#religiousfreedom — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #religiousfreedom, aggregated by home.social.
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#Iran: ad agosto 2026 almeno 14 bahá’í sono stati arrestati e altri 14 condannati complessivamente a oltre 34 anni di carcere. Le forze di sicurezza hanno inoltre perquisito almeno 5 abitazioni con sequestri di beni personali. Kamyar Malaki, è stato espulso dall’università e gli è stato vietato di proseguire gli studi a causa della sua fede.
#Bahai #ReligiousFreedom #StopPersecution #HumanRightsViolations
https://hengaw.net/en/reports-and-statistics-1/2026/09/article-5 -
A Visit From Fish Stark
On September 13, 2026, we had a visit by Fish Stark, the Executive Director of the American Humanist Association, our parent organization. He was a speaking tour of Ohio and Michigan
https://humanistswle.org/2026/a-visit-from-fish-stark.html
#1stAmendment #AmericanHumanistAssociation #CivilRights #FishStark #Humanism #ReligiousFreedom #SocialJustice -
Texas: Faith, Freedom, and Mind Your Damn Business
By Cliff Potts, CSO
Editor-in-Chief, WPS NewsBaybay City, Leyte, Philippines — September 4, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PHT
Texas talks about faith constantly and practices freedom inconsistently. Religion is waved like a banner while personal liberty is quietly narrowed, regulated, or punished when it doesn’t line up with political fashion. This contradiction has become so normal that many Texans barely notice it anymore.
Faith is not the problem. Power is.
Faith Is Personal, Not Administrative
Texas is home to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, meeting houses, and people who believe quietly or not at all. That pluralism is not a flaw. It is a fact. Faith has always been part of Texas life, but it has never belonged to the state.
When government begins enforcing one version of belief, it stops protecting faith and starts weaponizing it. That does not strengthen religion. It cheapens it. Faith that requires government backing is not faith—it is insecurity dressed up as authority.
People believe deeply without being coerced. The state does not need to supervise that.
Freedom Means Leaving People Alone
Texas politicians love to invoke freedom while inserting themselves into private decisions about bodies, families, education, and belief. That is not freedom. It is control wrapped in familiar language.
True freedom is not loud. It is boring. It is the quiet confidence that your neighbor’s life choices are none of your business unless they cause real harm. A free society tolerates disagreement without demanding conformity.
If a belief system is strong, it does not need the force of law to survive.
Religion in Schools Without Indoctrination
Teaching about religion is not the same thing as preaching it. Students benefit from understanding the beliefs that shape history, culture, and global affairs. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Indigenous traditions, and secular ethics all belong in a serious education.
Teaching one belief as truth while excluding others is not education. It is indoctrination. Texas should be confident enough to teach broadly without fear.
Knowledge does not weaken faith. It strengthens discernment.
The Myth of Moral Decline
Texas politics often leans on claims of moral collapse to justify intrusion into private life. These claims rarely hold up under scrutiny. Crime trends, family structures, and social behavior are influenced far more by economics, education, and stability than by religious enforcement.
Blaming social problems on belief differences avoids addressing harder causes like poverty, healthcare access, housing, and education. Moral panic is easier than policy work.
A serious state solves problems instead of sermonizing about them.
Faith Communities Do Real Work
Faith-based organizations are often the first to respond when communities struggle. They feed people, shelter families, provide counseling, and show up quietly without demanding credit. That work matters. It deserves respect and support.
What it does not require is political dominance. Faith communities are strongest when they act voluntarily, not when they are fused to state power.
Service speaks louder than slogans.
Freedom of Conscience Cuts Both Ways
Freedom of religion includes the freedom not to believe. It includes the freedom to change beliefs. It includes the freedom to practice quietly without public approval. Protecting conscience means accepting outcomes you may personally dislike.
That is the price of liberty. It is also its strength.
Texas cannot claim to honor freedom while punishing people for living differently.
