The concept of freedom changes with time and space. At this moment, our species is standing at a crossroad of history, where individual liberty, freedom of expression, conscience, and belief have become a very important part of our continuation. We are demanding equal rights regardless of sex, gender, class, race – you name it. We, the secular community, are challenging freedom for all, which is the greatest demand of our time.
To me, the most challenging aspects of religion are not all the discriminating rules ingrained in it. We hear these rules all the time: the Bible commands Christians to kill homosexuals. Islam allows men to marry 4 women at a moment in time, you can kill the apostates. The Hindu religion says women are of inferior quality than cows.
But I accept, from a historical point of view, that these rules and notions might have been more acceptable in a specific time and space. I think what is more problematic is that religion, especially today’s world religions, demand that those rules defined in scriptures are never to be altered or challenged– they are fixed for eternity, they are anticipated to be applied to all societies, at all times as part of the divine order.
Keynote at 2017 Secular Conference 2017: Freedom of Expression and Conscience
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