OPINION: Public transport is no place for forced preaching

There are other appropriate public spaces if the goal is to reach people who need to hear these specific religious messages.

Going home after a long day should not come with the obligation to listen to someone else’s religious preaching.

That issue came up after a Facebook post discussed a security guard allegedly stopping a religious member from preaching inside an MRT-3 train cabin, pushing discussions over whether religious expression should be allowed inside public transportation.

The 1987 Constitution protects the “free exercise and enjoyment” of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, while also prohibiting the establishment of a state religion. The Supreme Court has described this protection as covering both the right to believe and the equal right to practice no religion at all.

That protection, however, does not place religious activity above every rule governing public spaces. The SC has recognized the government’s authority to regulate conduct for public health, safety, peace, order, and general welfare, provided restrictions serve a legitimate public interest and use reasonably necessary means that are not unduly oppressive.

In an MRT-3 cabin, a rule against disruptive or intrusive activities can therefore apply without becoming a ban on religion itself. The passenger remains free to practice their faith, while the other passengers retain their own freedom of conscience, including the freedom not to participate in someone else’s religious activity.

The difference is that a train creates a captive audience, where a passenger who does not want to listen cannot simply walk away without getting off the train and potentially delaying their trip.

Someone heading home after work, a student trying to rest, or a passenger already having a difficult day should not have to choose between enduring an unwanted sermon and leaving the public vehicle.

Some may argue that the “Word of God” should have no boundaries and that there is no wrong place to preach. But if that is the principle, then preaching can happen anywhere else where people voluntarily choose to listen.

If the goal is to reach people who need to hear the message, there are countless public spaces where people can stop, listen, or walk away. A train is different because the audience is already trapped inside a moving space.

The same principle should apply regardless of the religion involved. A Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, atheist, or anyone else should be able to ride public transportation without being treated as an automatic audience for someone else’s beliefs.

Nobody is being asked to give up their faith. It’s all about letting other people have the freedom not to be trapped in forced preaching.

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