Religious beliefs and ideologies are met with criticism from all sectors of society today. With different religions, the belief of every individual is protected by the freedom of religion. Therefore, crimes or evils committed on religious grounds spark up criticism of these religions. Islam and Christianity are the two major religions facing such criticism, but other religions are not exempt from critics. This criticism, however, is not always justified by religion which is not to blame for most issues. The freedom to criticize religion is thus a tool that requires proper understanding
Criticism of Religion
Western societies have made it acceptable to criticize religious ideas. The reason for this position is justified by the need to prevent the legal shielding of religions founded for financial gain. Another factor is that religions that support physical violence may be protected under law. The criticism of such dangerous religious sects allows for assurance of human security and development (Clarke 96).
However, the freedom to criticize religion affords individuals the right to challenge orthodox religious ideas. A religious idea that forms the basis of national ideology can be protected from criticism. In the United States, the law protects both freedoms of religion and freedom of expression (Clarke 97). The idea that religion is protected under law and that individuals have the right to criticize religious ideas presents moral challenges about religion.
State laws in the United States prevent the freedom of religion restricting individuals to freedom only within the constraints of the law and subject to morality (Clarke 97). One argument of the freedom of religion is that the right to freedom of conscience affords the elimination of all forms of intolerance and discrimination on religion. Individuals and communities have a choice on religious belief and because of this full and free disclosure of the truth, merits, and demerits of that religion.
The freedom of expression upholds the right to criticize religions and are said to promote a democratic society (Kislowicz 308). This is regardless of the favourability or offensive nature of the information or idea. The freedom of expression is limited if there is advocating for religious hatred through inciting discrimination, hostility or violence. In history, such events include the evils of the Nazi regime during World War Two.
Religious Defamation
The religion of Islam is linked to terrorism and other human rights violations. This stereotype subjects the religion to defamation with other religions depicting Islam negatively. A lot of negativity is placed in comments made under the guise of freedom of expression and only defamation laws protect such religions from the negative criticism. This negativity is met with issues if the belief of one religion is said to be defamatory by another religion limiting the freedom of expression.
Some can argue that individuals are not afforded the freedom of religion where they can choose to follow their own religious beliefs because of defamation of other religions. Some religions depict others as violent and paint their practices in a negative light restricting followers of other religions from enquiring or comparing beliefs. Countries such as Pakistan have laws that further religiously backed views especially those that form part of the national ideology. In Pakistan, blasphemy laws prohibiting the use of derogatory remarks against Islamic beliefs are misinterpreted to intimidate reform-minded Islamists and further the position of sectarians.
The existence of these laws in different nations from Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan, and Poland infringes on the freedom of expression. These laws tend to defend religious institutions and canons from negative criticism that are offensive and create self-censorship. Religious institutions also contribute to the existence of barriers to intercultural understanding.
Christianophobia and Islamophobia
Critics of Christianity and its beliefs and how they impose on society are labeled as having Christianophobia. Much of the debate is majorly focused on the flaws in the beliefs of the religion such as their support of the right to ignore equality laws. The church is accused of many malpractices, and their response to such criticism with unethical means also creates a need for criticism of the religious beliefs. The presence of Christianophobia is, therefore, a reaction of the church to religious criticism.
The existence of Islamophobia is blamed on the need by Muslim leaders to sway society and strengthen their power base in the community. Keenan Malik states that the issue with Islamophobia is that it is an irrational concept that confuses the hatred and discrimination of Muslims with the criticism of Islam. This means that Islamophobia is a tool much like Christianophobia used to suppress criticism.
However, the position that such ideologies present of being a victim is what brings forth stereotypes especially when misrecognized. The lack of evidence of victimization is what leads to the alienation of followers of that religion from other religions. This presents the stereotype of religions such as Islam as hostile and which are based on fear. The freedom of conscience and religion prevents the curbing of such stereotypes as the right to criticize religions exists in international law.
The defamation of religions does not lead to a violation of rights to freedom of religion. International law does not restrict expression of beliefs that differ from the national ideology. Most religions have strict laws themselves that are believed throughout as the standards of living. Christianity and other religions are against practices such as those of the LGBT community with some religions such as atheists welcoming such lifestyles. The creation of laws to defend such practices fuels issues such as homophobia from religious followers.
Religion and Human Rights
One significant advantage however of the criticism of religion and the freedom of expression is that human rights are once again an integral part of international law. The constant criticism of social evils and malpractices in religious beliefs has led to a transformation in the advocacy of human rights. Activities aimed at discrimination, violence, and hostility towards religion are no longer acceptable as more nations support international bodies in upholding human rights.
Religious bodies alike have been forced to support other religions beliefs and contemporary practices. Most nations with blasphemy laws are loosening the grip on the manner of interpretation of the laws. Though most are still facing criticism with pluralist societies having different beliefs, some are accepting the contemporary practices and beliefs of others that fall within the laws of these nations.
In today’s society where religions have a hold on the politics of nations, it is easy to find the presence of religion in the governing policies and laws of such nations. Italy is an example, a country where most of the population is majorly Roman-Catholic making it difficult to separate the church from the state. Therefore, most of the rights are strongly supported while others are opposed in the public arena (Ziebertz and Gordan 93).
The control that religion has on political issues has advantages for Italy in that the church supports certain immigration and labor laws that are in line with religious teachings. This is reflective of religious individuals whose freedom of conscience reveal an acceptance of new reproduction methods which are strongly opposed by the church. Though the majority of individuals share the same beliefs with the church, this trend is steadily rising. Human rights for the LGBT community are however an issue in Italy, one of the last nations in Europe to give same-sex couples legal status (Ziebertz and Gordan 99).
Issues such as discrimination and equality in respecting the lifestyles and beliefs of others are one of the barriers of the church in achieving intercultural understanding. The freedom of conscience and the right to criticism of religion and beliefs is exercised by Christianity in the church’s opposition to LGBT rights. The church views this issue as a non-human rights issue and followers of the religion add to this debate through accepting the church’s decision as law.
The distinction in the acceptance of individual human rights comes in the form of the youth. Much like in Islam where young individuals support their own beliefs which oppose religious beliefs, in Italy the youth who support labor rights like the church neglect immigrant rights. However, these young individuals still support new reproductive methods and LGBT rights that the church opposes (Ziebertz and Gordan 101).
Conclusion
Religion has had a significant impact on social policies and directions in current society. The significance afforded to religion has influenced the creation of laws that, for instance, protect the freedom of conscience and the right to criticism of religion and beliefs. Although some religions are divisive and practically all religions have some controversial issues, the influence of religion on all aspects of life, including politics, has remained strong. Some states have attempted to infringe on the rights of certain religions and their followers while other religions have suffered from profiling and bias. These have had the effect of curtailing the freedom of choice of religion for the followers of these religions and contributed to discrimination against such religions and their followers. However, there is growing acceptance of the importance of freedom of expression and religion globally. Incidents of discrimination or bias against a religion are increasingly being isolated by the society as anomalies rather than the norm, which is a positive development that is likely to foster tolerance among people from different religions. Religion is also increasingly influencing human rights through lobbies by religious leaders who, by virtue of their positions, have a lot of influence over the public and politicians. Therefore, without the contributions of the world’s religions, the quality of life that humans enjoy would be much lower than it is currently.