Where do you draw the line? Human sacrifices used to be a common religious practice, but surely you wouldn’t argue that we shouldn’t force others to conform to the belief that murder is wrong.
Personally I think religious practices that cause actual harm to others deserve no protection. Beliefs are just beliefs, religious or otherwise. If I believe I should be allowed to mutilate others without consequence, no one would defend my right to “practice” my belief; but if it’s part of a longstanding religious tradition it just gets a pass?
Traditions are only as good as the underlying reasons for them. If those have been forgotten or are otherwise no longer relevant, the tradition needs new justification just as any other new idea does.
Where do you draw the line? Human sacrifices used to be a common religious practice, but surely you wouldn’t argue that we shouldn’t force others to conform to the belief that murder is wrong.
Personally I think religious practices that cause actual harm to others deserve no protection. Beliefs are just beliefs, religious or otherwise. If I believe I should be allowed to mutilate others without consequence, no one would defend my right to “practice” my belief; but if it’s part of a longstanding religious tradition it just gets a pass?
Traditions are only as good as the underlying reasons for them. If those have been forgotten or are otherwise no longer relevant, the tradition needs new justification just as any other new idea does.