Religion is evolving, still
By sheer accident saw Ray Martin researching his ancestry to day
It turns out his Irish ancestors [Catholic] had to pay money in the form of tithes, to support the Protestant Church
Some religions practised today did not exist at my birth
I doubt yuyutsu, any faith has the right to treat any other badly
But believe I know many followers, of any faith, do not share my view

I well remember Seventh Day Adventists refusing to work on Saturdays but being willing and eager to work Sundays because of the double- time payments.

Not one of them knocked it back because it was, to them, just an ordinary day,

if there are no lasting rewards and all is to end anyway once our body falls off?
Yuyutsu,
A rather religious workmate was worried about flying with a certain pilot. When I asked him why he told me he was worried about crashing. I found that odd because aren't religious people looking forward to meet their maker ?

Dear Individual,

«aren't religious people looking forward to meet their maker ?»

Sure, but why is it necessary for your body to die in the process if it can be avoided?

According to Hinduism, one can unite with God even while their body is well and alive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jivanmukta

If you realise God while alive, then you can use your body and mind very effectively in His service, to do His will on earth as it is done in heaven, but if you lose your body too early, then you need to be reborn and study everything again, including your religion, while suffering again from the helplessness and maladies of childhood: not a bright prospect!

To Individual.

Replying to what harm religion is to be in the public, you said: "Because it is an imposition of superstition in order to gain compliance !"

It sounds like you don't agree with religions so you just don't want them to be taught. It almost sounds like a power struggle between imposing a belief of no god over the religions that believe in God, or believe in multiple gods.

As long as no one is being harmed though, religion should be allowed to be taught in public. In order to be free to explore these ideas and anyone being able to find the truth, others have to be able to express their religion freely. Even publicly.

The Freedom to practice and express a person's religion isn't harming a nonbeliever. In fact many religions have some teaching to help the needy and the poor. So even nonbelievers will gain a service from the religious population, without having to believe in it themselves.

Where it could become a danger is when a religious group demands people to believe or to be put to death, like many Islamic nations stance to kill someone who's turns away from Islam to another religion, and passively watches other religious people being killed because they aren't Islamic. That isn't freedom of religion. With freedom of religion a person has the right to not believe in a religion. I'm sure you support the freedom to not have a religion, why would you want to remove that right to those who have a religion in their lives? Are nonbelievers' rights more important then everyone else's? (Again this sounds like a power struggle more then it does about rights).

To Mr. Opinion

You said, "people lose sight of the fact that religious views are used to bring about political, social or economic action to promote the interests of one group over other groups." This really is about a power struggle more then it is about rights isn't it? Being free to express and practice a religion would affect all parts of a person's life. Including politics, jobs, and anything else. That comes with the territory of freedom. If a person believes in something then they will act on that belief. As long as there's no harm to another person, then shouldn't everyone have the freedom to practice their religion in their lives? Even the freedom to practice no religion?

To Armchair Critic.

No one has the right to not be offended. From children at school kids say hurtful things that can make other kids run home in tears. At older ages offensive, snide full comments almost become an art form for teenagers. (From what I've heard this quality of sideways back biting is more common among women being disrespectful to other women, regardless of age). As adults there's a whole circus of what is PC and what isn't that gets redefined at a moment's notice. If there's a right to not be offended it's a minefield that is outside the scope of religion. Nor can a right to not be offended be legally protected because anyone can get offended without warning.