Does Your Country Have Religious Freedom? Is There STILL Religious Freedom In the USA?

Question

Other Tink found a fascinating YouTube video, a PBS Frontline documentary on the history of religious freedom in the USA. The Baptists wanted their right to preach and evangelize along with the established state religion in Virginia, so they went to Thomas Jefferson.

Well, Jefferson disagreed with the Baptists on virtually everything, but he believed they had the right to have their say. So he became their champion and introduced a bill into Congress, and it passed! 

Then in the 1800's, a Catholic bishop advocated for the right of his parishioners to attend public school in New York without Protestant propaganda. The city council voted him down, so he went through the political process, asking his parishioners to vote for the liberal candidates...and so when those candidates won, laws were enacted taking Protestantism out of the schools! This was quite an event, because the USA was founded on principles of the Protestant Reformation and the Age of Reason.

The separation of church and State was thus incorporated into shaping America's identity...and that had never really been done before...do we still have that freedom? (I DO think so, hope so...we have not lost that one yet.)

Answer 1

There is religious freedom in Serbia. Majority in Serbia are Orthodox Christians. Other religious beliefs are Islam, Catholic Christianity, Protestantism, Atheism and Judaism. I don't know if how many Buddhists live in Serbia but I know they are not numerous. 

Answer 2

The radical left in the USA would like few things better than to stamp out religion entirely.

Quite in keeping with Stalin, Mao, Kim and, yes, Hitler.

Comments

O'Tink, this religion/anti-religion drama is an historical tragedy I am still pondering...the atheists often say how many people have been murdered/killed/assassinated in the name of religion...

But then once I found a website counting up the numbers killed in the name of atheism, and that number was even greater! (Not completely certain of the reliability, however, as the website was a religious one.) And when the numbers of abortions were added into those killed by atheism, well, the numbers went through the ceiling...certainly the Stalin/Mao/Kim/etc. set of dictators.

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Just a point for us to ponder; one of my Q/A correspondents pointed out that Hitler was NOT atheist. His religious leanings were not clearly understood, but I had to agree he showed some signs of believing he was God's Chosen One, carrying out the Divine Will...and he had some early "miraculous" military victories that may have enhanced his belief in himself...

Anyway, as you see I appreciated the video you found, it really fills in some pieces as I try to understand what is going on here in the USA now.

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Yes, Virginia, Hitler seemed to have believed in some kind of Providence, but he had no use for Christianity, which he considered weak and "un-German," and had long-term plans for its eradication after the war was won. It would be by natural attrition of the older population, and strict anti-religious indoctrination of the youth. 

And of course, we know what he thought of Judaism.

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I do recall, O'Tink, a famous quote from Hitler about Christianity...clearly no patience for its softness, weakness.  Here we go, turns out I was so impressed I kept a copy of it...Hitler's words...

"After the destruction of Judaism, the extinction of Christian slave morals must follow logically... We are fighting against the perversion of our soundest instincts. ...That poison with which both Jews and Christians have spoiled and soiled the free, wonderful instincts of man and lowered them to the level of doglike fright."

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Virginia, I don't recall having read that particular quote, but it shows precisely what Hitler thought, probably expressed in his table talk with other Nazis.

And you see so much arrant nonsense on the internet about Hitler being a Christian.  SMH.

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O'Tink I don't have good authentication for that quote; I believe it was passed along to me in another Internet Q/A discussion. I held onto it because, like you, I find it compatible with what I know of Hitler.

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This website cites the following reference:

3. Armin Robinson, ed., "The Ten Commandments: Ten Short Novels of Hitler's War Against the Moral Code", with a preface by Herman Rauschning, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1943.

http://www.provethebible.net/T2-Objec/G-0101.htmp. ix

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So the quote is (very likely) authentic, then! Anyway, I have added that link to source my notes, ty!

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Dear Kninjanin,

Your answer brings my heart joy. I am so glad!

Answer 3

I am afraid that there are limits to religious freedom, as soon as certain religious groups or sects and their representatives are trying to take control, interfering with a reasonable approach to faith, principles and individual consciences, violating civil and human rights, spreading intolerance, hate and conflicts and hurting this very "religious freedom". The same applies to doctrines and secular "currents".

Comments

Marianne, I am interested, if you have looked into this...what do you consider the state of religious freedom in Switzerland? Or other parts of Europe? And, do you have any sense of how Switzerland/Europe situation might compare to religious freedom in the USA?

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Yes, Virginia, there is much controversy regarding "religious freedom" and its interference with common principles, values and laws - whether here, in Europe, on your side, or worldwide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_by_country

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion#/media/File:Religiousfreedom.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations

Religious conflicts, fanatism, controversed beliefs, oppression and more or less abusive practices and interpretations have been and still are omnipresent in all the cultures and civilisations. If we look into history, many good principles, ideals and efforts, situations and circumstances were regularly distorted and misused.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalism

And many groups were and still are systematically abusing of their religious "freedom", which restricts and violates essential rights of individuals and groups - especially of the most vulnerable people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_intolerance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_violence