Here we are on the cusp of of the year 2010. Most of the notable social prejudices of the 20th Century have been outlawed or at the least are in a back pedal motion as the majority of society sees the err or their ways. Almost all groups that is except for a minority (a more prevalent minority than any of us realizes): Atheists.
Religious freedom apparently isn’t truly free in Asheville North Carolina where Cecil Bothwell was asked to step down from his publicly elected office because he does not believe in the Almighty.
I have to laugh or else I’ll cry because I live in a sci-fi world of the Dark Ages. I thought Religious Freedom was one of the mandates upon which the United States of America was founded.
I said to a friend yesterday:
“I’m so confused about one of the Constitutional rights… what does ‘Freedom of Religion’ mean?”
And he responded saying:
“It means freedom for the dominant religion to decide what freedom means.”
This case will likely go in favor of Bothwell, but I think it could make for a very interesting legal direction if the case goes towards allowing religious faith to become a privacy matter. Akin to medical knowledge of a person.
It may become unconstitutional to compel someone to publicly announce their religious faith (or lack thereof). In a certain sense it would be the best way to protect people from faith based discrimination. There are faith haters out there for every type of faith there is: Buddhists hated, Hindus, Evangelical Christians, the list goes on and on for those hated for their beliefs. In fact, every religion has haters. Even those people who have no religion.
In our sci-fi accelerated society of pocket computers, women that vote, gays that marry, it seems off putting to say the least that we have such a Dark Ages rule lingering in as many as 7 of our states’ constitutions…
Source: http://bit.ly/atheist-leave
“Critics of Cecil Bothwell cite N.C. bar to atheists” by Jordan Schrader • December 8, 2009
