Well you could just ask the IRS. After all, they determine religious authenticity all the time. Just try telling them you should be exsmpt because of your religion, and watch how fast they make an administrative ruling on the interpretation of the application of the definition of the 1st Amendment in your case.
The entire purpose of government is to make decision and draw lines. Is it bad if I shoot you dead because I don't like you, but okay if I shout Allahu Akbar first, and claim I'm following my religion?
Grow the hell up, or go play with the morons in the DU sandbox and stop wasting people's time here. If you haven't noticed, our country is under attack, and adults are having a conversation.
“The entire purpose of government is to make decision and draw lines.”
Sorry, but I don’t want the government to have that kind of power.
Islam is a recognized religion, not one I agree with but the threat of Muslim terrorists isn’t nearly so scary to me as a Federal Government with the power to declare wich established religions are legit.
The IRS determination on this issue is largely a subjective analysis - e.g., they verify whether you genuinely hold religious beliefs or whether you are merely purporting to hold such beliefs in order to gain tax advantages. They do not conduct any substantive analysis of the purported religious beliefs themselves.
The entire purpose of government is to make decision and draw lines. Is it bad if I shoot you dead because I don't like you, but okay if I shout Allahu Akbar first, and claim I'm following my religion?
Of course not. Laws against murder (and other crimes) are laws of general applicability that apply regardless of whether the conduct is purportedly done for religious reasons. There is actually Supreme Court caselaw on this issue - not concerning murder, but concerning drug laws. You can't take drugs and then claim that you were doing so because your religion required it, even if such drug use is a real part of your religious beliefs. So, in your example, if Islam "required" you to shoot me dead, your 'right' to shoot me would not be protected by the First Amendment, but your right to believe in Islam would.
Grow the hell up, or go play with the morons in the DU sandbox and stop wasting people's time here. If you haven't noticed, our country is under attack, and adults are having a conversation.
I understand that we are under attack, and I am trying to be part of the conversation. Just because I happen to believe that outright banning Islam is not the solution, and is unconstitutional, does not mean that I need to "[g]row the hell up," nor does it mean I belong on DU.
The IRS determination on this issue is largely a subjective analysis - e.g., they verify whether you genuinely hold religious beliefs or whether you are merely purporting to hold such beliefs in order to gain tax advantages. They do not conduct any substantive analysis of the purported religious beliefs themselves.
The entire purpose of government is to make decision and draw lines. Is it bad if I shoot you dead because I don't like you, but okay if I shout Allahu Akbar first, and claim I'm following my religion?
Of course not. Laws against murder (and other crimes) are laws of general applicability that apply regardless of whether the conduct is purportedly done for religious reasons. There is actually Supreme Court caselaw on this issue - not concerning murder, but concerning drug laws. You can't take drugs and then claim that you were doing so because your religion required it, even if such drug use is a real part of your religious beliefs. So, in your example, if Islam "required" you to shoot me dead, your 'right' to shoot me would not be protected by the First Amendment, but your right to believe in Islam would.
Grow the hell up, or go play with the morons in the DU sandbox and stop wasting people's time here. If you haven't noticed, our country is under attack, and adults are having a conversation.
I understand that we are under attack, and I am trying to be part of the conversation. Just because I happen to believe that outright banning Islam is not the solution, and is unconstitutional, does not mean that I need to "[g]row the hell up," nor does it mean I belong on DU.