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ReligionAndBeliefs 4 - 17 May 2010 - Main.CourtneySmith
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| | In one of my classes last week, someone asked “how do we tell the difference between religion and a regular belief?” This question gets to the heart of something I’ve thought about a lot – why do we accord special protection to beliefs we deem “religious” but not to other, secular beliefs?
As someone who is not religious, tends to be skeptical of religion in general, but also tries to remain open-minded, I find it frustrating when religious beliefs are given immunity or sanctity above other beliefs. I realize the importance of freedom to believe, and of having state-supported rights to associate based on belief, and of knowing that you will not be persecuted for religion. However, I think that having strictly “religious” freedom might be illogical and underinclusive. | | | Hi John- I guess that my overstatement of "freedom of religion" comes from the way that I've been used to hearing about religious issues come up in the way we commonly talk about them. Maybe that speaks to the way the Constitution has been interpreted over the years, and the special place religion has in first amendment social and political discourse. Even if nothing mentions what constitutes religion in the Constitution itself, I think it's fair to say that some beliefs seem to be accorded a certain sanctity that others are not. That's my impression, at least. In any case, I of course understand why reactions to criticism of religion are extremely heated, passionate, and emotional, and hope I didn't suggest otherwise.
-- JessicaHallett - 13 May 2010 | |
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My Con Law class didn't spend much (any?) time on religion (and obviously no one in this class was in the First Amendment elective-- too bad, or we could get them to weigh in!), but John's right that the constitution doesn't protect religious BELIEF, merely the right to practice (free exercise). I see where your overall impression comes from though. I've been thinking about law and religion lately in the Supreme Court nomination context (given the fact that people still seem to care about the justices' religions). I wonder how many people in political life are closet atheists?
-- CourtneySmith - 17 May 2010 | | | |
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