The Pharaoh, Exodus, God, and the Meme that started an argument

[Belsnickel]

(09-22-2016, 11:37 AM)PhilHos Wrote: While I understand this and in some ways, I agree (i.e. Muslim beliefs), the question I've asked before that no one really has ever answered to my satisfaction (that I recall, anyways) is why is it wrong to legislate beliefs based on religion, but it's not wrong to legislate beliefs based on non-religion? Like, I can understand why people would not want a law that says prayer is mandatory in school, but why is it then okay to make a law that says that genetic males are allowed to use a restroom designated for genetic females? I'm not trying to enter into a discussion about transgender laws, but my point is more on why people get upset at religious people pushing their agenda, but those same people don't get upset at non-religious people pushing THEIR agenda?

No matter what the topic, all legislation is based on someone's beliefs or ideas. Now, some are based on ideas grounded in fact, some are based on ideas  grounded in faith, and some (most?) are based on ideas grounded in opinion. Why is only one of those an issue?

But the reasoning behind things like the transgender bathroom issues isn't a lack of religion. There are Christian denominations that support things like that. If you have a law supported by secular and religious thinkers alike, you have something that will move along. Laws with based on religious beliefs are, as interpreted by the courts, not acceptable. It used to be the Lemon Test for many years with regards to SOCAS, which I know isn't in the Constitution but courts have upheld. Now we use the Endorsement Test more often, which is whether or not a reasonable person could view the law or action or whatever as an endorsement of a religion. If the reasoning behind a law is because a bunch of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, or whoever is putting it out there and the island of religious reasoning is not surrounded by an ocean of secular, then it isn't typically going to pass muster.

Every law we have is based on opinion. Our framers weren't omniscient entities as some people like to make them out to be, there were politicians pushing an agenda and that is what has been going on ever since in the country. Opinions and beliefs change, and laws change with them as we attempt to protect the civil liberties and civil rights of the people while providing services and security. Opinions on how that looks change all the time, but because of the Establishment Clause and the courts interpreting it as SOCAS and how it has been applied, religious reasoning must be surrounded by secularism if it is to occur at all, and that has caused many people to see religious opinions as irrelevant to our lawmaking processes.