and they kept insisting on preaching to me about whatever after I told them I wasn't interested...then I would have to say that would be violating my rights. Yes, they have freedom of speech but it ends when my rights are violated. At that point they need to move on to the next street corner.

Answer 8

Bettierage,

Some may not appreciate the way that you posed your question but I want to say that the responses have been quite good. THE Communication of everyone's feelings on this question are Fantastic!! Both sides have been rather good about NOT slamming one another and the feelings have come out on both sides. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has participated in doing so. I think that this was one of the greatest displays I have seen in weeks! Thank you for asking this question and keep the dialog going. Someone may be able to form a pact of binding-nonviolent behavior over time with this thinking. I just believe that each and every person should be able to express his/her feelings without infringing on other's rights and hurting other people's feelings. Thank you one and all. Please award one of these people the points, I don't want them at all. Have a great week!
Thanks,
Eds, Ohio Christian

Answer 9

There isnt a real answer to that because if you really love god there is no limit. But when your a Christian you start to realize that some people just wont listen and will never understand unless God does something about that. And you also realize that being a Christian you have to be a role model to others so you dont want to make people think your crazy but you do what people to know you take a firm stand on what you believe in.

Answer 10

There's a religious freedom of speech? I thought everyone had the freedom of speech.

You violate another's rights when you keep on talking after they tell you don't want to hear what they're saying.

Answer 11

You have the freedom of speech, but I have the right to tell ya to shut the hello up on my property. The freedom of speech applies to public statements. Feel free to say whatever you want in public (within the confines of the law, of course). I reserve my right to stay far, far away from your public display.