The Right to Practice Your Religion: European Legislation and the Origin of Religious Beliefs

What is it about?

Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights makes a sharp distinction between religious beliefs and the manifestation of religious beliefs in worship, teaching, practice and observance. This is a distinction that might work well for orthodoxic religions such as Christianity, but it works badly for orthopraxic religions such as Islam. As a result a number of practices have been banned which helps Muslims establish and maintain their faith. Arguments from the phenomenology of cognition allow us to conclude that religious practices precede religious beliefs. We are not participating in religious rituals because we believe, but we believe because we participate in religious rituals.

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