In recent years, society has become increasingly vigilant of our rights as human beings, and generally more accepting of those marginalized and placed under false stigmas. However, the pursuit of freedom has welcomed those who believe their freedoms are restricted by allowing others to have the same privileges as them to have these "rights" protected by the government. This has led to a false sense of entitlement to discriminate against others, and turned the movement into something entirely counterproductive from what it originally set out to do.
Some feel that the rights they were given in the First Amendment are being violated as society begins to shift towards favoring secularity, while some believe their religious freedom is being violated …show more content…
However, this does not negate the fact that others feel the need to make it an arguing point for what religion or belief is superior, and that this fight has come so prominent that they feel the need to get the backing of the government to protect them as a believer, no matter how true their morals are to their religion. Although the First Amendment grants freedom of religion and protection, it is undeniable that many religions still face discrimination. As of now, the only religion in America to have its personal interests protected by the government is Christianity. This truth becomes even more concerning when looking at those targeted in hate crimes based on religious bias. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, "18.7 percent were victimized because of a bias against a religious belief" in 2012 alone (United States). Of the 1,340 victims of an anti-religious hate crime, "62.4 percent were victims of an offender’s anti-Jewish bias," and "11.6 percent were victims of an anti-Islamic bias". This percentage becomes even more shocking when remembering that these religions are followed by approximately less than 10% of America 's …show more content…
There even lays a conflict of interest in the title of the law, the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act". When was our religious freedom ever taken away or truly abused in America? Are corporations, who are not truly comparable to the individual as they are not capable of having emotions and struggling due to personal bias, genuinely oppressed by not being able to discriminate against the LGBTQA community, women, and other religions? Unless a safeground is created for these marginalized groups in order to protect their interests in conjunction with the RFRA, there should be no need to allow this type of "religious freedom" in the public sector. People should instead look to their private life to practice their beliefs (so long as they do not threaten others), just as all other religions have been doing in peace for a considerable amount of
Some feel that the rights they were given in the First Amendment are being violated as society begins to shift towards favoring secularity, while some believe their religious freedom is being violated …show more content…
However, this does not negate the fact that others feel the need to make it an arguing point for what religion or belief is superior, and that this fight has come so prominent that they feel the need to get the backing of the government to protect them as a believer, no matter how true their morals are to their religion. Although the First Amendment grants freedom of religion and protection, it is undeniable that many religions still face discrimination. As of now, the only religion in America to have its personal interests protected by the government is Christianity. This truth becomes even more concerning when looking at those targeted in hate crimes based on religious bias. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, "18.7 percent were victimized because of a bias against a religious belief" in 2012 alone (United States). Of the 1,340 victims of an anti-religious hate crime, "62.4 percent were victims of an offender’s anti-Jewish bias," and "11.6 percent were victims of an anti-Islamic bias". This percentage becomes even more shocking when remembering that these religions are followed by approximately less than 10% of America 's …show more content…
There even lays a conflict of interest in the title of the law, the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act". When was our religious freedom ever taken away or truly abused in America? Are corporations, who are not truly comparable to the individual as they are not capable of having emotions and struggling due to personal bias, genuinely oppressed by not being able to discriminate against the LGBTQA community, women, and other religions? Unless a safeground is created for these marginalized groups in order to protect their interests in conjunction with the RFRA, there should be no need to allow this type of "religious freedom" in the public sector. People should instead look to their private life to practice their beliefs (so long as they do not threaten others), just as all other religions have been doing in peace for a considerable amount of