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Waiting for some wacko group to claim the following: "Our faith believes in the eternal bond of Love; specifically that soulmates are not only reincarnated, but destined to draw towards one another throughout an infinite number of lifetimes. For this reason we disagree that age can be a qualifier when determining the eligibility of marriage and subsequent coitus. Selecting a child bride at the park may thus be a necessary -- and natural -- means of rekindling intimate bonds from previous lifetimes. It matters not that we're "getting 'em before the hair does," as these bonds transcend both written and oral history themselves. We are The Great Link; we are timeless."
Spoiler
It's going to be tricky, isn't it? I've never seen a more poorly thought-out law.
You're missing the point of the Indiana law. People can use their religious beliefs as a defense to criminal and civil rights prosecutions. So if someone conducts a religious ceremony while nude in the town square and is arrested for violating public nudity laws, they will be able to defend themselves by saying it's part of their religion. Presumably the same is true of drug laws, plural marriage, slavery, etc.
I believe the moral of this story is, be careful what you wish for, because someday you may get it.
Like I said, go for it. The courts will handle the cases if people disagree. That makes a free country.
Here are examples of religions:
Christianity - Protestant
Christianity - Catholic/Orthodox
Judaism
Islam
Mormonism
That's it.
Wicca, Buddhism etc are not faiths..they are simply philosophy and people playing dress up and running around in the forest.
They are not subject to religious freedom laws because they aren't religions.
Some buddist call Buddhism a philosophy, some more.
Wicca is a neopagan religion. It is not a philosophy. It is built on ancient roots which predate christianity by a thousands of years. There is a deity who his invited to the circle, or a dual deity, of God and Godess, depending on the variety. Buddhism has never claimed a deity though some will make Buddha a near god.
The honoring and worshipt of the mother godess goes back to the neolithic. My personal Godess symbol is a Mutt figure, and mine I made myself from clay. They were found first in the first long term settlements of neolithic tribes.
Buddhism is in fact an important part of MANY religions. Tibetan Buddhism - remember the Dalai Lama? Pure Land Buddhism. There are a ton.
Buddhism per se is not a religion, but it is incorporated into literally hundreds of religions which then identify themselves as "Buddhist".
I am a Buddhist who does not practice religion, but I am vastly outnumbered by Buddhists in the world who DO practice it as a religion.
You have missed a ton of religions. These include:
Hinduism - there are over a billion Hindus in the world. How you managed to miss that one, I'll never know. It has several offshoots, including Hare Krishnas.
Buddhism - and all of its hundreds of sects and religions
Taoism
Shintoism
Jainism
Various forms of neo-paganism (NOT the same as Wiccan)
Wiccan, btw
Rastafarianism
Sikhism
Greek Orthodox
Russian Orthodox
Confucianism
Bahai
Voudun
Asatru - based on the original Norse religion destroyed by early xtians
Falun Gong - based on Qi Gong, a Chinese meditation practice
Bon - an offshoot of Tibetan Buddhism, trying to get closer to the original animistic religion as practiced in Tibet before it incorporated Buddhism
Zoroastrianism - founded around 1000 years before the founding of xtianity, and represented today by 2 main sects, the Parsi who emigrated to India around the 7th Century CE, and the Irani, who emigrated into the same areas around the 18th century.
Umbanda
Aladura
Candomble
Cao Dai, a melding of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism
Druze
Deism
Coptic Christianity
Gnosticism - several sects persisting or recreated in the present day
Unitarian Universalism
Not to mention thousands of tribal, aboriginal, and folk religions practiced by hundreds of millions of indigenous peoples all over the world.
Oh yes, and Satanism. It IS a religion. Personally I've always felt a bit sorry for Lucifer, the bright angel who allegedly fell. Based on the Prometheus legend of course. EVERY religion has a being like Prometheus in its pantheon and mythology, its no wonder it appears in Christian mythology as well.
OH MY STARS AND LITTLE HOPPY TOADS! How could I forget?
PASTAFARIANISM!
I prostrate myself before His Noodly Appendages and beg forgiveness of our Tentacle-y Overlord!
He Boiled For Your Sins!
Carbo Diem!
Last edited by NeonGecko; 04-03-2015 at 04:12 PM..
Slight correction to the above list: Greek Orthodoxy, Russian Orthodoxy, and the other ethnic versions of Eastern Orthodoxy are all the same religion, worship in the same way, and believe the same things. There are sects that don't share communion with the mainstream orthodox churches for one reason or the other, but they're the exception to the rule.
Aren't the use of certain illegal herbs like marijuana already legal for American Indians in their religious ceremonies and haven't they been so for a very long time? ?
If the Wiccans want to run around nude in a religious ceremony they can but they may be denied floral arrangements, cakes, and photography, for the event.
Part of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed by Clinton and supported by Schumer and Ted Kennedy, was to allow Indians the use of mescaline (hallucinogenic drug) in accord with their traditions.
I think the law only allows hot Wiccans to go nude.
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