Is freedom of religion a Biblical concept?

Answer 1

Freedom in the sense that you can belong to any religion you want as long as it is Christianity.

Answer 2

Of course not. Freedom of religion is a tolerance towards all religions, and the bible is clear on the fact the biblical god hates other religions.

Answer 3

every person has a right to their own beliefs,i dont think religion(the word)is actually a biblical idea/i think religion is a man-made concept to many people confuse the word as being spiritual //belief in God does not mean you must believe in a religion only every word that proceeds from the word of God to be a christian

Answer 4

In Ezekiel 9:5 among many similar incidents, God outlined his prescribed treatment for idol-worshippers: "show no pity; slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women"

And of course, this old favorite:

Joshua 6:17-21 (NIV): "The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD ... But keep away from the devoted things ... All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury. When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it--men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys."

So... yeah. Straight from the horses mouth, as it were. Then we have Inquisitions, Crusades, and thousands of years of good old fashioned persecution and bigotry... I think the answer's obvious.

Answer 5

Yes, one could make such a case. The development of individual liberties enjoyed in the west is, in part, due to the Reformation and it's reexamining the Biblical texts.

Answer 6

I don't know if it is in the bible, but most Christians hate other non-Christians. Dang they even hate other Christians. It seem like the Roman Catholic's are the ones mostly hated on by the protestants, because "There not Christian's there Catholics, it's tottaly different." Also the pagans(wiccans, witches samething) the christians think it is a satanic religion(which it's NOT), satanism is tottaly different.

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Answer 7

No, it started with the Greeks. When they would conquer another region they would let the indigenous people ( who lived ) practice whatever their religion was and the Greeks also respected their rituals etc. They did this because it was easier to let them do what they want than to fight and change them. Concept came from the Greeks.

Answer 8

in the old testament, it was a sin to worship false gods, same for early part of new testament, and how jesus flew in a rage after seeing merhcants in the house of god wroshiping gold (sounds familiar here).

But because the early Christians were persecuted for worshipping the one GOD, the concept was adopted somewhat

Of course the Crusades and Spanish Inquisition made a mockery of that concept even if was implied in the bible

Answer 9

Depends what your talking about. Some christians thinkit's a sin to pray to anything other than their God. Therefore in some religions it is against their religion to practice any other religion out of their own. So, no.

Answer 10

I found "The social duty of religion and the right to religious freedom" in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. However, there are no quotes from the Bible in these Catholic Doctrins. Here you go if you want to read further on it:

"2104 "All men are bound to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church, and to embrace it and hold on to it as they come to know it." This duty derives from "the very dignity of the human person." It does not contradict a "sincere respect" for different religions which frequently "reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men," nor the requirement of charity, which urges Christians "to treat with love, prudence and patience those who are in error or ignorance with regard to the faith."

2105 The duty of offering God genuine worship concerns man both individually and socially. This is "the traditional Catholic teaching on the moral duty of individuals and societies toward the true religion and the one Church of Christ." By constantly evangelizing men, the Church works toward enabling them "to infuse the Christian spirit into the mentality and mores, laws and structures of the communities in which [they] live." The social duty of Christians is to respect and awaken in each man the love of the true and the good. It requires them to make known the worship of the one true religion which subsists in the Catholic and apostolic Church. Christians are called to be the light of the world. Thus, the Church shows forth the kingship of Christ over all creation and in particular over human societies.

2106 "Nobody may be forced to act against his convictions, nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his conscience in religious matters in private or in public, alone or in association with others, within due limits." This right is based on the very nature of the human person, whose dignity enables him freely to assent to the divine truth which transcends the temporal order. For this reason it "continues to exist even in those who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the truth and adhering to it."