Liberals: This kind of ties in with the abortion issue. See, most liberals (as I said earlier) aren’t pro-abortion. And the best way to lower abortion rates is to increase the accessibility and availability of birth control. Even if some liberals might oppose some methods of birth control, they don’t mandate that other people must be restricted from using them. Again, liberals support the right for Americans to choose for themselves. And being that for many women birth control is an actual health issue, not just a way to help prevent unplanned pregnancies, it’s vital that health care plans offer access to these contraceptives. For liberals it’s about people having the choice to choose for themselves. If people want to use them, great, they have the freedom to do so. If some people object to contraceptives, that’s fine too, they don’t have to use them.
Conservatives: Many conservatives oppose birth control. They believe it’s against their religion. If it were up to many of them they’d do as much as they could to limit and restrict access to all forms of contraceptives. Even in the Hobby Lobby case, one business owner argued that their business should have the right to deny thousands of women the choice of birth control methods based on their religious beliefs. By winning that case, one person’s religious beliefs are now being forced on thousands of women who might not share them.
4. Prayer in School
Liberals: This one is pretty simple – keep religion out of public school. If some students want to personally pray while they’re in class, they’re more than free to do so silently to themselves. I know I did. But guess what, nobody ever knew. Because I kept it to myself. Religion has no place in a place of public education. No one is saying people can’t pray to themselves in class, we’re just saying public schools shouldn’t promote or organize religious prayers or events. That way nobody is forced to observe the religious practices of religions in which they do not believe.
Conservatives: Many conservatives believe that public school should include religion. Heck, many believe that creationism should be taught alongside evolution. They also often support organized prayer in school (Christian of course). If conservatives had their way millions of American students in public school would be forced to observe religious practices that they do not follow. The right to freedom from religion for those students (and parents) who don’t want themselves or their children subjected to religions that they don’t follow or believe in would be violated.
5. Freedom of Religion in General
Liberals: For liberals, it’s pretty simple. If you want to believe in a particular religion, you’re free to do so – privately. People can go to church 7 days a week if they want to and read the Bible every single day. People can believe in whatever religion they want. If people chose to not believe in any kind of religion at all, that’s perfectly alright too. The issue is that every American is free to live their personal lives as religiously, or as detached from religion, as they want. If someone believes that all homosexuals are going against God, that’s their right to personally feel that way. Just don’t try to tell others they have to share that particular view. In the liberal world, every American gets to choose for themselves. In the liberal world every single religion is viewed equally and not one single American would be forced to follow laws based on a religion in which they do not believe.
Conservatives: Many believe that this country was founded, and should be based on, Christianity. They want laws to written from scripture. To them our First Amendment only applies to Christian Americans and not Americans who follow other religions or don’t follow any religion at all. Many conservatives believe that denying them their right to impose their religion on others violates their rights – yet they don’t seem to believe that others who don’t share their same religious views should be given any kind of religious rights. Under their ideology, one religion would rule over 330 million people.
Notice the difference? When it comes to “religious freedoms” and conservatives, it’s all about them forcing their views on others. When it comes to liberals, it’s all about keeping religion private and out of government so that not one single American is forced to adhere to laws based on a religion they don’t follow.
So, while conservatives go on and on about “religious freedom” what they really mean is their “right” to have one religion ruling over 330 million Americans. When it comes to liberals, it’s about actual freedom. It’s about letting every American decided for themselves what religion (if any) that they’ll follow.
Because true “religious freedom” is about letting every individual decide for themselves whether or not they’ll follow a particular religion. It’s not about telling millions of Americans that they must adhere to the rules set by a certain religion whether they believe in it or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment