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originally posted by: beezzer
The big question is; does government have the right to provide the privilege to religions to practice their faith?
In 1990, Scalia wrote the majority opinion in Employment Division v. Smith, concluding that the First Amendment "does not require" the government to grant "religious exemptions" from generally applicable laws or civic obligations. The case was brought by two men in Oregon who sued the state for denying them unemployment benefits after they were fired from their jobs for ingesting peyote, which they said they did because of their Native American religious beliefs.
"[T]he right of free exercise does not relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a valid and neutral law of general applicability," Scalia wrote in the 6-3 majority decision, going on to aggressively argue that such exemptions could be a slippery slope to lawlessness and that "[a]ny society adopting such a system would be courting anarchy."
"The rule respondents favor would open the prospect of constitutionally required religious exemptions from civic obligations of almost every conceivable kind," he wrote, "ranging from compulsory military service, to the payment of taxes, to health and safety regulation such as manslaughter and child neglect laws, compulsory vaccination laws, drug laws, and traffic laws; to social welfare legislation such as minimum wage laws, child labor laws, animal cruelty laws, environmental protection laws, and laws providing for equality of opportunity for the races."
talkingpointsmemo.com...
originally posted by: windword
a reply to: beezzer
Tell that to Anthony Scalia!
originally posted by: dawnstar
a reply to: beezzer
gee, you want it to be hands off for militant islamic religions who wish to behead you for not wearing acceptable attire?
originally posted by: ketsuko
originally posted by: windword
a reply to: beezzer
Tell that to Anthony Scalia!
You know where that came from?
Obamacare. There was no lawsuit for Hobby Lobby until Obamacare came along and told everyone they had to provide coverage and what exactly had to be in it.
The government created this entire can of worms.
Now, I understand that secularists don't see the trouble with the state being supreme to everything, but it does mightily infringe on freedom of religion.
You can't be free to practice your faith or live its principles if the government passes a law that requires you to do otherwise.
originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: windword
That's what *YOU* think !!
originally posted by: Gryphon66
originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: windword
Must I repeat myself?
Government has no right to dictate to religion.
Religion has no right to determine which laws it will follow and which it won't.