Imposition Of Laws Based On Religios Belief..... Lets Evaluate (pray, confess, religion)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Our country's Constitution guarantees us religious freedom. If we pass laws or other legislation based on the Bible, or any other religious text, that is infringing on the Constitutional rights of citizens that don't adhere to that particular belief.
Plain and simple. Majority v. minority has no bearing.
I agree, and that's why the codification of the Christian ban on polygamy should be ruled unconstitutional.
I haven't waded through all of the responses in this thread, so forgive me if I repeat a point that has been raised already. Actually, I sincerely hope I'm not the first one to raise this particular point.
Our country's Constitution guarantees us religious freedom. If we pass laws or other legislation based on the Bible, or any other religious text, that is infringing on the Constitutional rights of citizens that don't adhere to that particular belief.
Plain and simple. Majority v. minority has no bearing.
Ok, but then what are we supposed to do? Ask everyone showing up what exactly they will be basing their vote on and if its religious, refuse to allow them to vote?
Ok, but then what are we supposed to do? Ask everyone showing up what exactly they will be basing their vote on and if its religious, refuse to allow them to vote?
Where did I advocate that? I thought this thread was about religion-based laws, not about suffrage.
Where did I advocate that? I thought this thread was about religion-based laws, not about suffrage.
Yes but it was implied that laws shouldn't be based on religious beliefs. The people who vote for and pass those laws may be doing so based on what their religious beliefs are or what they read in the Bible. My question is, how do we regulate nsuch matters.
That's what the US Supreme Court is for. If a law is based on religious beliefs, it fails to satisfy our freedom of religion and should be struck down as unconstitutional.
That's what the US Supreme Court is for. If a law is based on religious beliefs, it fails to satisfy our freedom of religion and should be struck down as unconstitutional.
Ok, but some laws may appear to be based on religious belief, but there may be other reasons to pass it.
Lets say for example there were a law on this years ballot to outlaw abortion. You have a group of ten people waiting to vote in the lobby. Some of them want to pass the law based on their religious beliefs, and some want to pass the law based on the fact that they believe abortion is murder. Is the group of people who want it passed because they believe it to be murder any more valid than those who want it passed based on religious beliefs? If so, how do you keep those who base their vote on religion from voting?
Ok, but some laws may appear to be based on religious belief, but there may be other reasons to pass it.
Lets say for example there were a law on this years ballot to outlaw abortion. You have a group of ten people waiting to vote in the lobby. Some of them want to pass the law based on their religious beliefs, and some want to pass the law based on the fact that they believe abortion is murder. Is the group of people who want it passed because they believe it to be murder any more valid than those who want it passed based on religious beliefs? If so, how do you keep those who base their vote on religion from voting?
See what I mean?
But then, the law itself has nothing to do with religion; the lawmakers simply have religious (or non-religious, as the case may be) reasons for wanting the law to be passed. We're free to vote (or not vote) as our concience dictates -- whether for religious or personal reasons, or simply because we think a purple hippopotamus named 'Henry' told us to.
Now, if the anti-abortion law were written in such a way that it specifically supported the writer's religious beliefs (for example, if the law used passages from the Bible to justify itself), that's a different matter entirely. At that point, it ceases to represent the interests of the voting bloc as a whole, and focuses solely on those voters that support and/or share the writer's opinions.
(It would also violate the Establishment Clause, but that's outside the scope of the discussion).
But then, the law itself has nothing to do with religion; the lawmakers simply have religious (or non-religious, as the case may be) reasons for wanting the law to be passed. We're free to vote (or not vote) as our concience dictates -- whether for religious or personal reasons, or simply because we think a purple hippopotamus named 'Henry' told us to.
Now, if the anti-abortion law were written in such a way that it specifically supported the writer's religious beliefs (for example, if the law used passages from the Bible to justify itself), that's a different matter entirely. At that point, it ceases to represent the interests of the voting bloc as a whole, and focuses solely on those voters that support and/or share the writer's opinions.
(It would also violate the Establishment Clause, but that's outside the scope of the discussion).
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner, folks.
This is exactly right.
Another case would be that if a law were imposed that represented a specifically religious idea or something unique to a religious belief. That would be unconstitutional.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
