Respect My Authority!

“You should at least have the decency to respect the beliefs of others!” I hear this quite a bit.  I feel that, unfortunately, too much respect is paid to the various religions in our country and their beliefs. I doubt that many Christians or Muslims, for example, can take that same approach when it comes to respecting my decision in choosing not to believe in their respective gods. Why do I say that religion gets too much respect? Simple. You can get away with practically anything in the name of religious beliefs. Wanna wear a t-shirt to your local high school with the slogan, “All Muslims, Gays and Atheists Will Rot in Hell?” You can! Not because it is covered under free speech, as the right to free speech does not include hate speech, but because you can claim that it is your religious belief. This would fall under the Free Exercise Clause. Wrapping up hate speech in a pretty little box and calling it a religious outcry is akin to putting a turd in a gift box and insisting that it is a diamond.

Would you like to make smoking pot a regular thing that you can do legally? Simply establish a church and dogma that states that it is your belief that smoking pot allows you to communicate with your god of choice. Don’t believe me? Look up the laws in Texas and Utah with regards to Peyote. Heck, just do a Google search and you will find plenty of cases where this fact is made abundantly clear. So, while it has been proven that cancer patients can benefit from the use of marijuana in several ways, they would be slammed with fines and arrests while the believers would go unpunished. You do not have to prove your claim that it is part of your religious practice, simply say it is your belief.

I also find it hard to respect any religious belief that has promoted itself to its current status through acts of violence. Almost every religion is replete with bloodshed and torment. No need to substantiate your claims, simply kill all those who dare stand in your way. Oh, and apologize for it later once your religion is the dominate one…(because apologies make it all better.)

I cannot respect a belief that puts its’ own economic gain ahead of its parishioners. In todays’ world where the deficit that America faces is staggering, do you think that the churches have stepped up and volunteered to pay their due? Nope. Even though Jesus himself told his followers to “render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s,” I dare say we will never see the church pay a dime to “Caesar.” What type of burden does that place on the taxpayer? Excellent question!

In 2001, over 240,000 information returns were filed by tax-exempt  entities. These organizations held over $1.6 trillion in assets, an increase of 4 percent from 2000, and reported $897 billion in revenue. Those numbers are undoubtedly much higher today. If property taxes were assessed on the real property part of the $1.6 trillion, and income tax were paid on the nearly $1 trillion in income, we would probably not have a budget deficit! Now here’s the shocking part. The above numbers do not include churches! I have not been able to find a credible estimate for the lost income from church tax exemptions, but the number must be staggering. ~Source

Simply because it is your belief does not mean that it merits respect. Respect is given when respect is earned, isn’t that what we teach our children? I would gladly give religion the respect that it is due once it has proven its worth. “But it’s invaluable to society and without it there would be chaos!” Doubtful. In fact, societies that are mostly secular are far more prone to civility in almost every aspect. Just compare different variables between Norway, a predominately secular country, and the United States. From its incarceration rate to its education, Norway trumps the U.S. again and again.

Yet, here we are, being told that we need to “respect” the beliefs of others. We have become so sensitive to the tiniest of pinpricks that we are told that we must not openly question the beliefs of others for fear that we might “stunt their personal growth” or some other pathetic line that we are force fed in this PC world we have created. Tell me, would the world still be flat if we did not dare to question?