Religious Freedom

I find it interesting that the only ones who are truly interested in supporting true religious freedom are those who are generally classified as irreligious by most established religions.  That does not mean that they are irreligious but that they do not conform to the teachings of any specific religious doctrine, church, synagogue, mosque, etc. 

This is because those who are involved are not interested in religious freedom at all.  In fact, they are generally interested in quite the opposite.  In America the most often touted example are the Pilgrims who supposedly came to the New World because they were seeking religious freedom.  In fact, that is not the case at all.  They came to the New World seeking freedom to practice their religion without persecution.  That did not keep them from persecuting others who disagreed with them, sometimes quite violently.  In fact, Rhode Island was established when Roger Williams was banished from the Massachusetts Colony for advocating religious tolerance in 1636, less than 16 years after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.  So much for religious freedom.

I can go on and on throughout history and the examples abound.  There are so many examples that I cannot even give a good accounting of them so I will give examples of religious intolerance that I can name off the top of my head.  Most of them will be Christian as I am from the Western World but that does not mean that this is representative of the whole.

1. The Catholic Church wiping out the Cathars, another Christian sect, in the Albigensian Crusade in 1229.  Their crime: not being Catholic.
2. Speaking of Crusades, let us talk about the Eastern Crusades.  There were others but when most people hear the word Crusades they think about the Catholic Church sponsored Crusades against the Muslims in the Holy Land between 1096 and 1271.  Their crime: being Muslim and being in control of the Holy Land.  Special problem: Crusaders were not very discriminated at times; they were known to kill off Christians if they did not dress like Europeans and acted “too Eastern”.  Special problem 2:  during the Children’s Crusades most of the children died along the way and the ones who did not were sold into slavery before they reached their destination.
3. Catholics and Protestants killing each other in England merely because the other was a Catholic or Protestant.  This lasted for years.  Particularly prevalent during the reigns of Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth I, and King James I. 
4. Catholic and Protestant killing happening in Ireland to this day.
5. Beatings and expulsions of Quakers up and down the Eastern seaboard in the 1700’s because they were different.
6. Beatings, expulsions, and killings of Mormons in the 1800’s because they were different.
7. Sunni and Shiite Muslims fighting amongst themselves because of doctrinal differences.
8. While we are at it; Muslims fighting Holy Wars against Christians and Jews despite being “People of the Book”.  Go Figure.

Those are just a few examples of religious intolerance.  I could name more quite easily.  From the Church on the corner who says they have the “only” answer and that all others are wrong to the televangelist that brings the Wrath of God down on anyone who disagrees with his vision. 

That is why America is unique in the world.  We have religious freedom.  That includes the freedom not to practice a religion.  That includes to freedom to practice any religion you want to.  Moreover, all of it is protected by the Constitution.  No Church, Synagogue, Mosque, or whatever will every insure that.  In case of point, they will probably do what they can to keep religion freedom from happening.  We need government to insure our religious freedom, not a Church.