Andrey Sebentsov. Contradictions in legislation on freedom of conscience

The peculiarities of the nature of religion and the secular state are such that contradictions between them are inevitable, just as inevitably they are reflected in legislation. A secular state proceeds from a liberal system of values, it puts a person with his rights and freedoms at the center of legislation, and in this system the right of religious communities is only a derivative of human rights to have religious beliefs and freedom to act in accordance with them. Each religion has its own dogmatic value system, in the center of which, as a rule, there is a higher irrational force, and a person occupies a rather modest place. Religion puts the obligation to follow a certain system of rules as the basis of human behavior, deviation from the rules is a sin, guilt before God. In addition, each religion proceeds from its monopoly on the truth, its tolerance for other opinions and behavior is always limited. Religious organizations, whose history is closely connected with the history of the state and the formation of culture, are usually embedded in the social organism, have significant property resources, human potential, influence, and their leaders have high authority, involving them in the political elite of the country.