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Bill: Lex Matinia de Libertatis Religione

Details

Submitted by[?]: Factio Republicana Socialistica

Status[?]: passed

Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.

Voting deadline: May 4482

Description[?]:

Matinian Law on the Religion of Liberty,

Senators,

As the Republican Party has often emphasized, a Republic can only last if it is sustained by a civil religion dedicated to liberty. Liberty cannot be attained or maintained without religious men and women, as liberty requires a spirit of sacrifice and those that live according to their own interests let others sacrifice themselves on their behalf. Charity is an essential element of patriotism, and as such a good Hosian cannot but be a good citizen. But a good citizen need not be a good Hosian, and indeed countless Selucians of various faiths have, throughout history, shown their commitment to the religion of liberty without being committed Hosians. Some will object that a religion of liberty is not a true religion, as it is not based on revelation and belief in a transcendental God. Others will object that there is no need to see devotion to a moral ideal as religion . But in the Republic self-sacrificing commitment to the ideal of liberty is our civil religion. It is thus time to enshrine the religion of liberty in our very laws.

We have said this many times: religion is good for society. It leads to greater altruism and greater self-sacrifice, thus creating better citizens. But the benefits of religions are undermined by sectarianism; when some religious groups see themselves as special they disrupt civil order and undermine patriotism. To counter sectarianism we must adopt a universal public religion, the religion of liberty, consistent with the ethical core of all religions and to which all citizens can subscribe regardless of their religious beliefs, and which will channel religious passions into public virtues. The religion of liberty will lead to the empowerment of our religions, not for the sake of religion, but for the sake of Republican citizenship, making the subjects to the Republic's laws better citizens, whatever their personal religious faith may be. The religion of liberty is both patriotic and non-sectarian, socially uplifting and intellectually respectable, and is respectful of citizens of all faiths practiced in Selucia as well as those that practice none.

On these grounds we propose that the Republic continue to promote and defend all religions in Selucia, while also recognizing that not all ostensibly religious organizations provide social benefits. To that end we propose the classification of religious organizations into three categories: officially recognized religious societies, confessional communities, and cults. Each will have distinct rights and responsibilities, as outlined below:

I) In order to be recognized as a religious society a religious group must have a membership equaling 0.3% of Selucia's population and have been present in Selucia in an organized form for at least 20 years, or must have been active internationally for at least 100 years and have been present in Selucia in an organized form for at least 10 years. Religious societies shall benefit from all privileges and rights granted under law to "religions" or "recognized religions".

II) Religious organizations that do not meet the criteria necessary for recognition as religious societies shall be classified as confessional communities. In order to be recognized as a confessional community an organization must submit a statute describing the rights and obligations of its members as well as a written version of its religious doctrine, which must be distinct from that of any previously recognized religious society or confessional community. The Ministry of Education and Culture shall determine whether the confessional community's beliefs and practices violate public order and security, public health and morals, and the rights and freedoms of citizens. Confessional communities shall have legal personality necessary to purchase real estate in its own name and contract goods and services, but shall not qualify for the rights and privileges granted to religious societies.

III) Religious organizations deemed by the Ministry of Education and Culture to violate public interest under the criteria outlined in Article II) shall be considered cults. Any organization classified as a cult shall have its activities restricted, shall be closely monitored by the government, and shall not qualify for any of the rights and privileges granted to religious societies and confessional communities. Additionally the Ministry of Education and Culture shall take steps to educate the population on the risks and dangers posed by cults.

IV) Pursuant to Articles I and IV of the Bill of Rights (http://classic.particracy.net/viewbill.php?billid=577421) no individual's rights and freedoms shall be arbitrarily restricted based on their affiliation to any religious society, confessional community, or cult.

Benedictus Matinius Epimachus
Senator

Proposals

Debate

These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:

Date12:02:26, November 08, 2018 CET
FromFactio Unitatis Patriae
ToDebating the Lex Matinia de Libertatis Religione
MessageSenators,

We welcome this law proposal as it provides us with the ability to officially categorise religions and differentiate between those that play a really important part in our everyday lives such as Hosianism while clamping down on those that practices that, frankly, should be frowned upon.

However, it is only fair for me to tell our colleagues that if this passes we will use the articles of this law - particularly Articles II and III - to push for Religio Seluciana to be downgraded to cult status. We believe the pagan rituals and practices of Religio Seluciana do violate public order, public health and morals, and the rights and freedoms of citizens. Therefore, it should have its activities restricted and closely monitored by the government.

Quintus Viridius Fabianus
Senator; Party Leader

Date12:58:18, November 08, 2018 CET
FromFactio Republicana Socialistica
ToDebating the Lex Matinia de Libertatis Religione
MessageSenators,

For one, the Religio quite obviously qualifies for the criteria under Article I and can thus be recognized as a religious society. But if a future Minister of Education will attempt to classify the Religio as a cult, they must be prepared to defend their assessment in front of the Supreme Court. Only an overly broad interpretation of Articles II and III could possibly be construed to render the Religio a threat to the public interest, overstepping the boundaries set under the current law and abusing the discretion granted by the Senate to the executive under this proposal. If necessary the Republican Party will be prepared to defend the Religio's status as a religious society in front of the highest court of the land. Hopefully it will not come to this.

Benedictus Matinius Epimachus
Senator

Date13:34:43, November 08, 2018 CET
FromFactio Unitatis Patriae
ToDebating the Lex Matinia de Libertatis Religione
MessageSenators,

We too would be prepared to go to the highest court in the land to state our case. We believe in all cases Article III will override Article I. Whether the religious organisation has 10 or 10 million followers if it is in violation of public interest this will deem it a cult. If a future Education and Culture Minister fails to see how the ritualistic orgies, sacrifices and other sordid practices of Religio are in breach of the parameters on security, public health and morals then we would have to challenge that decision in the Supreme Court.

Quintus Viridius Fabianus
Senator; Party Leader

Date15:50:30, November 08, 2018 CET
FromFactio Republicana Socialistica
ToDebating the Lex Matinia de Libertatis Religione
MessageSenators,

Then perhaps Senator Fabianus should also propose to classify Ahmadism, Hosianism, and Yeudism as cults under the same criteria. All these religions, especially Ahmadism and Yeudism, practice ritual slaughter, which is effectively a form of animal sacrifice. As for "ritualistic orgies" and "other sordid practices", perhaps a thorough investigation would convince Senator Fabianus not to base his arguments on stereotypes and hearsay. These are old libels against the Cultus Deorum that have no basis in practice and originate from ancient politically motivated canards against the Religio as practiced by the lower classes. One would think that after millennia of coexistence these old myths would have died out. Sadly it looks like in the 45th century this is still not the case.

Benedictus Matinius Epimachus
Senator

Date18:00:35, November 08, 2018 CET
FromFactio Unitatis Patriae
ToDebating the Lex Matinia de Libertatis Religione
MessageSenators,

Senator Epimachus is quite right to wonder why "the old myths" have not died out. I can only say that there's no smoke without fire.

We may attempt to ignore it for the sake of tradition, but we all know that not only animal but human... yes, human sacrifice still takes places in the name of Religio! Particularly amongst the uneducated or in the remote, rural communities where no one can hear you scream and the community closes ranks when the police investigate disappearances or possible abductions. Add to this the forced and violent sexual practices that form part of the secretive rituals of Religio and I believe one can see the stark differences between this and most other religious organisations presently classified as recognised.

Quintus Viridius Fabianus
Senator; Party Leader

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