"4) WHY should ANY belief system or philosophy be deemed more important under law etc. than any other?"

Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism etc., should all be deemed more important than Islam to a State as none of those religions preach that religion and politics should not be separate; Islam is a religion and a political system and is a counter to democracy and its aim is world domination and the imposition of its religo/political beliefs on all.
It is the enemy of freedom and human rights

Dear Yuyutsu,

Emile Durkheim, one of the earliest functionalist theorists,
was the first sociologist to apply the perspective to
religion in a systematic way. His study, "The Elementary
Forms of Religious Life," was first published in 1912 and
has since become a classic.

Many of Durkehim's contemporaries saw relgion as nothing
more than a primitive relic that would soon disappear in the
more sophisticated modern world.

But Durkheim was impressed by the fact that religion is
universal in human society, and he wondered why this should
be so. His answer was that religion has a vital function in
maintaining the social system as a whole.

Durkheim believed that the origins of religion were
social, not supernatural. He pointed out that, whatever their
source, the rituals enacted in any religion enhance the
solidarity of the community, as well as its faith.

Consider such religious rituals as baptism, bar mitzvah, weddings,
Sabbath services, Christmas mass, and funerals. Rituals
like these serve to bring people together, to remind them of their
common group membership; to reaffirm their traditional
values; to maintain prohibitions and taboos; to offer comfort
in times of crisis; and, in general, to help transmit the
cultural heritage from one generation to the next.

In fact, Durkheim argued, shared religious beliefs and the
rituals that go with them are so important that every society
needs a religion, or at least some form of belief system
that serves the same functions.

The cause of much of the social disorder in modern societies,
he contended, is that "the old gods are growing old or are
already dead, and others are not yet born." In other words,
people no longer believe deeply in traditional religion,
but they have found no satisfying substitute. Lacking
commitment to a shared belief system, they tend to pursue their
private interests.

cont'd ...

cont'd ...

Dear Yuyutsu,

For many years it was widely felt that as science progressively
provided rational explanations for the mysteries of the
universe, religion would have less and less of a role to
play and would eventually disappear, unmasked as nothing more
than superstition. But there are still gaps in our
understanding that science can never fill. On the ultimately
important questions - of the meaning and purpose of life and
the nature of morality.

Few citizens of modern societies would utterly deny the
possibility of some higher power in the universe, some
supernatural, transcendental realm that lies beyond the
boundaries of ordinary experience, and in this fundamental
sense religion is probably here to stay.

Foxy, "religion has a vital function in maintaining the social system as a whole,"war after war after war, nice social system Foxy.
Atheism is a belief system that there is no such things as a God I am sure my social function is as good as any religious one, volunteering St John Ambulance, 10 years, Service club 10 years, Cancer Council, it is complete bunkum that religion is the be and end all of what we do in our lives, it is the person, if religion helps to some people, that is great, but being an Atheist is no different to a religious person in your outlook on life.
Everybody who writes on this post will never ever, and I repeat never ever prove or disprove there is such a thing as a God or some such outer space being who created us, even myself, and Runner.

Dear Ojnab,

If you go back and re-read my posts you will
see that I was citing a broader more
inclusive perspective.
Which by the way includes your belief system
as well. Thank you for sharing with us the
work that you do. Doing something for
others is a gracious act. You give something to
others but you also end up getting quite a bit
out of it yourself. Experience of the spirit
breaks through illusions of separateness. It is
radically committed to the natural goodness and
inherent oneness that lies at the center of who
we really are.

Dear Matthew,

This article is about why religion is to be tolerated. If we allow anyone to call anything they like a "religion", if the fundamental meaning of the word is lost and misunderstood, then it's no wonder why some say "let's ban religion, let's not tolerate it".

While the word 'religion' comes from the Latin 'Re-ligare' - to re-bind with God, it's been allowed to colloquially represent cultural phenomena instead, just as the word 'gay' for example has been allowed to describe something else and is no longer understood as 'proudly happy'.

This deterioration, of initially passing some cultural impacts of religion for religion itself then subsequently passing practically any cultural habits for religion, is partly born of ignorance and partly out of disrespect to God. I am unwilling to go along with that and accept this decay as truth.

Philosophy and science are mere human pursuits. While humans are probably the only creatures to conceptualise and follow religion consciously, religion itself pervades nature and does not even require verbal/intellectual recognition. Failing to tolerate religion is a failure to tolerate the most essential force of nature.

Dear Foxy,

With due respect to social and cultural cohesiveness, religion is not there to serve the former or any other material function. If it incidentally does, then give thanks to the Lord without further expectations.

Just as religion is not meant to improve material or social conditions, science is not meant to solve any fundamental mysteries. If, however, you are into gaining material success through understanding the details of this world, then science is the most appropriate tool.

<<Experience of the spirit breaks through illusions of separateness. It is radically committed to the natural goodness and inherent oneness that lies at the center of who we really are.>>

"Natural goodness and inherent oneness" is one name of God, good as in any other system of mythology, so this is a perfect religious expression! thank you for this inspiration!