<p>I’m not in favor of our country adhering to all laws of the world, but one could possibly conceive of some basic laws to follow. Ironically, these laws would also be found in many major world religions as they would address ideas such as murder, stealing, lying under oath. Religion is part of the human condition, and virtually every civilization has also adopted some sort of belief system. I don’t think anyone can decree “no religions”, and don’t think it’s wise to do so, personally.</p>
<p>So where has religion ( or the outlawing of it or certain ones) gone awry? When it has been inseparable from leaders who have used it to seek power or control over others. Religion, when adopted as a personal belief, or community values, can work quite well. Religion is the basis of human rights and human rights movements, because all of them are based on the concept that each and every one of us is unique with inherent rights- which many advocates describe as God given rights. This religious principle is what MLK Jr based his civil rights campaign on. Where religion goes wrong is where a leader takes power and control by establishing his interpretation of religion as the law of the land. IMHO, religion isn’t the problem. People distorting it are, and if they didn’t have religion, they would distort something else like the Nazis distorted eugenics.</p>
<p>Our country took a step in the direction of religious freedom when it separated religious law from the law of the land. For instance, one can practice religious laws up to the point that it violates the secular law. The ancient practice of human sacrifice would be illegal here, even if someone wanted to believe it, but other laws, like not eating pork are acceptable because it doesn’t break any laws, even if others don’t agree with that.</p>
<p>One problem we have here when we discuss other religions or cultures, is that we have a poor understanding of them unless we have studied them extensively or experienced them. We judge, but we don’t have that right all the time. What gets us riled about this woman is that she is condemned to physical punishment and death for something most of us don’t consider to be a serious crime. The reason we don’t get world agreement on this is because not all cultures are based on the freedom we take for granted, they have their own values. It’s been that way since the beginning of time. </p>
<p>We can’t eliminate the diversity of beliefs and cultures in the world, and I would propose that we don’t. World peace is still a dream, but a good one. However, most world religions have a meeting point of decency, something maybe people who don’t want to have a religion might also agree on: we have basic rights to our lives, and to believe what we want, and not to be murdered for it- could be one of them. Our nation’s laws are based on this. Most of us agree that it is wrong to murder and to steal no matter what out beliefs are. As to religious laws, there are many that don’t effect others who choose not to follow them. Someone not eating pork has no effect on someone else enjoying a bacon cheeseburger. They can both be allowed to do. Someone can be considered an apostate from a religion, or incur disapproval for marrying out of their faith, but here they have the freedom to do so because it would be illegal to harm them for this. </p>
<p>Each and every one of us, of any religion or not, has free choice, and so over time, we’ve had countless examples of people who have done heroic things and tyrants and dictators who abuse power no matter what we agree on. Religion. or lack of it, doesn’t cause good or bad. People do. </p>