What is the freedom of religion?

Question

Does it mean that anything you believe your religion requires you to do you should have the legal right to do?

Even if you think your religion requires you to:

Crash planes into buildings.

Smoke peyote.

Not fill pharmacy prescriptions.

Discriminate.

Not pay federal income tax.

Marry underage children.

Decide what medical care your children get.

Blowing up abortion clinics.

Human sacrifice.

Obviously, the freedom of religion doesn't give you the right to do much of the above.

So what special rights does the freedom of religion give people **besides what they already have**? (Speech, Assembly, etc.)

Answer 1

How about Freedom of Speech. It's funny how most Americans think they have freedom of speech because they can walk down the street and say ****. Wow powerful freedom there. Try going to the White House and telling your leaders what you think, then you will see you do not have many freedoms at all.

Answer 2

Freedom of religon gives you the right to practice your religon with out the government watching your every move. As long as you dont hurt another human or animal the government shouldnt get in your business.

Answer 3

Every right comes with responsibilities.  Freedom of speech doesn't mean you have the right to target children in cigarette advertising, or to break obscenity laws, or to advocate the violent overthrow of the US, or to slander or libel.  ALL freedoms are like that, they have limits.

Freedom of religion means simply that the government doesn't have the right to pass laws that interfere with the (lawful) exercise or observation of religion, and government can't endorse or favor one religion over another.  It does not mean that your religion allows you to molest children, murder innocent people, etc.  Some exceptions to laws have been made for relatively minor things.

There is an argument I see all around today that basically goes like this:  If none of our freedoms are absolute, then why do we even have freedoms?  We'd be better off without them altogether.  That sounds like a pretty dumb argument to me.

Answer 4

Yes you are free to do as you please. Its a choice. Not the right or moral thing to do, but whom am i to judge you especially when sin is sin and there is no sin that is greater than another. But your God will judge you that is not if he does its when he does.  

Answer 5

Freedom of religion means that the government can't pass laws that specifically restrict  or favour the religious practices of an individual.  

This doesn't  provide religious exemption to people for laws that apply to everyone.

For instance, banning the consumption of human flesh applies to everyone, but banning the consumption of pork would favour Jews and Muslims, while banning the consumption of beef would favour hindus.

Answer 6

freedom of religion is to believe whatever we want not to do whatever we want. then the laws we have would be in vain.  

Answer 7

All of our freedoms are limited.  Freedom of religion is the ability to practice any faith you choose so long as it does not interfere with the rights of others.  We would agree that everyone has an inherent right not to be discriminated against or randomly killed in a bombing.

Answer 8

It means the "President of the US", can be a "bible thumping"," "religion soaked", "holy roller", even though, "A separation of church and state" apply to all other "government entities".

Go figure.

PS. Its one of the ONLY jobs I can think of, that, requires NO experience.

Answer 9

you even hav the freedom to ask stupid questions like this.now thats my freedom to answer.

Answer 10

wow, what kind of religion requires you to

Crash planes into buildings.

Smoke peyote.

Not fill pharmacy prescriptions.

Discriminate.

Not pay federal income tax.

Marry underage children.

Decide what medical care your children get.

Blowing up abortion clinics.

Human sacrifice.

hmmm, crazy world these days.

Answer 11

No, that is not what it means.

Answer 12

You are free to believe in whatever afterlife fantasy you wish. After that you must obey the laws of the nation or be prosecuted.

Answer 13

Actually, you can do most of the above.

You may not kill people, so you can't crash a plane into a building, or human sacrifice. Churches may discriminate to a large degree. They cannot marry underage children without parental permission.

So you can:

Smoke peyote.

Not fill pharmacy prescriptions

Decide what medical care your children can get.

Most everything else is illegal because it affects other people. You'll never get away with no income tax.

So freedom of religion means you cannot be forced to participate in a religion by the state. You can practice any recognized religion you choose without fear of discrimination by the government. That's a big thing because if it were left up to some people we wouldn't have mosques or Mormon temples.