a rights based society is something we can tweak because rights are human creations, and there's no such thing as god. so, i'll argue for more rights to fresh air and clean water, and less rights to religious beliefs or property. this is ultimately all arbitrary, and subject merely to the shifting popular consensus, and who can get an idea legislated or not; natural rights theory is complete bullshit.

but, one of the very few rights that everybody agrees with is voting rights, which are also a conscience right. what that means is that we all have the right to vote for whatever and whoever we want for whatever reasons we want, and it's not up to anybody at all to second guess that - that is a conscience right, and it's absolute.

now, you can tell me my support for environmental rights is in conflict with your support for property rights, and we can fight over that - it's a legitimate conflict of rights. i think sustainability is more important than property. you can be wrong and disagree, if you want. let's fight. that's politics.

but, voting rights vs religious rights is not an actual rights conflict in the same way, or really at all, because your so-called religious rights are designed with the purpose of infringing on the rights of others.

i'm an atheist, and i don't want to vote for a religious person, and i'm not going to, and that's a rights issue because it's an issue of conscience. the opposite argument - that not voting for somebody because they're religious is some kind of rights violation - would be to erect the right to be voted for, which is ridiculous. that's not a right, that's an entitlement, and one that can only be entertained in a society where the balance towards religious rights is too great, and needs to be pulled back on. i mean, the premise that this is even an issue that is up for debate is preposterous.

so, i'm not going to be brow beaten on this.

i don't believe in god, and i don't want to vote for people that do, and you have no say in the matter - that is an issue of conscience, and an absolute right on my behalf.