When Government Picks Winners
History offers no shortage of warnings about governments that decide which beliefs are acceptable. Even when intentions begin as sincere, outcomes tend toward exclusion, resentment, and abuse. Texas is not immune to that pattern.
Keeping church and state separate does not weaken either. It protects both from corruption.
Personal Faith, Public Restraint
Leaders are allowed their faith. They are allowed to be guided by conscience. What they are not allowed to do is impose that conscience as law when it infringes on the rights of others.
Restraint is not betrayal. It is maturity.
What a Confident Texas Would Do
A confident Texas would protect freedom of worship for everyone and freedom from coercion for everyone else. It would teach religion academically, not devotionally. It would trust families and individuals to handle belief without supervision.
Most of all, it would stop confusing moral authority with legal power.
Why This Matters Going Forward
Faith will continue to shape Texas culture. That is not in question. The question is whether it will be used to inspire service and compassion—or to justify intrusion and control.
Freedom survives only when people mind their own damn business.
Texas is strong enough to do that.
This essay will be archived as part of the ongoing WPS News Monthly Brief Series available through Amazon.
References (APA)
#churchAndState #CivilLiberties #educationPolicy #personalFreedom #religiousFreedom #TexasPolitics #TexasReligion #WPSNews
Pew Research Center. (2025). Religious diversity and belief in the United States.
First Amendment Center. (2025). Religion, government, and constitutional boundaries.
National Council of State Legislatures. (2025). Religious freedom and public policy analysis.
Gallup. (2025). Public attitudes toward religion and government.
American Academy of Religion. (2025). Teaching religion in public education. -
Québec’s Bill 9 doesn’t just ban symbols — it bans obligations
#Quebec #Canada #Bill9 #Bill21 #ReligiousFreedom #Law #HumanRights #Islam #CharterRights #Secularism #Faith #SupremeCourt #Politics #QuebecPolitics #CivilLiberties #FreedomOfReligion #Politics
https://the-14.com/quebecs-bill-9-doesnt-just-ban-symbols-it-bans-obligations/ -
Mississippi Churches Arming Up: Law Expands Armed Security Presence
New law in Mississippi allows churches to form armed security teams to protect members. Find out who is affected and what training is needed.
#MississippiChurches, #ArmedSecurity, #ChurchSafety, #GunLaws, #ReligiousFreedom
https://newsletter.tf/mississippi-churches-armed-security-teams-law/
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Churches in Mississippi can now have armed security teams. This follows a new law that allows trained members to carry firearms for protection.
#MississippiChurches, #ArmedSecurity, #ChurchSafety, #GunLaws, #ReligiousFreedom
https://newsletter.tf/mississippi-churches-armed-security-teams-law/ -
A quotation from Henry Commager
Who are those who are really disloyal? Those who inflame racial hatreds, who sow religious and class dissensions. Those who subvert the Constitution by violating the freedom of the ballot box. Those who make a mockery of majority rule by the use of the filibuster. Those who impair democracy by denying equal educational facilities. Those who frustrate justice by lynch law or by making a farce of jury trials. Those who deny freedom of speech and of the press and of assembly. Those who press for special favors against the interest of the commonwealth. Those who regard public office as a source of private gain. Those who would exalt the military over the civil. Those who for selfish and private purposes stir up national antagonisms and expose the world to the ruin of war.
Henry Steele Commager (1902-1998) American historian, writer, activist
Essay (1947-09), “Who Is Loyal to America?” sec. 3, Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 195, No. 1168More about this quote: wist.info/commager-henry-steel…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #henrycommager #America #civilliberties #civilrights #corruption #demagoguery #democracy #disloyalty #division #firstamendment #freepress #freespeech #freedomofreligion #freedomofspeech #freedomofthepress #injustice #jingoism #justice #loyalty #loyaltyoath #military #patriotism #publicoffice #religiousfreedom #unAmerican #usvsthem #votersuppression #votingrights #war #warmongering
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Midge welcomes the Valley to her Easter/Passover/Ramadan/Eid al-Fitr/Holi/Nowruz/Vaisakhi/Songkran/Equinox Party. And a Happy Spring to You and Your Family! #spring #springequinox #equinox #easter #passover #ramadan #eidalfitr #holi #nowruz #vaisakhi #songkran #celebrate #celebration #holyday #holiday #springholiday #springholidays #entertaining #host #hostess #hosting #religiousfreedom #religiousequality #religiousequals
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How #Maine churches are reckoning with fear of #ImmigrationRaids
by Sean Scott, August 24, 2025Excerpt: "Selma, an asylum seeker from Angola, moved to Texas at the start of the pandemic and then to Maine in January 2022. She fears persecution if she returns because of a family member’s involvement in a #HumanRights group.
