Religious Tolerance

[Dystopia]

Religious tolerance, such a controversial topic... You see, if religious people kept their beliefs to themselves and didn't try to dictate public/legislative decisions I wouldn't give a damn about them - Sure, I may not agree with them, but still I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. If the catholic church stop trying to hint the state on legislating X or Y I would be a lot happier.

I respect the right people have to believe, after all I'm a law student and I reckon freedom of religion is one of the fundamental pillars of society, it's an essential right, people need to be able to believe as much as we atheists are able to not believe, IMO freedom of religion, to either believe or not is sacred (not in a religious sense, but in a constitutional/legal one) - I also respect the fact people think differently from me, I respect that there are people out there who believe in god unlike me and I'm not forcing my disbelief in gods on them.

Do I respect their beliefs? That's an entirely different question. I accept them and tolerate them, but respect is a too strong word to describe my feeling towards. I am legally able to criticize religious beliefs and that's not an infringement upon others' rights, in fact they are just as able as me to make critics, they can criticize my atheism if they wish to - My critics never go in the way of banning religion or restricting individual liberties.

Regardless, I would never agree on banning religion or legislating restrictions (unless strictly necessary) on the right parents have to educate and teach their knowledge to children.

I plan to become a judge and I would, no doubt about it, decide in favour of someone's right to believe/to worship if I felt like it was being violated, even if the adversary was an atheist/secularist - Impartiality - And I'm saying all this as an anti-theist.

EDIT - Hey polaris don't bring up the Marxist governments' bullshit - They were most certainly not secular but anti-theistic, and a very strong anti-theism I must say - They killed people because communism as any political ideology has dogmas - At most that will prove communism kills if it is implemented by force, therefore if any society ever becomes communist it should be done trough democracy. If Stalin was a Christian, do you think it would be fair to blame atrocities on Christianity?