Religious freedom has become an essential feature of modern secular democracies.  Yet like any core value of society, it is in a process of evolution and needs to be revisited, at various times as the life of a society unfolds.  This is particularly necessary at this time in the light of issues raised by religious fundamentalism and extremism and particularly, the Islamic version.

In many of the Western democracies such as ours, freedom of religion was developed in the light of the diversity within Christianity.  Yet there was a stage when, not necessarily fully articulated but assumed, it was freedom for people to practice their particular Christian beliefs.

In our society, multiculturalism has changed the face of what religious freedom means.  The current version of religious freedom seems to assume that we are all free to practice our religious beliefs, because the truth or otherwise of those beliefs is not essential to the healthy functioning of the society.  This is no longer the case as we are seeing with the impact of Islamic extremism.

The barbarity that we see before our eyes in the violence of the Islamic State in the Middle East, Nigeria and, recently, the Sydney siege and the execution in Paris of staff of the satirical paper `Charlie Hebdo’, is rightly condemned by many world leaders, including religious leaders.  Yet the truth of the matter is that many religions have barbaric teachings.  Christianity and Islam in particular, teach that people who do not follow their way or understanding of God’s truth, ultimately go to hell forever.  In ultimate terms this is far more barbaric than loss of life in this world, yet does not seem to be treated as such.

If we are to be a truly healthy society and a cohesive community, we need to change the way we see religious freedom and the responsibilities expected of people who benefit from it.  Each religion in our society, in order to benefit from the freedoms that we so cherish, should be expected to openly state their fundamental beliefs and to include in those statements what they believe about those who do not believe as they do and the consequences of this has for a healthy society.

It seems somewhat hypocritical for Christians and Muslims to speak of peace and the God of love and their commitment to the Australian community or many other similar nations, and programs such as ‘I will ride with you’ evoking strong emotional responses, when at last analysis many of us are going to hell for ever.