A Person’s Religious Beliefs

A Personal Private Choice

None of the media’s business, not the government’s business, not a matter for political inquiry, no one else needs to know and it is actually prohibited by law from being an item of consideration in hiring, firing, compensation, discipline or the conduct of commerce like the sale or rent of a home. 

These statements and those that follow are my opinion as a citizen, not as a professional in any specific discipline, nor a licensed practitioner of anything; just my assertion of how I believe it should be understood commonly and statutorily, and how it should be practiced by responsible humans.

A person may express a religious faith, label themselves, erect religious symbols or mark their personal property, or not.  They may choose not to be religious, they may choose to decry those who are religious, or worship anyone or anything they wish to believe in. 

All of these choices are personal and private, and of absolutely no significance to anyone else.  I have religious beliefs and I assume you have some if you want them.  I didn’t ask what you believe.  I don’t want you to tell me.  They are your personal beliefs.  I’ll not ask you what you believe or why.  Don’t ask me.  I’m not looking for anyone to agree with me and I don’t care if you believe anything I believe.  No one else needs to believe the same as either of us.  It’s not a popularity contest.  Chances are quite good I won’t believe a single thing you believe anyway.  Which beliefs have the most human followers means nothing.  It’s my guess about 98% of religious believers are mistaken.  It doesn’t matter.  Numbers of followers are not the test, truth is.

There is no right or wrong belief for the living.  It’s just a belief.  There is no meaningful test for the dead either; it’s too late, they have already made their choices, they cannot be unmade.  

If you chose poorly, it’s for eternity.

A Person may, if they wish, like or dislike someone because of their religion, they may choose not to associate with a person of this faith or that.  They may even publicly defame anyone using their religious affiliation as the reason, and they may say this religion or that religion is wrong, bogus, or harmful, should be prohibited, won’t get you into heaven, or anything else they think or feel about a religion or the lack of one.

A person may practice their religion or choose not to practice any religion.

A person may practice all the precepts of their religion any time and any place, provided the practices do not endanger anyone’s health, or safety, or restrict movement or free association of anyone else without their permission, or violate the rights of other believers or any non-believers.

Some of the thousands of government recognized religions have ceremonies and practices that offend non-believers; like animal sacrifice, prohibition against buying insurance, misbehavior punishments, saluting the national flag, various sexual and marital taboos, allowing medical treatments, self mutilation, scarring and branding, etc.  These and most all other practices are permitted by consenting adults, if not specifically prohibited by Federal, state, or local laws or limited by regulation, for instance you cannot prevent medical care of a sick or dying child, no matter what you believe.  Generally, the forcing of any religious practice upon anyone, especially the infirmed, the incompetent; or anyone by violence or deception (like covert drugging), or of any non-adult (child) competent or incompetent  is, or should be, illegal and abhorrent.

A individual person should be, and I believe is, free to practice their religion any place and anytime, but not free to coheres, force, or conspire to coheres, anyone else to do so with them, nor connive, deceive or compel anyone by the incidence of public event attendance, conscription without consent, or threat of monetary penalty, or persecution and eternal damnation to participate or appear to participate by any contrivance, deceptive or not.  

Go ahead, practice any religion you wish.  But do not even attempt to compel or to force any others who do not wish to practice your religious beliefs, or any other belief, or no religious belief at all.

Do not use any of my resources, my attendance, my image, or constrict or subvert my rights as a citizen or a human.

In the United States it is not your right to compel me to, or create the appearance that I believe anything, religiously!

Do not waste your time trying!