A new report by the United States Commission on Civil Rights supports
the majority on the federal commission, who say that efforts to protect
religious liberty and freedom are really a way for individuals and
entities to discriminate against people who don’t share their beliefs.
“The
phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ will stand for
nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for
discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia,
Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance,” Martin Castro, chairman
of the commission, said in a statement included in the 296-page report.
“Religious
liberty was never intended to give one religion dominion over other
religions, or a veto power over the civil rights and civil liberties of
others,” Castro said. “However, today, as in the past, religion is being
used as both a weapon and a shield by those seeking to deny others
equality.
“In our nation’s past religion has been used to justify
slavery and later, Jim Crow laws,” Castro said. “We now see ‘religious
liberty’ arguments sneaking their way back into our political and
constitutional discourse (just like the concept of ‘state rights’) in an
effort to undermine the rights of some Americans.
“This
generation of Americans must stand up and speak out to ensure that
religion never again be twisted to deny others the full promise of
America,” Castro said.
Read the rest here.
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