Religious freedom

• Posted by Rev. Don Ray July 8, 2011 - #  - 600 views

  Religious freedom means that an individual or group can:

  Without oppression, believe, worship and witness (or practice freedom from belief, worship and witness), as they wish;
  
  Change their beliefs or religion at any time; and
  Associate with others to express their beliefs. ₁

  With the arrival of the new millennium, religious freedom seems to be gradually changing its meaning. When it is discussed in the media today, it usually refers to the freedom for an individual, clergyperson, or denomination to express condemnation, misinformation, disinformation, exclusion, denigration, oppression, and/or hatred towards other individuals or groups. Often, the right to advocate for restricted civil rights of the targeted groups is included. Most often sexual minorities are the victims: commonly referred to as LGBT (Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered persons and transsexuals.)

  In brief:

  Religious freedom used to mean freedom of belief and practice.

  In recent decades, the definition has been changing.

  It is becoming: the use of religious belief to justify hatred of others and to legitimate discrimination against them, and to urge that the others' civil rights be limited.

  Meanwhile, two main fears are increasing among some religious believers:

  • The fear that believers' denigration and oppression of others will be restricted, and
    
    
  • The fear that the believers will become regarded as bigots by the general population. Author Unknown