Religious Freedom

Freedom of religion applies to all of us. To believe in one or many or no gods is a basic human right. A common misconception is that non-believers are a threat to religious faith, although I'm not sure how historically that has been the case. From my research, it's most often being one group of believers trying to convert or eliminate another group of believers, or a government entity trying to eliminate all religious beliefs. 

The secularists want to keep religion out of government for the good of all people. To have a state mandated religion harms everyone. When the majority's religious doctrines worm their way into the law of the land, how easy will it be for the next majority to enforce their belief system on you? For instance, Nepal had been a Hindi monarchy until about 10yrs ago when the monarchy was abolished in 2008, after the country was declared a secular republic in 2007. As a new "republic", the official government stance still strongly associates and identifies with the Hindu religion. A new criminal code took effect in August 2017 that includes more provisions against discrimination, in its attempt to move towards a more secular government. This Christian piece makes several valid points, but fails to recognize that its belief mandate to proselytize and convert stops at the point where another's belief to be left alone begins. The writer somehow fails to see that, stating "Jehovah's Witnesses are known for going from door to door as part of their relatively aggressive proselytization, but no one has to open their door or chat to them unless they do so of their own volition." Mind you, this writer isn't even a resident, but a tourist demanding government policy changes in a country not even his own. The hypocrisy astounds me! Freedom of religion includes Freedom from religion. 

This U.K. organization post discusses in more detail the challenges facing believers of minority views, and how the secularists are trying to help. 

“Now, the invention of the scientific method and science is, I'm sure we'll all agree, the most powerful intellectual idea, the most powerful framework for thinking and investigating and understanding and challenging the world around us that there is, and that it rests on the premise that any idea is there to be attacked and if it withstands the attack then it lives to fight another day and if it doesn't withstand the attack then down it goes. Religion doesn't seem to work like that; it has certain ideas at the heart of it which we call sacred or holy or whatever. That's an idea we're so familiar with, whether we subscribe to it or not, that it's kind of odd to think what it actually means, because really what it means is 'Here is an idea or a notion that you're not allowed to say anything bad about; [you're not allowed to question;] you're just not. Why not? - because you're not!” -- Douglas Adams