It never ceases to amaze me how some people think they have the right to preach their religion to me when I never asked to hear it. In our quest to be tolerant in our society, we have allowed some people to take religious freedom to obscene extremes. I’m all for freedom of religion. I spent 21 years in a military uniform – supposedly for this and other freedoms. But freedom of religion includes freedom from religion. Non-belief is as valid as any other belief.
As an atheist and citizen who respects the rights of others, I do not stand in a public square and intrude on the personal space and civil liberties of others by screaming my belief systems at them. Nor do I throw insults at complete strangers who are simply walking down the street. That’s right. I said insults.
The idea that I am a sinner, or unworthy, or somehow flawed is a Paleolithic concept that I personally am not burdened with. But for someone else to tell me that I am is an attack on my character, plain and simple.
In light of the fact that those who would call me a sinner are using the word as a derogative, it matters not what my definition of it is. To stand in a public place and accuse others of being a sinner is, fundamentally, no different than accusing them of being a whore or some other insulting term. A pejorative is a pejorative.
If someone were standing on the street screaming at people, they could – and should – be arrested and jailed. But if they’re screaming their religion, we somehow think this is acceptable. Well, it’s not. It’s not acceptable at all. It is an invasion of my personal space and privacy and a verbal assault. Why do I have to tolerate someone’s obnoxious and abusive behavior just because they claim the religious right to act so?
My spiritual beliefs are a personal and private matter no different than my sex life. No one has the right to confront me, on the street, about my sex life. And no one should be allowed to accost me on the corner – or the entrance to the EMU – about my belief systems either.
What is, or is not, in my heart is none of your damn business.
Mitchell Elder is a digital arts major at the University