Is "freedom of religion" going too far?

Question

In a modern world where funerals are picketed, "christian gay camps" are legally operating to "turn" young gay adolescents straight, and parents have the legal right to deny their children healthcare, and prevent them from receiving potentially life-saving vaccines to prevent cancer; all in the name of religion.

My question is this... Has "freedom of religion" gone too far, and should certain limits be applied?

Answer 1

this isnt freedom of religion ...
this is bigotry and hate and should be treated as such

Answer 2

Freedom and religion are opposites. And therein lies the problem with having religious freedom within a democratic republic. Freedom only exist in pure anarchy which some of the French philosophs promulgated and were killed and executed for simply suggesting. All religions have some 'rules'. These very rules obviate true individual freedom even if the individuals voluntarially adopt them. Then the problems start. Even in the USA there is a majority of some religion (now it is Christianity) and most of the laws conform in some way to the major mores propagated by that religion's basic rules. When the beliefs of some minority conflict with the laws as constituted you have conflict which must be resolved by the courts or by a change in laws. This process is healthy, but has negative fallout because someone is going to be disappointed by the process, the outcome or the cost of the process which all must bear.
I don't like the protest at veteran's funerals* or the 'right' of parents to keep 'modern' science from treating their children (or them) but if I choose to live in the USA then I must accept this.
BTW, I am in a religious minority and resent the fact that the whole country by tradition and in some cases law has established Sunday as the Sabbath. I and mine must be prepared to deal with being expected to work on Saturday ( our Sabbath -- and been that way for over 4000 years), make up missed snow days at schools on Saturday, structure our lives around formal holidays for Christmas and Easter while making special excuses for Yom Kippur, Passover and Rosh Hashana (out New Year -- again, much older than the Roman one). But we carry on because the USA offers the best chance for our families.

*The people protesting those funerals should be forced to do so out of sight and sound of the proceedings IMO and I would support a law making that so. After all the families have rights also. Yes?

Answer 3

Absolutely not. If you take away freedom of religion, you take away the very foundation on which our country was built. You take away the freedom of speech and the freedom to express your thoughts. That really would destroy far more than it would help.

Besides, if a person commits a crime in this country, it is a crime even if it was done for "religious" reasons. For example, human sacrifice would obviously not be allowed. So having freedom of religion has not gone too far, because anything that does go too far is against the law anyway. Those limits are already there.

Answer 4

Yes your right. A lot of issues have been placed in the category of religious freedom that aren't really about religion or freedom . Like when then judge Sneaked into the courtroom in the night like a thief to place a giant heavy almost unmovable set of the ten commandments. There were adults and even little children face down weeping on the steps of the courthouse. Then the judge announced that he would run for office showing his true intentions. They would rather a thousand abortion doctors would be killed than a single person would have an abortion. Add Fundamentalism to any religion and it can get a little crazy.

Answer 5

I can't disagree. Today religion is taken too seriously, sometimes it even borders with phobias. I've noticed that a large amount of so called "real Christians" who deny everything except the Bible are really the homo and science phobes. Sometimes it leads to the mental attacking those who disagree. Killing your own child only because you do not believe Darwin is actually something unhealthy. There definitely have to be some limites. By the way I'm saying that being a Christian myself.

Answer 6

Every thing in the life struggle for survival and for affirmation may be subjected to fight or joust. At last nature may decide where and how the winning shall be placed. It seems even natural that others should always try to make you into their own robot or even hostage, emotionally, culturally, religiously ...

Challenge, challenge and again more challenge is the drive of nature, and so challenge might as well be made into your own motto.

The "freedom of religion" hasn't gone too far yet. In any case your own freedom, religious or otherwise, may not be another's freedom because, if so, that other one would have to surrender to your beliefs and to you, and so become your own hostage and robot.

The religious feeling might be politically forced into staying more private, so that the individuals more freely might be allowed to fight for other things in life, and to even staying more individual if they wanted to, and anyway be allowed to sort of peacefully survive and develop within some necessary limits, natural or otherwise.

Answer 7

Hello Psycholog... :)

In a modern world Where children are killing children in our schools..Where moms are allowed to kill their unborn children..Where it is alright to hate others because they believe differently..Where we are told we must help ourselves, than we can help others, (if we want to)..Where Moms and Dads are being replaced by live-in boyfriends, step dads, girlfriends, step moms that may stay for a couple of days, months or if one is lucky a couple of years..Where commitment means no commitment..Where children are taught sex by a teacher at school (not at home)..Where children raise themselves (because their care givers both have to work)..Where a child can converse with a child predator on the computer..Where a child's role model is a celebrity that is addicted to drugs, (not their Mom or Dad)..

Yes..Freedom from Religion has gone too far..I agree that certain limits should be applied.. :(


In Jesus Most Precious Name..
With Love..In Christ.. :)

Answer 8

I think that freedoms are too restricted in this country. I don't agree with the protesting of funerals either. The correct way to stop them is to start a "opposition group" which appears in support of those grieving to confront the protestors. I don't know if I would be the best person to go along with this though as I would most likely bust their bigoted ignorant skulls wide open on the pavement.

Answer 9

Freedom of Religion hasn't gone far enough. Native Americans can't use peyote, a traditional spiritual ingredient, because it's a hallucinogen; it's illegal to kill a WILLING participant in the name of religious sacrifice. You can't limit freedom of religion because of a few bad people (or an entire misguided faith).

Answer 10

Only the limits that apply to everyone: One's freedom of religion rights end when they affect others.

Answer 11

1.Evolution of scince and technology and general awareness are putting limitation on blind religion belief which is natural process to limit the religion freedom . So there is no need to search for alternate measures(artificial) which will create problem in society.