Separation of religion and government

earth_as_one

earth_as_one

Time Out
Jan 5, 2006
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Religious based governments are a threat to personal freedoms and democracy. Those who have the state sanctioned religion automatically have more rights than those that don't.

Please feel free to disagree with the above statement or share your opinion regarding a state you believe gives unfair advantages for members of one religious group over another and why you feel that way?

I'll go first:

Vatican City
Technically VC is a religious dictatorship. Citizenship is by appointment only. I approve of their obvious international charitable work. The Vatican's religious tolerance has improved and their international influence has waned, I'm fairly neutral regarding the Vatican.

Feel free to disagree with my opinion of the Vatican and explain why.

Can anyone suggest other states where adherents to one religion have special rights and privileges?
 
petros

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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Did the Jo Hos drop off the Watchtower at your house too? The May edition topic is : Religion and Politic, Should They Mix? Coincidence?
 
CDNBear

CDNBear

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Sep 24, 2006
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Many Islamic nations, where heterosexual males, enjoy the special right of abusing the rights of women, homosexuals, and other religions.

Whether there are laws legalizing it, or forbidding it, it happens, and the authorities oft look the other way.
 
petros

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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It's like driving through Mexico with kids looking at with a look of "pleeeeease get me the hell out of here" in their eyes.
 
skookumchuck

skookumchuck

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Jan 19, 2012
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Oddly, many of those who wish to remove all religion from western politics seem to embrace regimes where religion IS politics, eg the middle east. That line of reasoning makes me curious.
I am not religious but i am tolerant of moderate faiths. Humanity will not change it's normal penchant for climbing to the top, that is what makes us progress and this century's anti religion direction is itself a form of religion.
 
Machjo

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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earth_as_one said:
Religious based governments are a threat to personal freedoms and democracy. Those who have the state sanctioned religion automatically have more rights than those that don't.

Please feel free to disagree with the above statement or share your opinion regarding a state you believe gives unfair advantages for members of one religious group over another and why you feel that way?

I'll go first:

Vatican City
Technically VC is a religious dictatorship. Citizenship is by appointment only. I approve of their obvious international charitable work. The Vatican's religious tolerance has improved and their international influence has waned, I'm fairly neutral regarding the Vatican.

Feel free to disagree with my opinion of the Vatican and explain why.

Can anyone suggest other states where adherents to one religion have special rights and privileges?
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I could agree with you in principle.

However, consider that without exception:

1. all adult residents of the Vatican are Catholic,
2. any non-Catholic is there only to visit,
3. anyone who should be born there would still be granted citizenship in the country of his parents, so essentially there can be no non-Catholic resident at the vatican.

For these reasons, I see no issue with the Vatican having a Catholic government.

Now, if there could be non-Catholic residents there that would be a different matter, but it isn't so it's a non-issue.

CDNBear said:
Many Islamic nations, where heterosexual males, enjoy the special right of abusing the rights of women, homosexuals, and other religions.

Whether there are laws legalizing it, or forbidding it, it happens, and the authorities oft look the other way.
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Just because Jonny's bad, it doesn't mean we have to follow his lead.
 
Machjo

Machjo

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Oct 19, 2004
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CDNBear said:
Can you apply a little context to that for me bud.
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Just because some country abroad suppresses religious freedom does not mean we must. We should learn from foreign countries' good ideas, but should not copy bad examples from abroad.
 
WLDB

WLDB

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Jun 24, 2011
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skookumchuck said:
Oddly, many of those who wish to remove all religion from western politics seem to embrace regimes where religion IS politics, eg the middle east. Humanity will not change it's normal penchant for climbing to the top, that is what makes us progress and this century's anti religion direction is itself a form of religion.
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I wouldnt embrace any of those countries.

Also the anti-religion direction does not fit the definition of religion. Well, unless you go with a very loose definition in which every belief qualifies as a religious one.
 
Machjo

Machjo

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Oct 19, 2004
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CDNBear said:
Many Islamic nations, where heterosexual males, enjoy the special right of abusing the rights of women, homosexuals, and other religions.

Whether there are laws legalizing it, or forbidding it, it happens, and the authorities oft look the other way.
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Sorry, maybe I misunderstood yo9ur intent. I got the impression this post was meant to suggest that we should ignore violations from those countries committing minor violations because other countries are committing worse ones.

If that's not what you meant, then my bad.
 
CDNBear

CDNBear

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Sep 24, 2006
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Machjo said:
Sorry, maybe I misunderstood yo9ur intent. I got the impression this post was meant to suggest that we should ignore violations from those countries committing minor violations because other countries are committing worse ones.

If that's not what you meant, then my bad.
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No it wasn't what I meant. I was just answering EAO's question.

Can anyone suggest other states where adherents to one religion have special rights and privileges?

No worries bud, it's all good.
 
Machjo

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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CDNBear said:
Indeed.

Even Canada, to a limited extent... ;-)
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Indeed.

Honestly though, I'm more concenred with what goes on where I live than abroad.

yes, i don concern myself with foreign issues too, just to a lesser degree. So to be criticizing foreign countries while Canada has some work to do at home seems silly.

Let's clean our own yard first then worry about the rest later.

Yes let's help the rest, but only after setting our affairs in order first.
 
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