" 'As a Christian, I was praying, and then God just gave me direction, which was Maine,' she said.
"She joined a nondenominational Christian church in Portland right away, and she and her two children have been regular attendees ever since. After President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, her 12-year-old daughter asked if it was still safe to go to school.
"As immigration enforcement efforts have increased dramatically this year, many migrants have also reckoned with whether it’s safe to go to places of worship, whether they’re congregants or faith leaders like one Westbrook pastor detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this month.
"In one of his first acts in office, Trump rescinded a policy that essentially barred #ICEAgents from making arrests at sensitive locations like #churches, #hospitals and #schools. A coalition sued the Department of Homeland Security over the policy in February, arguing it violated #ReligiousFreedom. A judge declined to block the policy, citing a lack of evidence that churches were 'singled out as special targets' for immigration enforcement.
"Faith leaders are preparing for the possibility of enforcement regardless, and several other lawsuits have been filed on similar grounds, including one in late July with a New England plaintiff.
"#MichelTshimankinda, a Westbrook man who founded a church in South Portland, has been in ICE detention in New Hampshire since Aug. 14, according to the Portland Press Herald. He wasn’t arrested on church property, but his detention has shaken his family and congregation."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/maine-churches-reckoning-fear-immigration-100000727.html#ICESucks #ICEKidnapping #MaineNews #DHS #Gestapo #FascismInTheUSA #Racism #Fascism #Authoritarianism #TrumpIsARacist
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@johan Yes, thank you for pointing it out.
Here is an article about the Satanism ban:
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-supreme-court-bans-satanist-movement-labeling-extremist/ #Russia #Satanist #RussianOrthodoxChurch #OrthodoxChurch #Courts #Extremism #Judiciary #Kremlin #roundtable #Safety #thesatanictemple #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom -
@johan Yes, thank you for pointing it out.
Here is an article about the Satanism ban:
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-supreme-court-bans-satanist-movement-labeling-extremist/ #Russia #Satanist #RussianOrthodoxChurch #OrthodoxChurch #Courts #Extremism #Judiciary #Kremlin #roundtable #Safety #thesatanictemple #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom -
@johan Yes, thank you for pointing it out.
Here is an article about the Satanism ban:
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-supreme-court-bans-satanist-movement-labeling-extremist/ #Russia #Satanist #RussianOrthodoxChurch #OrthodoxChurch #Courts #Extremism #Judiciary #Kremlin #roundtable #Safety #thesatanictemple #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom -
@johan Yes, thank you for pointing it out.
Here is an article about the Satanism ban:
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-supreme-court-bans-satanist-movement-labeling-extremist/ #Russia #Satanist #RussianOrthodoxChurch #OrthodoxChurch #Courts #Extremism #Judiciary #Kremlin #roundtable #Safety #thesatanictemple #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom -
@johan Yes, thank you for pointing it out.
