Criticism & Freedom Of Religion [Ramble]
Channel: RobLesterFilms
Date: 2014-10-21

Scepticism, Criticism & Freedom Of Religion & Spirituality. 

Have your beliefs, but please don't assume you can get away with tricking people have a few well chosen words or half-mocked tests are serious evidence for any old idea you hold dear.  
Life is a ride, and if yoga or falun dafa make it an easer or better ride then go for it, if being a worshipper of a nature spirit helps you then have a blast, if being born again Christian works for you then fine, just dandy, just don't force your opinions upon me, nor impose your beliefs upon society.  

My real problem with religion is the abuse that often takes place with those who have power and misuse it, they may commit crimes and then use influence to cover their backs, or cover actions of others to save face of the belief, as with child sex crimes in the Catholic Church covered up by many popes over the years.  Such actions are also true in other christian sects, islam, hinduism, guru cults, and any organised religion in which a person can abuse power, and even new age practitioners who can end up going to court for touching the wrong places in a healing session, abuse can be exposed fully, in which ever forms it comes and you can still have your spirituality if you so wish. 

The whole cash issue is a huge thing, how many religious leaders are far from humble servants of spirituality, those who are lining their pockets are also abusers of the followers.

Inners groups in religion, political groups, and dangerous cults are the ones to avoid, they may even do bad in the name of a greater good, or simply let the safe religion around the tick over while they are made extremely powerful by a flock of followers. 

Freedom Of Religion has a vital place in society, keep your church off the government and the government off the church/mosque/temple, sadly in the UK we have not had secularism, we have a monarch who is head of the state, armed forces, and the cults of England, even though it is one of the mildest churches in the christian world.  How can a society be impartial if it is bias from the get go, how can we have a fair system if we subsidise religion, as a result governments back community programs to make religions work together in communities, more subsidy, and before you moan this is only the top few religions that are deeply ingrained in society, rarely will other religions get a look in.  Surely to make it fair we should not pay a single tax pound to any religion, make them work for their pennies, and maybe even a fair taxation would be helpful, but the very least enlightenment philosophy passed on to the masses to help secure a secular morality for the sake of the unity of society itself.  

In my opinion not religion should have special status, if your free then you should not have a free meal ticket, a tax break, nor should you be given anything by the local or national government, with exceptions relating to aid after national disasters or architectural preservation.  The best way to run a society is by education, and humanism has much to teach society to ensure that non-believers are not a mixture of freethinkers and, in general society, disenfranchised people full doubt about life itself.  

so if people want to keep doing meditations, healing, prayer, and much more, then it is up to you, but do not expect hand outs, prop-ups, nor special place in society due to the attribute of faith.