February 2012
More history of the move to insure freedom of faith
In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18 was introduced. It stated, " Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have a religion or whatever belief of his ( her) choice."
In 1966 the UN passed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights expanding the prior statement. It included the following:
1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his (her) choice, and freedom either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his (her) religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his (her) freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his (her) choice.
3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or belief may be subject only to such limitations as are prescibed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians, to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.
Here are some examples of the struggle for freedom of faith:
USA-Tim Dalrymple of World magazine (2/11/12) writes:
"2012 began with a bang for defenders of religious liberties. The Supreme Court issued on Jan. 11 a surprisingly robust defense of the right of churches to hire and fire ministers without government interference. Even in cases where an employee's responsibilities are only marginally ministerial, the court affirmed a "ministerial exemption" from federal, state, and local employment anti-discimination laws. The First Amendment implies, the court held, that religious communities should be free to choose who will represent their beliefs and carry forth their mission."
China-Chinese officials broke a 20-month silence about the fate of prominent dissident and Christian attorney Gao Zhisheng: Authorities said the human-rights activist was alive and imprisoned in a remote area of western China. It was bittersweet news. Gao's family feared he was dead, but now they face a new heartbreak: Authorities say the activist will spend another 3 years in jail for violating his probation. Police first arrested Gao in 2006 for "subversion of state power" after the attorney publicly exposed abuses of Christians and other religious minorities. He remained under house arrest until 2009, when police detained him without explanation. Gao resurfaced in March 2010 but disappeared a month later. His family hadn't heard from him since.
Commentary
This past year has seen several nations in the middle east go through enormous change as governments toppled and crowds persisted in demanding change. Each situation is unique. Syria is now locked in such a struggle. Other nations wonder how to respond. But, one issue that is not receiving much attention is freedom of faith. We are getting hints that much of the change is causing harm to minority faith communities. The media insists that these changes are repressed people clammering for their rightful freedoms. But, in the end, it appears that repression of thought and the free exercise of faith are actually being reduced. We need to probe those providing reports as to the results on the free expression of faith.
