Disagree.
There’s a big difference between an Orthodox Jew being required to work on Saturday, and someone who just likes college football.
Accommodations that come from deepseated beliefs need to be treated with utmost respect.
There’s a big difference between an Orthodox Jew being required to work on Saturday, and someone who just likes college football.
Accommodations that come from deepseated beliefs need to be treated with utmost respect.
There's no reason the state should say one person's personal choice to follow a religion allows them to forever be exempt from Saturday work, but someone who chooses to follow football has no right or guarantee to ever enjoy a Saturday. They deserve equal protections.
There are many people out there far more passionate about their hobbies than many people who use their religion to excuse them from various expectations. They shouldn't be denied enjoyment.
Religious people don’t see practicing their faith as a choice though, they see it as an obligation. Watching college ball is as tedious as religion but never an obligation
Ezekiel 22:8,31 ESV
"You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths... [31] Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord GOD."
Ultimately freedom of religion prevents the situation in which a person is forced to come to the conclusion that a lower authority (government) is attempting to usurp the highest authority (God). At that point, any religious person has three bad alternatives:
1. Disobey God.
2. Suffer persecution from the government.
3. Rebel against the government.
You can't just leave me hanging there! What's the big difference?
What if that Saturday watching football is the person's passion and the only time of the week they feel happy? Who is a 3rd-party to step in and be the decider of what other peoples' wants and needs and feelings and beliefs are?
Surely the default, simplest, easiest, and most just position is to treat everyone the same.
> Accommodations that come from deepseated beliefs need to be treated with utmost respect.
I don't think they need to at all. Plenty of flat earthers, anti vaxxers, climate denialists, conspiracy theorists have extremely deep seated beliefs to the point of religious fervor. There are also religions or religious people whose beliefs are abhorrent or wrong to others. Why would they or any other belief religious or otherwise entitle them to respect or rights or allowances that nobody else has?
Here's how you just completely skirt all that and make it fair and equal for all: give everyone equal rights and protections.
> > Accommodations that come from deepseated beliefs need to be treated with utmost respect.
> I don't think they need to at all.
Clearly "deepseated belief" is not a good basis to hand out rights to people, and a belief does not have any "need" to be given any particular respect based on how deep seated someone's faith in it might be.