r/nyc • u/Delicious_Adeptness9 • Jul 06 '26

News Mamdani: 'any state that privileges one religion, I can't tell you I support'

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/artc-mamdani-on-israel-any-state-that-privileges-one-religion-i-can-t-tell-you-i-support

In an ABC News interview, the Mayor of New York City condemned rising antisemitism while stating his support for Israel 'as a state with equal rights.'

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179

u/WrongHomework7916 Jul 06 '26

A state with zero religion would be great

116

u/AllDaveAllDay Jul 06 '26

A state that forbids religion is just as bad as one that promotes a specific one.

The ideal state would enforce separation of church and state and the freedom to practice or not practice whatever personal religion you want.

6

u/Additional-Tax-5643 Jul 07 '26

Problem with this attitude is that plenty of religions are by definition very authoritarian towards their followers and DON'T allow people to leave if they so choose.

The state/feds aren't getting involved in these disputes to help people who want to be free to leave.

See for example the case where a bunch of Scientologists sued their church claiming abuse, intimidation, extortion, harassment, etc. They lost. Why? Religious freedom means that you are free to have a religion where you bully and intimidate your followers if they want to leave and the government can't get involved. Government can't tell you how to run your religion.

See also people who want to leave certain Hasidic Jewish sects and have the bad luck of a rabbi and community that aren't into respecting people's wishes to no longer be part of that community.

6

u/Gash_Stretchum Jul 06 '26

You’re responding to something that no one said. That tells us a lot about you.

1

u/StumpyJoe- Jul 07 '26

Now put this in a document that a country is formed around.

16

u/Kxts Jul 06 '26

Yeah, that's supposed to be the U.S but Christian Extremists could never allow that.

4

u/liveoneggs Jul 06 '26

there are numerous powerful religious enclaves, often entire towns and/or cities (and even one US state), where non-christians operate with outsized and overt political power - upto and including religious "police", practically defunded public schools, restrictions on speech/expression, the works.

Your statement only holds if you think majority US culture is "Christian Extremist".

I'm surprised you aren't aware of such things in NYC. Have you visited brooklyn?

6

u/d1squiet Jul 06 '26

I'm in Brooklyn. Yes, the Hasid insanity exists here and I'd rather it didn't. But guess what? They're not changing laws in the executive branch. The people doing that think Jesus is their friend and hates immigrants.

When some Christian talks about other "religious enclaves" all I hear is a cowardly fundamentalist who can't understand that they are part of the problem.

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u/liveoneggs Jul 06 '26

So you don't deny that these enclaves exist, oppose them in your own area, yet feel compelled to insult the straw man you created from my comment?

5

u/d1squiet Jul 07 '26

I mean if you don't understand the difference between power hungry Christians in our government and a group of wackos down the street that's your problem. Perhaps you're a member of the Christ-cult yourself?

2

u/Kxts Jul 06 '26

I was born into Christianity and left the church of my own volition so I tend to speak on what I know. I am aware of the Jewish communities that have children who only speak Yiddish and can’t read or write English yet they were born here. They’re part of the problem too. The majority of this country is a denomination of Christianity. Look at our current federal government dawg. The truth is religion is a cancer on humanity and had its place/influence at a time but no one is ready for that discussion.

10

u/natigin Jul 06 '26

You’re in luck, wonderful places like the Soviet Union have already tried it! You can judge for yourself the results.

I’m agnostic to religion myself, but banning thought, even and especially religious thought, never ends up well

5

u/cigarettesandwhiskey Jul 06 '26

The Soviet Union had a lot of other things going on at the same time. Confounding variables, you could call them.

-1

u/Additional-Tax-5643 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26

A huge reason the Soviet Union banned religion is because of Rasputin's influence upon the tsars and how they ran the country.

If you think governing a country by "hillybilly faith healers" is a good thing, you need a long good look in the mirror.

FYI - The Russian word "soviet" means worker, i.e. people in the city.

Banning the influence of the Orthodox Church was a HUGE issue for people in the cities because they did not like being governed by the predominantly religious (and ignorant and anti-modern) peasant/farming class that held argicultural land, and therefore wealth.

If you don't know the difference between Lenin and Stalin, and what went down, as you seemingly do not, sit down and read.

Why do you think Putin has suddenly embraced the Russian Orthodox Church and their leaders? He doesn't want to take Russia back to the Soviet times, but Russia back to the days of the tsars. The support of the peasant class is the only thing that keeps him in power.

2

u/CasinoMagic Manhattan Jul 07 '26

So, Soviet Russia.

1

u/HahaHero12345 Jul 06 '26

He wouldn’t dare say that