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In reply to the discussion: Atheists starting godless churches [View all]Zorra
(27,670 posts)20. Using Religion to Discriminate
If I join, will I be able to discriminate against religious bigots like they discriminate against me? "Oh, sorry...I see you are a RW fundy, can't sell you any Oxycontin and valium because my atheist church beliefs forbid me to sell drugs to known bigots."
Using Religion to Discriminate
With increasing frequency, we are seeing individuals and institutions claiming a right to discriminate by refusing to provide services to women and LGBT people based on religious objections. The discrimination takes many forms, including:
snip---
Instances of institutions and individuals claiming a right to discriminate in the name of religion arent new. In the 1960s, we saw institutions object to laws requiring integration in restaurants because of sincerely held beliefs that God wanted the races to be separate. We saw religiously affiliated universities refuse to admit students who engaged in interracial dating. In those cases, we recognized that requiring integration was not about violating religious liberty; it was about ensuring fairness. It is no different today.
Religious freedom in America means that we all have a right to our religious beliefs, but this does not give us the right to use our religion to discriminate against and impose those beliefs on others who do not share them.
Through litigation, advocacy and public education, the ACLU works to defend religious liberty and to ensure that no one is either discriminated against nor denied services because of someone elses religious beliefs.
With increasing frequency, we are seeing individuals and institutions claiming a right to discriminate by refusing to provide services to women and LGBT people based on religious objections. The discrimination takes many forms, including:
snip---
Instances of institutions and individuals claiming a right to discriminate in the name of religion arent new. In the 1960s, we saw institutions object to laws requiring integration in restaurants because of sincerely held beliefs that God wanted the races to be separate. We saw religiously affiliated universities refuse to admit students who engaged in interracial dating. In those cases, we recognized that requiring integration was not about violating religious liberty; it was about ensuring fairness. It is no different today.
Religious freedom in America means that we all have a right to our religious beliefs, but this does not give us the right to use our religion to discriminate against and impose those beliefs on others who do not share them.
Through litigation, advocacy and public education, the ACLU works to defend religious liberty and to ensure that no one is either discriminated against nor denied services because of someone elses religious beliefs.
(Just kidding about wanting to discriminate against religious haters; I would never stoop to anywhere near their pathetic level of ignorance and hate)
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As an atheist-leaning agnostic I saw Unitarian congregations as intellectually incoherent.
HereSince1628
Nov 2013
#22
Except that they don't. The media does. The organizers call it an assembly.
Luminous Animal
Nov 2013
#70
Everyone has a "World View". Everyone has philosophical frameworks. Everyone.
KittyWampus
Nov 2013
#64
Organized Atheists for the Non-heretical Heretic. What would you name the locations
NightWatcher
Nov 2013
#35
My wife and I went to the North Texas Church of Freethought a few times back in the 90s
derby378
Nov 2013
#38
Otherwise known as a "gathering of people." NOT a "church" and NOT a "sermon."
WinkyDink
Nov 2013
#42
The assemblies actually don't qualify for the definition of mega anything.
Luminous Animal
Nov 2013
#59