Here is an article about the Satanism ban:
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-supreme-court-bans-satanist-movement-labeling-extremist/ #Russia #Satanist #RussianOrthodoxChurch #OrthodoxChurch #Courts #Extremism #Judiciary #Kremlin #roundtable #Safety #thesatanictemple #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom -
🌟 Happy Unveiling Day! On June 25, 2015, the Baphomet statue was unveiled, symbolizing the importance of religious equality and freedom of expression. This monumental bronze statue reminds us that everyone deserves a voice, regardless of their beliefs. Let’s celebrate diversity and promote acceptance in our communities! 🤝✨ #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet
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🌟 Happy Unveiling Day! On June 25, 2015, the Baphomet statue was unveiled, symbolizing the importance of religious equality and freedom of expression. This monumental bronze statue reminds us that everyone deserves a voice, regardless of their beliefs. Let’s celebrate diversity and promote acceptance in our communities! 🤝✨ #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet
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🌟 Happy Unveiling Day! On June 25, 2015, the Baphomet statue was unveiled, symbolizing the importance of religious equality and freedom of expression. This monumental bronze statue reminds us that everyone deserves a voice, regardless of their beliefs. Let’s celebrate diversity and promote acceptance in our communities! 🤝✨ #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet
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🌟 Happy Unveiling Day! On June 25, 2015, the Baphomet statue was unveiled, symbolizing the importance of religious equality and freedom of expression. This monumental bronze statue reminds us that everyone deserves a voice, regardless of their beliefs. Let’s celebrate diversity and promote acceptance in our communities! 🤝✨ #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet
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🌟 Happy Unveiling Day! On June 25, 2015, the Baphomet statue was unveiled, symbolizing the importance of religious equality and freedom of expression. This monumental bronze statue reminds us that everyone deserves a voice, regardless of their beliefs. Let’s celebrate diversity and promote acceptance in our communities! 🤝✨ #UnveilingDay #Acceptance #ReligiousEquality #Baphomet #Tolerance #CelebrateDiversity #Kindness #ReligiousFreedom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet
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Regulating the #Sacred? A Critical Examination of #FaithBased Organization Registration in #Rwanda: Between #ReligiousFreedom and #StateControl
14 Pages Posted: 13 Jun 2025
Dr. Sixbert SANGWA
African Leadership University; Open #Christian University -
#ApacheStronghold Asks #SupremeCourt to #SaveOakFlat
By Becket Law, via #CensoredNews
Sept. 11, 2024WASHINGTON – "A coalition of #WesternApaches, other #Native peoples, and non-Native #allies asked the #SupremeCourt today to protect their sacred site at #OakFlat from destruction by a multinational mining giant. In Apache Stronghold v. United States, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to stop the federal government from transferring Oak Flat to #ResolutionCopper, a foreign-owned mining company that plans to turn the site into a massive mining crater, ending #Apache religious practices forever (Watch video linked below to learn more).
"The Apaches and their allies hosted a day of prayer outside the Court as they asked the Justices to save the spiritual lifeblood of their people.
Since time immemorial, Western Apaches and other Native peoples have gathered at Oak Flat, outside of present-day Superior, Arizona, for sacred religious ceremonies that cannot take place anywhere else. Known in Apache as Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, Oak Flat is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has been protected from mining and other harmful practices for decades. These protections were targeted in December 2014 when a last-minute provision was inserted into a must- pass defense bill authorizing the transfer of Oak Flat to the Resolution Copper company. Resolution Copper is a foreign-owned mining company that plans to turn the sacred site into a two-mile-wide and 1,100-foot-deep crater. The majority owner of Resolution Copper, #RioTinto, sparked international outrage when it deliberately destroyed 46,000-year-old #Indigenous rock shelters at one of #Australia’s most significant cultural sites.“'Oak Flat is our Mt. Sinai—the most sacred place where generations of Apache have come to connect with our Creator, our faith, and our land,' said Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold. 'We pray the Justices will protect Oak Flat and ensure that our place of worship is not treated differently simply because it lacks four walls and a steeple.”
