You really need to lose that urge to trot out the straw guys. There is a reason it is considered intellectually dishonest to use them.
It is amazing to me that you equate pointing out that Christians have certain privileges that no one else in this country has to bashing them. That is pretty arrogant to assume that your position cannot even be questioned. And, to top it off, you accuse me of using a double standard.
I don't have anything against exercising first amendment rights. I do have a problem if that is used as an excuse to imposing your beliefs on others. And to demand exemptions just because you have chosen to interpret your Bible in novel ways. Take abortion. Jesus never spoke on the issue, even though it was common at the time. Opposition to abortions became doctrine through the Catholic Church and has no biblical basis. Or being anti-homosexual. In the Bible, Jesus never commented, despite the fact that the Jews of the time were virulently anti-gay. However, given that he pushed the idea that all living things created by God were to be cherished, and homosexuals were created by God, I don't think he was down with having them killed. Pretty sure if it in fact.
Yet some fringe Christians demand the right to deny others access to certain birth control methods based on their scientifically unfounded opinions that they cause abortions. Others demand the right to discriminate against LGBT employees. That prejudiced view is not supported in the Bible either. But, you at least are fine with the former. Both of these are the result of people adding extra things to their faith, not all Christians agree with them. So you are saying that if you incorporate something else into your faith that gives you the right to ignore laws that address those adders. Followers of David Koresh should be allowed to screw little girls, for example.
What to do about that? Their beliefs are sincerely held. There are Christian sects that are ok with beating children with rods no more wider than their thumbs. You can kill a kid like that. But, by the standard you advocate, that would be legal because any law that blocked that would be unconstitutional. Human sacrifice is still part of some religions in Africa and other places.
So, do all religions have equal footing? If not, who decides what is legitimate and what isn't? And what criteria is used to determine legitimacy? |
