Freedom of Religion

[ledyanoy]

[ledyanoy]

[Animal]

Freedom of religion: Yes.

Paying taxes to give money to religions: No.

Serving special dishes in government-run institutions - like schools - to accommodate religious preferences in meals: No.
Especially when that religion comprises 2% of the population. I'm chronically ill, can't eat most food that's served in schools - and nobody accommodates me, so why should my tax money pay to accommodate them? I'd concede that it might be worth it if it's the dominant religion in the country or the population is high.
If independent businesses want to accommodate private religious groups, go ahead, but I don't want my tax money going toward that. The government doesnt give me any special privileges, so why tax me when I can barely pay my rent only to spend it on that. Ugh.

[ledyanoy]

Volcana, big topic. My summary is that administration (aka government), education and religion are best kept to their own areas, but under the same values. The problem is a pluralistic society (serving a socialistic agenda) cannot sustain itself and the most cohesive society is small and has the same values and goals.

[Vive]

Religious diversity and diversity in general is a difficult topic.

In the extremes there are those who tolerate no change and there are those who are taken in by any wind. Belonging more to the latter than the the former, I in general enjoy diversity. I like learning about the many aspects of different religions.

However, diversity divides people. No matter what religious perogative one has, if you endanger others by engaging in your religion or whatever culture one belongs to, then I'll gladly have a little less diversity. What I don't like is that some people come to a country and expect to be completely accommodated in their religious preferences, no matter how to may convenience others of a different faith or culture. This not even yet what I would consider the real problem, though. Many living in the Netherlands are not willing to move even an inch when it comes to their traditions and any effort to accommodate people of other religions and cultures is seen as a personal attack on their identity.

Then you get to stuff like the 'black Pete' discussion relating to the yearly 'Sinterklaas' festival, where neither side is willing to give even the other side an inch. Diversity is sacrifice, it requires a little bit of accomodation. And I do agree that the dominant religion/culture has a certain priority and I don't consider it a bad thing that people want to keep it preserved. Certainly the dominant culture in a country is deserving of a certain priority, but It just feels like many people are so easily ready to play the 'eye for an eye' game of continuously diminishing returns.