Apache Stronghold—a coalition of Apaches, other Native peoples, and non-Native allies—filed this lawsuit in January 2021 seeking to halt the proposed mine at Oak Flat. The mine is opposed by 21 of 22 federally recognized tribal nations in Arizona and by the National Congress of American Indians. Meanwhile, national polling indicates that 74% of Americans support protecting Oak Flat. The Ninth Circuit ruled earlier this year that the land transfer is not subject to federal laws protecting religious freedom. But five judges dissented, writing that the court 'tragically err[ed]' by refusing to protect Oak Flat. After unsuccessfully asking all 29 judges on the Ninth Circuit to rehear the case, Apache Stronghold has filed their appeal to the Supreme Court."'Blasting the birthplace of Apache religion into oblivion would be an egregious violation of our nation’s promise of religious freedom for people of all faiths,' said Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. 'The Court should uphold its strong record of defending #ReligiousFreedom by ensuring that the Apaches can continue worshiping at Oak Flat as they have for centuries.'
"In addition to Becket, Apache Stronghold is represented by Erin Murphy of Clement & Murphy PLLC, Professor Stephanie Barclay of Georgetown Law School, and attorneys Michael V. Nixon and Clifford Levenson.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Ryan Colby at [email protected] or 202-349-7219."Source:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/09/apache-stronghold-asks-supreme-court-to.htmlLegal document:
https://www.becketlaw.org/media/breaking-apache-stronghold-asks-supreme-court-to-save-oak-flat/Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh68xOn0B_8#SCOTUS #CopperMine
#ProtectOakFlat
#ProtectTheSacred
#DefendTheSacred
#IndigenousActivism
#SaveOakFlat
#WaterIsLife
#SacredSite
#CopperMining
#RecycleCopper
#NoMiningWithoutConsent
#CulturalGenocide
#Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
#CorporateColonialism
#WashingtonDC
#PrayerRide
#PeacefulProtest
#FightForReligiousRights
#ChichilBildagoteel -
In conclusion, the interaction between the #1stAmendment and #14thAmendments, along with the changes instigated by the #RFRA, forms a multifaceted legal landscape requiring meticulous #JudicialScrutiny. The #principles of #religiousfreedom and #equalprotection unequivocally #reject the #granting of #exemptions from #antidiscrimination #laws, preserving the #integrity and #coherence of the #Constitution. (7/8)
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Missionaries propagating their faith is not illegal: TN
This was in response to a PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, which sought to declare fraudulent conversion and conversion violative of the fundamental rights of the Constitution.
#TamilNadu #missionaries #conversions #christians #ReligiousFreedom #rights #christianity #constitution #TNGovt #hindutva #india
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Many Anti-Conversion Arrests in UP Defy the Law They Are Based On
While the law categorically states who can be a complainant in such cases, our investigation reveals loopholes.
#UttarPradesh #conversions #christianity #christians #law #ReligiousFreedom #constitution #minorities #hindutva #BJP #VHP #BajrangDal #KisanMorcha #azamgarh #varanasi #TheBible #bible #communalism #video #india
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Christian pastor, wife, arrested in Ghaziabad after mob makes conversion allegations
An activist claimed that the mob ‘created a scene and raised allegations of conversion’ when the pastor and his wife were holding a service.
#ghaziabad #UttarPradesh #christians #christianity #conversions #ReligiousFreedom #BajrangDal #VHP #BJP #hindutva #law #india
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Dalits face massive backlash for temple entries as TN govt fails to protect them
Within a few days after hundreds of Dalits entered the Muthumariamman temple in Thenmudiyanur for the first time on January 30, caste Hindus have unleashed a wave of violence and imposed an economic boycott on them.
#TamilNadu #dalits #dalit #TempleEntry #untouchability #TNGovt #TNPolice #SCST #SCSTAct #caste #casteism #thenmudiyanur #tiruvannamalai #CasteViolence #religion #hinduism #ReligiousFreedom #HumanRights #DMK #india
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Clash breaks out over Dalits offering prayers at Madhya Pradesh Shiva temple
The brawl was allegedly triggered by upper castes using casteist slurs and chasing away a group of Dalit women offering prayers in the temple where they had been denied entry a few days ago.
#MadhyaPradesh #khargone #dalits #balai #TempleEntry #untouchability #shivratri #casteism #brahminism #caste #dalit #gurjars #marathas #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom #hinduism #CasteViolence #india
