Some recent events in the U.S., mainly the supreme court decision to allow some companies to deny birth control claims on health care insurance on religious grounds has made me believe that we need a review session on what religious freedom means under the Constitution of the United States of America.
The 1st amendment to the constitution of the United States of America says the following: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Notice how the first sentence explicitly prohibits the creation of a law "respecting an establishment of religion" or "prohibiting the free exercise thereof". In other words no law can be made that makes ME conform to YOUR religious standards and no law can be made to make YOU conform to MY religious standards regardless of what those religious standards come from, be it Islam, Judaism, Satanism, Christianity, Atheism, or any other religious belief system.
Now, to put this in some context of recent events. The recent ruling of the supreme court that Hobby Lobby, or another "closely held", "religious" corporation can decide not to supply birth control to its employees because they deem that it goes against their, the owners, religious views. Going with the logic of the first amendment this decision is saying that closely held corporations can be treated as people with religious freedom, and because they control health care coverage for their employees, they can decline to pay for certain services because it violates their religious freedom. Tell me how a corporation having religious freedom makes sense. You can't, because it doesn't. Corporations are not people, no matter how convenient it makes your business endeavors.
I think that religious freedom is one of the best things about the U.S. It means that I can practice or abstain from religion in whatever way I see fit given that it will not effect my life, or anyone else's life, in any significant fashion. For example, if I don't want to take birth control, I DON'T HAVE TO TAKE IT. If I don't want an abortion I DON'T HAVE TO GET ONE. If I don't want to go to a mosque, or a synagogue, or a church, I DON'T HAVE TO. No one is forcing me to, I have the right to not participate in those aspects of society based on my own convictions. But, I am also guaranteed the right to participate in those aspects of society, as long as I am not negatively affecting anyone else. I am not allowed to encroach on other citizens freedoms by forcing them to adhere to my religious standards. Neither I nor congress shall make a law respecting an establishment of religion.
This country was colonized by people searching for one thing: and end to religious persecution, but now we have people who are trying to "uphold traditional American values" by pushing their Judeo-christian religious values on the rest of the country. The irony would be great if it wasn't effecting so many lives. Uphold the constitution and use it as a shield to protect the weak and enable everyone to live their lives the way they see fit without harming other people. It's not a hard concept to grasp, folks.
