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trotsky

(49,533 posts)
Wed Jul 31, 2019, 04:26 PM Jul 2019

Our Unalienable Rights Include Freedom of, and from, Religion

https://msmagazine.com/2019/07/30/our-unalienable-rights-include-freedom-of-and-from-religion/

...Natural law, supposedly, derives from objective moral laws that arise from the “universal nature of human beings,” which is created by God. Natural rights are those related rights that are inherent in human nature and given by God—which means that this new Commission rests on the assumption that the framework of international human rights that has evolved over the past few decades exceeds natural law and natural rights.

By narrowing rights to natural law and natural rights, the Commission can remake the official view of human rights into a contracted reflection of a particular conservative religious stance. Within a framework of natural law as envisioned by the Commission, gay sex, abortion and contraception may be morally wrong; thus, no right to them can exist. Socio-economic rights may not exist either, nor the right to request asylum. The Commission’s findings may also decrease the likelihood of the U.S. speaking out on LGBTQ human rights abuses, such as we’re seeing in Poland, around the world.

...A pluralistic secular democracy cannot impose old standards of homogeneity—not that the U.S. was ever homogenous, nor was it ever a Christian nation. Religious freedom has always meant that we have to live together and respect one another within a context of a shared value of public spirit.

...Seeking a return to natural law and natural rights, as defined by conservative Christians, is not an act of supporting religious liberty; rather, it is the opposite. It is an attempt to impose the belief system of a narrow faction of one religion on a pluralistic U.S. public and the rest of the world. This Commission is a dangerous enterprise that threatens human rights progress and perverts the notion of religious liberty for political gain.


"Natural law" is old, putrid, Catholic theology and no human being should be forced to abide by it.
12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Our Unalienable Rights Include Freedom of, and from, Religion (Original Post) trotsky Jul 2019 OP
Hallelujah! Raster Jul 2019 #1
Supernatural Rights Cartoonist Jul 2019 #2
To the zealots, religious freedom means the freedom to discriminate on the basis of religion Major Nikon Jul 2019 #3
In theory, the US Constitution guarantees this. guillaumeb Jul 2019 #4
And religion threatens it. trotsky Aug 2019 #5
Nah, that's just "human nature" Major Nikon Aug 2019 #7
"Religion" does not threaten anything. guillaumeb Aug 2019 #8
People who have religion do. trotsky Aug 2019 #9
Some theists are intolerant. guillaumeb Aug 2019 #10
Are there ANY passages in ANY holy books that don't teach tolerance? trotsky Aug 2019 #11
Ok, stop. Act_of_Reparation Aug 2019 #12
And the Republicans want to take it away. MineralMan Aug 2019 #6

Major Nikon

(36,818 posts)
3. To the zealots, religious freedom means the freedom to discriminate on the basis of religion
Wed Jul 31, 2019, 07:24 PM
Jul 2019

It's the embodiment of the paradox of tolerance Karl Popper warned us about.

Major Nikon

(36,818 posts)
7. Nah, that's just "human nature"
Thu Aug 1, 2019, 09:26 AM
Aug 2019

Religion can’t be blamed for that even though religion builds coalitions, lobbies directly, and finances the efforts to insure that happens.

Now if you wanna talk about something benevolent, then we can thank religion for that whether or not it had anything to do with it.

Funny how that works.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
9. People who have religion do.
Wed Aug 7, 2019, 02:31 PM
Aug 2019

They're the ones who don't want us to have freedom FROM religion.

Do try and keep up.

I am well aware you believe that religion is never, EVER responsible for motivating anyone to do anything bad. You've made that perfectly clear. You are, of course, united in that belief with some of the worst theists the planet has seen, but you are welcome to believe it anyway.

guillaumeb

(42,641 posts)
10. Some theists are intolerant.
Wed Aug 7, 2019, 03:00 PM
Aug 2019

Do you really think that theists are, or should be, immune to a human behavioral characteristic?

As to your last attempt at misframing, it fails to convince here.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
11. Are there ANY passages in ANY holy books that don't teach tolerance?
Wed Aug 7, 2019, 05:10 PM
Aug 2019

There's your answer. The misframing is ALL YOURS, as usual.

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