Beingstalk
by nate carr
Many societies throughout the world have organizing documents that make references to rights. The proselytizers of these documents would have one believe that some rights are so fundamental that they are without question. Such notions are complete nonsense. Rights are simply an idea. They were invented by mortals in an attempt to establish a rational way for individuals to interact within a society. The fundamental idea starts out simple enough. Everyone can pursue whatever makes them happy in life. To prevent anarchy, an additional condition is necessary. Everyone can pursue whatever makes them happy as long as this pursuit doesn't interfere with another's pursuits. This general idea can be thought of as the right to seek fulfillment.
Deciding when one's pursuits interfere with another's can be very difficult. It requires the prioritizing of pursuits. There is a level of subjectiveness that will always remain. What's important to understand is that most, if not all, of the specific rights that are asserted in the various organizing documents of today's societies stem from the fundamental idea that everyone has an equal right to seek their own fulfillment.
In pursuing this fulfillment, individuals sometimes like to associate with other individuals. Freedom of association, or the right to freely associate with others, necessarily follows from the right to seek fulfillment. One can associate with others as long as that association doesn't interfere with another's pursuits.
In Western culture, freedom of religion, or the right to freely practice one's religion, is almost universally accepted as a fundamental right for all people, especially those living within a democracy. In addressing the possible execution of a religious convert,[1] the 94th Secretary of State of the U.S., Condoleezza Rice, remarked, "Let me start from the point of view that there is no more fundamental issue for the United States than freedom of religion and religious conscience. This country was founded on that basis and it is at the heart of democracy. People must have a right to conscience and religious conscience."[2]
The unnecessary declaration of this mythical right is a cancer to all societies.
Religion is simply a specific example of the general classification known as an association. The right to freely associate with others is sufficient. To specifically state that religious associations have certain rights is entirely redundant. Why should religious associations receive special recognition?
The truly malignant aspect of the freedom of religion clause is the fact that all religion is based on faith in the supernatural, in other words, faith in things that have absolutely no proof and little or no evidence that they exist. Asserting that which is unknown is completely ignorant. Stating that individuals have a fundamental right to practice such foolishness is logical blasphemy.
If anything, discrimination of religion should actually be encouraged. Unlike race, gender, or, for the most part, sexual orientation, religion is indisputably a choice. Choosing to tell one's children that magical beings exist and that if you plant them a magical beingstalk will grow and lead to a hidden kingdom in the sky shows an inability to separate fact from fiction. Individuals who don't know what is reality and what is make believe are clinically delusional and should be stringently discriminated against.
Although it may be difficult to swallow, most individuals in the Western world completely agree with the general idea of this column. If a religious leader were to demand that a virgin be sacrificed to avoid Armageddon brought down upon by their mythical god's wrath, most individuals in Western societies would frown on such things. These individuals would disapprove because they believe that freedom of religion must have limitations. What many fail to realize is that these limitations are the exact same limitations that all associations should have; therefore, giving special treatment to the specific association known as religion is entirely redundant and, more importantly, dangerous.
Faith is the reason for lack of reason. It'a a lower level cognitive process practiced by children. It fundamentally contradicts logic. Just like electrons, the two cannot exist in the same cognitive space. Giving individuals special religious rights encourages this cognitive immaturity. Each time faithful behavior is encouraged, the creation of a rational, peaceful society is discouraged.