I need a few ideas on why the Freedom of the Press is more important to democracy than Freedom of Religion? pleez hurry cauze the paper is due tuesday!!!
Both are good. But Freedom of the Press or Free speech allows our voices to be heard. We can express our view in newspapers and books. We can make speeches and have other people hear different ideas. With new ideas and points of view, society can grow and get stronger.
Freedom of the press allows criticism of the government. You can't effectively organize and push for change if the government is allowed to suppress those voices. Look at China - they have a good amount of freedom of religion (not counting the oppression of Tibet), but not freedom of the press. It's the later that suppresses democratic movements and keeps the Communist party in charge. Look at Israel and India - they have freedom of the press, but religious tolerance isn't exactly that high (even if they're supposedly free to practice any religion). Their stance on religion occasionally interferes with democratic values, but the open press allows the citizens to educate themselves and vote in different leadership.
