Who Has Authority Over Your Personal Freedom?

Who has authority over you? This is the basic question lying beneath “Freedom From Bad Bible Bullies.”

Why focus on the question of authority?

Religion Ties You Back

Religion is fundamentally about authority. The word religion means “tied back.” 

Every religion makes particular authority claims over people who are part of the religion. Different religions make different authority claims. The claims range from very strong claims of authority to minimal claims.

The key point is that every religion makes its own authority claims over those who profess to be part of the religion. If you are willing to be part of a religion, you willingly surrender some of your personal freedom to the authority of that religion. Read more…