Mis-Using Religion

Constitutional Scholars better versed can address the upending of what for many of us was traditional first amendment jurisprudence over the past few decades.   That separation of religion and government, while frequently tested, was axiomatic.  That has changed.  Beginning with Hobby Lobby, the amount of litigation based upon religious freedom has exploded.   Religious fundamentalists have been patiently working away. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act is a cornerstone to prioritizing the religious “freedom”, no matter how ugly, over civil law. The proponents have chipped away at women and LGBTQ rights and other populations that challenge power.  

Historically the invocation of religious freedom was used to protect believers from dismantling by the state.  Likewise, communities were protected from the intrusion of unwanted religious beliefs upon their civil activities.  Flipped, religious freedom is now used to unburden believers of their duties as citizens to comply with and uphold the law.  

Those claiming religious protection disguise their claims by finding religious reasons for dismissing the human rights of non-conformists.  Every major religion has some version of “love your neighbor.” No exceptions. Perhaps love should be the test of whether a belief is valid and sincere.

Religions can bring comfort.  But when religion is used to perpetuate the oppression of others it is time to challenge the underlying religious interpretations that often ignore accuracy and disregard context. The result is oppression based on sex and sexuality. The cherry pickers of scripture should not dismantle hundreds of years of constitutional interpretation favoring human rights. The expansion of “freedom of religion” without counterbalancing “freedom from religion” offends the very notion of freedom.