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[Murcielago]

What does religious liberty mean? How is it defined? Does it mean freedom to worship and believe as your own conscience dictates? Does it mean freedom from being forced to abide by the dogma of another religion? Is it a term that applies only to government, or does it also apply to community and family? Does law based on religious dogma constitute religious oppression?

[Johann]

What does religious liberty mean? How is it defined? Does it mean freedom to worship and believe as your own conscience dictates? Does it mean freedom from being forced to abide by the dogma of another religion? Is it a term that applies only to government, or does it also apply to community and family? Does law based on religious dogma constitute religious oppression?

I would answer your questions with "yes"! Not certain all would agree - and that is your privilege too, as long as you don't force it on others.

[Gailon Arthur Joy]

It is the absolute Right of Conscience to beleive and practice your beliefs without interference, obstruction, oppression, fear of reprisal and without being subjected to forced re-education.

Now, here is the complex question...is there such a thing as Freedom FROM Religion and if so, what is it?

Gailon Arthur Joy
AUReporter

[Johann]

A few decades back signals from the Vatican indicated they feared most those churches who granted each individual the freedom of choice if they wanted to be saved or lost.

[Gailon Arthur Joy]

A few decades back signals from the Vatican indicated they feared most those churches who granted each individual the freedom of choice if they wanted to be saved or lost.

I believe that today the greatest threat to Catholicism is not protestantism, evangelics, secular humanism, agnosticism or atheism, but rather radical islamists.

Gailon Arthur Joy
AUReporter

[Johann]

I believe that today the greatest threat to Catholicism is not protestantism, evangelics, secular humanism, agnosticism or atheism, but rather radical islamists.

Gailon Arthur Joy
AUReporter

I former pope had no fear of Islam - because they had so much in common!

[Gailon Arthur Joy]

I believe that today the greatest threat to Catholicism is not protestantism, evangelics, secular humanism, agnosticism or atheism, but rather radical islamists.

Gailon Arthur Joy
AUReporter

I former pope had no fear of Islam - because they had so much in common!

Islam is now the largest group, the most aggressively evangelical and the most propogative...they clearly have a lead on the Papacy!!! And they are the most militant!!!

[Johann]

Islam is now the largest group, the most aggressively evangelical and the most propogative...they clearly have a lead on the Papacy!!! And they are the most militant!!!

Could they be preparing the way for globalization of religion? That pope pointed out certain similarities in the structure of Islam and the Roman Catholic Church facilitating some kind of a merger. I wonder if worshiping the beast will not boil down to a radical devotion to some kind of a structure rather than basing it on faith?

It would not surprise me if Islam could finally join hands with Anti-Christ by building a "bridge" from  Mecca towards the citadel of Western religion.

[tinka]

Yes, this is what very much appears now to be. It came in through the back door like a Trojan Horse with their main man amongst us and the Pope standing by. The devil outsmarted many. Beware you are not decieved we are told. I read many will be deceived.

[Johann]

It is very easy for pagans and others to become Muslim. When I lived in Nigeria I saw in the local newspaper how a Muslim leader had gathered a huge crowd, preaching to them. Then he got everybody to repeat the slogan, - something like this: Allah is the only god and Mohammad is his prophet. There was a picture in the paper with the news story that now they had added them all - by the thousands - to the Muslim religion.

Then they try to sell a ticket to Mecca to those who can afford it. I met an illiterate man brandishing his passport with stamps to prove that he had been to Mecca. That is a stamp of prestige with which he could claim a "holier than Thou" status in his village of mud huts.

Does anything seem familiar? Do we use any of our peculiar views to prove that we are more sanctified than others?

[Murcielago]

If Adventists were in charge of a country would they allow freedom of religion and/or freedom from religion? Would they impose Saturday laws on the population?

[Johann]

If Adventists were in charge of a country would they allow freedom of religion and/or freedom from religion? Would they impose Saturday laws on the population?

Officially the two churches, Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists are the greatest advocates of religious freedom. Both of these churches should, therefore, not force their own beliefs, or lack thereof, on anyone else.

The former pope disagreed with these churches because they give the individual too much freedom which he felt was the greatest difficulty in organizing a global religion.

[Bob Pickle]

A few decades back signals from the Vatican indicated they feared most those churches who granted each individual the freedom of choice if they wanted to be saved or lost.

I believe that today the greatest threat to Catholicism is not protestantism, evangelics, secular humanism, agnosticism or atheism, but rather radical islamists.

Gailon Arthur Joy
AUReporter

At the same time, radical Islam is making many Protestants think that Islam is the antichrist instead of papal Rome, and that is allowing Rome to work better achieve its goals.

[tinka]

Bob, (smile)  like I said they are coming in through the back door.

[Gregory]

JOhann said:

Officially the two churches, Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists are the greatest advocates of religious freedom. Both of these churches should, therefore, not force their own beliefs, or lack thereof, on anyone else.

In the united States, there are many, many many Baptist denominations and churches that are not aligned with one of the Baptist denominations.

The Southern Baptist Convention (a denomination) has in the past been a firm advocate for religioius freedom.  However, under present leadership and culture in the U.S. the Southern Baptists appear to man informed people to be putting the brakes on their advocacy of religlious freedom.

For those who follow denominations it might be interesting to look at the Cooperative Baptist denomination and seehow it compares with and differs with the current denomilnational culture fof some of the older Baptist denominations.