Issuepedia:Proposals/Interfaith Treaty

Proposed Terms

We the undersigned declare the following:

• We agree that religious extremism is a problem;
  • that it represents a threat to civilization and to individual safety and happiness;
  • and that such threat is greater than the threat represented by apostasy, atheism, or the beliefs of other religions and sects, so long as those beliefs are not themselves extreme.
• We define religious extremism to include:
  • the advocacy of violence against others whose beliefs are different from one's own
  • the promise of eternal happiness in exchange for committing harm to others
  • any claim that religious law is supreme over secular law, or that believers are entitled to violate secular law if their religion claims this is acceptable
  • any claim that believers of a particular religion are morally superior to believers in another religion solely because of their religious affiliation
  • any claim that believers of a particular religion are entitled to disrespect other individuals solely because they do not believe the same religion
  • any claim that any religious law should be obeyed without regard to the reasonableness of that law, or without consideration for the harm that obeying it might cause

We therefore, unite, and urge our governmental and spiritual leaders to do likewise, in condemning all religiously-based violence and threats, whatever the cause, including:

• The use of deadly force against civilians where no formal state of war exists between the two parties (terrorism)
• Attacks on abortion clinics, or upon those who work there, or upon on women who seek abortions, regardless of the morality of abortion
• Attacks on individuals because of their sexuality, regardless of whether or not you believe non-heterosexual orientation is "sinful" or against God's wishes,
• Attacks on individuals or groups because of their race
• Attacks on individuals or groups because of their religion or beliefs
• Attacks on individuals or groups for any reason not firmly grounded in rational thought
  • ...including justifications solely based on a supposed understanding or interpretation of "God's will"

...where we define "attack" to mean any kind of physical violence or harm, or threat of same.