Religious Liberty is For People, Not Governments

[rug]

Taking Liberties: Why Religious Freedom Doesn't Give You the Right to Tell Other People What to Do
by Robert Boston
Prometheus Books , 2014

March 10, 2014
By Robert Boston

What inspired you to write Taking Liberties? What sparked your interest?

Two stories that have been in the news lately inspired me to write this book. One is the ongoing fight in the courts over the “contraceptive mandate” of the Affordable Care Act. The owners of secular companies—firms that have nothing to do with religion—are making the argument, often successfully in court, that their personal religious objection to birth control means they can deny the people who work for them access to it through health-care plans.

This struck me as bizarre. How does one person’s decision to use birth control possibly affect someone else’s religious liberty? When did religious freedom, something that is usually thought of as an individual right, suddenly become a collective freedom to be enjoyed by for-profit corporations? And since when do our private decisions about medical care become subject to someone else’s religious veto?

The second incident was the spread of same-sex marriage in the states. I heard all manner of strange claims being made—for example, that gay couples would somehow win the power to force churches to perform their wedding ceremonies. At the same time, owners of bed and breakfasts, bakeries and photography studios were insisting that “religious freedom” gives them the right to refuse service to entire classes of people. This sounds like the new segregation to me. I thought the time was right to remind people what religious freedom really is so they don’t accept this weird substitute being passed off by the far right.

http://www.religiondispatches.org/books/rd10q/7590/religious_liberty_is_for_people__not_governments/

[BillE]

1. I agree

A persons religion is personal and they should follow the tenets as they see fit as long as it doesn't affect others who do not want to be apart of it. Government, Corp., non profits, and other groups that serve the public shouldn't be able to force others to comply with their religious rules.

[rug]

2. This is the fall-out from Citizens United giving corporations free speech rights.

Welcome to the Religion Group!

[BillE]

3. Yeah, I am aware that

I am more pissed at the supreme court for their Corporate and religion favoring decisions. Thanks for the welcome, I am a big fan of religion group. Just don't post much.