Religious Freedom

 

Now. here's a topic that can make everyone mad! That's not the goal. 

In recent times, religious freedom has come to mean "I have the religious freedom to impose my religion on my employees and or customers." No birth control coverage for people working in Catholic charities, remember? "I'm not gonna make a wedding cake for a gay couple." Now, for a select few, it means I don't have to get a vaccine to protect myself or community because vaccines are against my religion. These are the same people crying religious persecution as synagogs are defaced with nazi symbols, mosques are vandalized and African-American churches are burned to the ground. The freedom to hate seems to be a longe running theme also. Hatred of other religions, other nationalities / races, nonbelievers and anyone in the LGBQ community are common among nationalistic, conservative christians. It is a form of dehumanization. It is very dangerous and not what our country is about.

The people who started this circus known as the United States of America knew the perils of mixing government and religion. They decided that the government here should stay out of the religion business all together. It's there in the Bill of Rights for all to see. Here's a little from the ACLU. The church / state wall held strong until Nixon's Southern Strategy. We have been on a path towards a one party ruled state dominated by huge corporate interests along with Christian Nationalist types ever since. Trump came close but proved too inept to pull it off. Don't worry, he will not be the last to try. I think this is our biggest threat after climate change induced collapse. A dictator type here will have the power to destroy the entire world many times over. All that stands between us and this disturbing view of the future is a weak Joe Biden, a Democratic Party ran by so-called centrists and you and me. Forgive me, but I have little faith in the first two. That leaves us. Let me give you my take on religious freedom. Try not to let the fact that I'm a practicing agnostic fuck you up. Hear me out.        

The government should not be involved in promoting one religion over another, much less establishing some kind of official state religion. I don't know about you but countries that do have an official state religion are not too high on my places to visit list. Cutting off limbs, heads and female genital mutilation have no place in a modern free state, nor does witch burning, executing gays or Atheists. Living here, I've been fortunate to welcome and learn from Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and other lesser known religious people here in my own home. None had to worry about a police (or other force) knocking on the door. It is one of the most magical things about living here in the USA. We can take our own path to the spiritual life or not.