What do you constitute as "shoving religion down someone's throat"?

Question

If Christians want to have church on Sunday, is that forcing religion upon people?
If Muslim parents want to pray with their child, is that forcing religion upon people?
If a private school requires attending morning and afternoon chapel, is that forcing religion upon people?

Answer 1

None of your examples constitute "shoving religion down someone's throat," not to me at least. (And yes, even #2 - parents have the right and responsibility to raise their children to be moral, productive members of society.)

To me, the "shoving" happens when people continue to preach their religion to someone even after that person has asked to be left alone. So going around knocking on doors, while personally annoying to me, isn't shoving so long as those people leave when asked. Same with sharing your faith with a stranger. Once someone says "I'm not Christian" or "I'm an atheist" or even "thank you for sharing, I'm not interested," then the conversation should be done and over with.

Answer 2

No one forces you to attend church on Sundays, or any other day for that matter. Muslims can pray with whomever they choose, where they choose. If you have elected to send your child to a private school, you have presumably done the pre requisite research and have accepted the fact that prayer in that school is required. Freedom of religion, does not mean freedom from religion, unless you choose it. There is no force applied in any of the 3 questions you posed. Force, by it's very definition means that people are doing something they do not wish to do. Clearly not the case here.

Answer 3

The answer to all three of those questions are no.

Now if you start telling me that I have to go to church on Sunday, that you will pray for me to see your religion is correct, that public schools will start requiring a morning and afternoon chapel, that is forcing it on me.

The difference between the top and the bottom is that the top is all personal. You chose to go to church on Sunday, you chose to put your child in a religious private school. However with the bottom, you are forcibly asserting your religious views upon others, which is exactly what forcing your religion is.

Answer 4

Making your child go to church against their will.

When you go to 7-11 and some guy bugs you with that "have you accepted Jesus into your heart ?" Question

Ppl, putting Jesus signs on a stick and planting the signs by a freeway off ramp and other type places.
Ppl making Jesus signs and protesting with them.

Religious ppl forcing their beliefs on our laws, like Gay marriage and no abortions done in the state of So. Dakota.

And before you boo me, you should know that,
47,282,923 abortions from 1973-2005.
Could you imagine 47 million more ppl in the US?
Not only that 47 Million ppl who grew up unwanted (I'm sure some would be taken in by grandparents, but a lot would be negliected), what a great society this would be, eh ?

Answer 5

First one, no. You're not making it a law to go to church, so you go ahead but don't expect me to show up.

The second one, maybe. That's mixing the bond between parents and children with religion, and would only be wrong if the parents demanded that their child believe as they do after he/she has grown old enough to make their own decisions.

The last one is a definite yes. Private school or not, requiring attendance for a particular belief is wrong. Sitting at home reading a book with a cup of tea and a blanket is different from reading a book while waiting to go to traffic court, so attending chapel service is different from simply talking to friends at the mall.

Answer 6

A religious autocracy that made other Faiths convert is shoving Religion down other people's throat.

If I want to read the bible out loud or pray a Rosary for killed children, I should be allowed to.

Just like the people who spread drug use and free sex without explaining the consequences are free to do on TV, Radio, Movies, Books, Magazines, Internet, etc,,,,,,,

Peace!

Answer 7

No
No
No

Forcing religion on people is requiring religious observance from people who do not want to do so.

If someone choses to identify with a religion, requiring them to do various things to be identified with other practictioners of the religion is a voluntary imposition on them.

Requiring athiests to stay home on Sunday during church would be shoving religion down their throat.

If a public school required chapel, that would be forcing religion down people's throats.

Answer 8

Six of one and a half dozen of the other.
When atheists try to force me to accept their ideas of what should or should not be taught to my children in school, they are forcing their religion down my throat.
When they try to legislate their ideas into law, that is shoving their religion down my throat.
When they mock me and insult me, calling me stupid or brainwashed just because I don't think the way they do, they are shoving their religion down my throat.
I understand their problem with Christians who keep after them after they have politely said "I am not interested", but they do the same to me. I have stated politely that I am a Christian, I do not wish to hear an atheist tell me how I ought to think, but they keep on anyway, that is forcing their religion down my throat.
The sword cuts both ways.

Answer 9

Is forcing Kids to recite the Lords Prayer before starting class in public schools?
Is Stamping "In God We Trust" on all currency?
Is passing a law against atheists holding public office in 5 states?
Is demanding that oaths in court be sworn on a Bible forcing?
Is passing a law that atheists are not allowed as witnesses in court forcing religion?

Gee, I don't know!

Answer 10

Christians and church? No. People don't have to go.

Muslim parents? How is that any different than making your child eat? They don't want to...

Private school is an option. If they're in private school they CHOSE that option. If they went to public school they wouldn't have to go.

Forcing religion is when someone says no thank you and you keep bugging them about it. Getting in their face about it. Telling them they'll go to hell or something.