SHOULD GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SIT IN JUDGMENT OF THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION OF SACRED TEXTS?
There is one aspect of the State’s case that should truly alarm anyone who values religious freedoms. The State hired a professor of Islamic law to testify that, in his opinion, Mrs. Freeman’s belief in her interpretation of the Qur’an (and that of her spiritual leader and any other Muslims who subscribed to that interpretation) was wrong. In essence, the State seeks to have a judge determine what the “correct” interpretation of a religious text should be. We believe that neither the State nor the courts should have a role in determining a correct, legally approved interpretation of the Bible or any other sacred text. Religious freedom will mean very little if only mainstream religious beliefs, or religious views acceptable to the majority or to a government official, are protected by law. Certainly the states in the cases mentioned above would have been able to find a theologian willing to testify that such interpretation of the Second Commandment was “wrong.” To their credit, those s
Related Questions
- Are ordinary Americans given protection by the state for revealing damning information about government officials involved in corruption?
- ARE DEPOSITIONS BARRED BECAUSE THE PROPOSED DEPONENTS ARE HIGH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS?
- What is the real cause of the buying and selling of favors by government officials?
