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talkpoliticsUntil recently, when asked why they baptise their children, many answered: "Because of the values they're taught by the church". Behind this opinion was a notion which Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky formulated as follows: "If there is no God, anything goes".
A study published in 2015 was supposed to put an end to this notion. The authors from seven countries, including Qatar, China, South Africa and the US, concluded that children who grow up in non-religious families are more prone to sharing and are more open than religious children. The research ruffled quite a few feathers. The methodology used by the scientists was not considered valid enough. But the question what values exactly religion teaches is still as relevant as ever and has not yet found a clear answer.
A new law in Italy aimed to ensure equality for people who are not heterosexual. The Vatican objected diplomatically and demanded a change in the bill, which was authored by the Social Democrats. Relying on religious freedom, the Holy See is trying to put the Italian republic back in its sphere of influence through religion. In particular, the Catholic Church fears that it will be flooded with complaints from conservative parents if the country's Catholic schools are no longer allowed to follow only the heteronormativity prescribed by God, and furthermore are forced to comply with some requirements they have objections against, like participating in national campaigns against homophobia.
But here's the thing. Is it not one of the values of Christianity, even a Christian duty, to stand up for those who are discriminated against? That seems to be the case but religion, after all, is not just a charity with dogmatic foundations, but rather a structure of religious constructs that impart divine qualities to certain elements of reality. That is why the Catholic Church, as well as other religions such as Islam and Buddhism, see a normative quality in marriage between a man and a woman.
This normativeness is based on the atavistic notion that without reproduction the existence of society and thus of the respective religion is in danger. For this reason, in the monotheistic world, sexuality is regulated: everything that happens outside of marriage and not between a man and a woman is a sin. In the Buddhist world, obedience is established through a contact with the ancestors who are ritually revered. Without children, the family line fades, which is considered a stigma.
So what happens when religious dogmas clash with the values of freedom and democracy? Well, the above is the reason that the religions that built their worldview in the early years of human civilisation and follow that same worldview to this day, naturally get into conflict with the understandings and indisputable truths of the free and democratic world. Science not only teaches, but also reveals and proves the diversity of human relationships, sexual attitudes, and the various social life patterns that result from them, if allowed.
Older people remember that the norms imposed by the church have also caused great suffering for heterosexuals. So it is not just a matter of protecting minorities, but also those who have simply been declared the majority by the church teaching without being asked if they agree.
Religious beliefs that contradict modern scientific discoveries and peaceful coexistence between people have no place in a free society. This includes the religious values that the Vatican is trying to impose on Italians. Because according to the Catholic faith, man and woman are not equal. And people who are not heterosexual are less important because they do not reproduce in the name of the Lord. Such a view of the world has no place in schools. And children must be protected from such absurd and wrong ideas, because these contradict the values of free and democratic societies.
A study published in 2015 was supposed to put an end to this notion. The authors from seven countries, including Qatar, China, South Africa and the US, concluded that children who grow up in non-religious families are more prone to sharing and are more open than religious children. The research ruffled quite a few feathers. The methodology used by the scientists was not considered valid enough. But the question what values exactly religion teaches is still as relevant as ever and has not yet found a clear answer.
A new law in Italy aimed to ensure equality for people who are not heterosexual. The Vatican objected diplomatically and demanded a change in the bill, which was authored by the Social Democrats. Relying on religious freedom, the Holy See is trying to put the Italian republic back in its sphere of influence through religion. In particular, the Catholic Church fears that it will be flooded with complaints from conservative parents if the country's Catholic schools are no longer allowed to follow only the heteronormativity prescribed by God, and furthermore are forced to comply with some requirements they have objections against, like participating in national campaigns against homophobia.
But here's the thing. Is it not one of the values of Christianity, even a Christian duty, to stand up for those who are discriminated against? That seems to be the case but religion, after all, is not just a charity with dogmatic foundations, but rather a structure of religious constructs that impart divine qualities to certain elements of reality. That is why the Catholic Church, as well as other religions such as Islam and Buddhism, see a normative quality in marriage between a man and a woman.
This normativeness is based on the atavistic notion that without reproduction the existence of society and thus of the respective religion is in danger. For this reason, in the monotheistic world, sexuality is regulated: everything that happens outside of marriage and not between a man and a woman is a sin. In the Buddhist world, obedience is established through a contact with the ancestors who are ritually revered. Without children, the family line fades, which is considered a stigma.
So what happens when religious dogmas clash with the values of freedom and democracy? Well, the above is the reason that the religions that built their worldview in the early years of human civilisation and follow that same worldview to this day, naturally get into conflict with the understandings and indisputable truths of the free and democratic world. Science not only teaches, but also reveals and proves the diversity of human relationships, sexual attitudes, and the various social life patterns that result from them, if allowed.
Older people remember that the norms imposed by the church have also caused great suffering for heterosexuals. So it is not just a matter of protecting minorities, but also those who have simply been declared the majority by the church teaching without being asked if they agree.
Religious beliefs that contradict modern scientific discoveries and peaceful coexistence between people have no place in a free society. This includes the religious values that the Vatican is trying to impose on Italians. Because according to the Catholic faith, man and woman are not equal. And people who are not heterosexual are less important because they do not reproduce in the name of the Lord. Such a view of the world has no place in schools. And children must be protected from such absurd and wrong ideas, because these contradict the values of free and democratic societies.
