...but religion gets to promote itself whenever and wherever it wants.

It's in there now.

that have nothing whatsoever to do with real religious freedom. In fact, when I see a bill with that kind of title, I know it's going to be a Religious Freedom for Me but Not for You Act. Happens all the time.

And to require participation in their religion by their employees

If I am looking for goods and services, I often see small businesses use the fish symbol to advertise their Christian beliefs on signs, web sites, or business cards. I suppose the fish is less blatant than a cross or crucifix.

While these folks think that the fish is telling me that they are an honest merchant with devine integrity, the message I now see is much different.

If you put a Christian symbol on your brand, what I see is an arrogant attempt monetize faith. As a non-believer, I feel unwelcome. My instinct tells me to take my business elsewhere.

Some of my worst consumer experiences have been with "Christian" businesses.

There is a local plumbing company that uses the fish, as well as three crosses on their signage. This place has been around for decades. Wouldn't even think of using their services. Of course, they probably don't want my business as a gay atheist anyway.

For example, I took my car into an auto repair place that had a fish in its window. It wouldn't start sometimes. So, I went back to pick it up and they billed me for a new starter. OK. I paid the bill. When I got home, I looked at the car, which I should have done while I was there. The old starter, still oily and dirty, was right there, still on the engine. They had, however, cleaned the cable end and post on the starter. I could see that, since both were clean as a whistle. They didn't replace the starter, but charged me for a new one.

So, I went back and pointed out the oily, dirty starter to the shop owner. "Is that what the new starters you buy at the parts house look like?" "Well, er, uh..." After a brief argument and a reference by me to the state organization that deals with auto repair facilities, I got a refund. for the cost of the new starter, minus the cost of cleaning the cable.

Nice Christian guy, that owner.

was a primary advantage that helped establish "angry god" religions all over the world. Before there were modern nation states to regulate social norms, and in particular to regulate commerce, religious signalling provided the basis for trust relations between strangers, even distant strangers. It allowed for commerce across vast distances, with trust relationships initiated first by religious affiliation, (and enforced by an angry god). Religious signalling for trust relations is still used in parts of the world where government is too corrupt/weak/nonexistent.

Its use now in functioning secular societies is primarily to divide people.

People who practice Christianity and pray in their closets, as Jesus reportedly advised, will probably have no issues in China, I'd think. Beyond that, China allows freedom not to worship all religions equally, I believe. It's not big on any sort of opposition to Chinese policies, though, regardless of the beliefs that underlie that opposition.

I've never been to China, though, so I haven't seen any of that at first hand. I work with a man who fled China after the Tienanmen Square massacre. He is an atheist, but no longer felt safe there, on political grounds. His parents still live in Beijing, though, so he travels there about once a year. He's now a naturalized US Citizen.

I think the damn Protestants hate EVERYONE. I think SATAN is their leader because these people love to HATE. These same people are the HERD of the GOP where EVIL and HATE thrives. I am so glad my parents were NOT Protestants...I think it will take EVOLUTION for these people to lose their HATE and EVIL genetics........

The majority of Catholic votes in 2016 went to Trump. Was that due to something other than hatred? And Protestants don't have "evil genetics", either. Most of them are indoctrinated in early childhood, using the exact same methods most other religions use.

The original, pure Christianity exists somewhere out there in the Realm of Ideal Forms. It was exiled there by the small minority of Southern white male "fake" Christians who perverted this progenitor religion of rainbows, lollipops, and kumbayas into the hateful, anachronistic screed we all know today.

It's a myth we tell ourselves because we're afraid that if we tell the truth, the minority of Christians who vote with us will forget their liberal sensibilities and run straight into the (un)welcoming arms of the GOP.

"I shall now abandon my commitment to equal rights, economic justice, reproductive freedom, and progressivism! FreeRepublic here I come! #MAGA"

Multiple people have tried to invoke the existence of a person like that in order to silence atheist opinions on DU. Do they think everyone is stupid?

...who needs Republicans?

Satan is a minor league player in the evil stakes if you read the bible.

to encounter and be exposed to beliefs and/or the non-beliefs that are different from mine whether they be Jewish, Coptic, Atheist, Muslim, Pagans, Sikhs, etc.

I think it's important to experience and explore our differences so we can learn more about each other and what each of us hold dear, and to celebrate areas of commonality. I would also hope that my faith isn't so weak that I would be afraid to engage with someone who holds different and/or opposing views...rather, I would hope my faith would encourage me to reach out.

Anyway, just my thoughts on this.

Thank you for posting - wishing you well and peace!

Tim

I'm glad to hear that's your approach.