I had occasion to be in a bookstore yesterday and I found a book on celebrated American artist Norman Rockwell. He used to do these portraits of ordinary people in an America that might not have existed.
The then American President Franklin Roosevelt made a speech to congress in January 1941 in which he mentioned the 'four freedoms'.
In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way--everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want--which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants-everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear--which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world.
Rockwell picked up on that and created the four paintings below, based on the 'four freedoms' (click thumbnails for larger images)
Your second "freedom" is no freedom at all, as it presumes that everyone will want to "worship God". Not every religion requires worship of god(s), and not everyone is religious.
ReplyDeleteFreedom of religion is no freedom unless there is also a balancing freedom from religion.
Furthermore, there must be protections built in to prevent the twisting of young minds away from the search for truth and knowledge by banning the organised teaching of religion to anyone below the age of 16, at least. Children must be free to learn and to question, something that religion is designed to restrict.
fugley, I suppose people were more religious back then; especially during the war, people tend to think more of their own mortality and what (if anything) awaits them after death.
ReplyDeleteI suspect Roosevelt was saying that everyone should be free to worship God (if they believe in one) in his own way. Of course, if your religion requires that you blow up people it is not such a good thing.
As to your second point - people find 'truth' in different ways and in different things. Are you suggesting that children be exposed to every other 'truth' except Christianity? Or every other 'truth' except religion? In other words, you want them to try find it in science and secular things.
How can one find the truth if he is not exposed to different ideas and beliefs? eg, how would you know that you disagree with Christianity if you'd never heard of it?
Freedom to worship God in their own way is a freedom, particularly when you would ban it.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is a balancing freedom - you are exercising it - you are not rounded up and forced to learn a religion. That might happen under Sharia, but the West seems to be more tolerant of that than Christianity. More fools you, more fools them.
You may as well ban freedom from learning social mores and customs, because that too "indoctrinates" people into a particular mode of thought.
And you need to get over yourself and the importance you place in not believing in God. It's becoming fundamentalist and rather fascist in its application.
You are lumping all religions together in this "twisting the minds away from truth" paranoia. All religions are not equal, and a life without a spiritual dimension is not necessarily a better life.