What Freedom of Religion Really Means

By: American Decency Staff

A U.S. government panel has listed 13 countries that are guilty of anti-religious freedom practices and urged the President to take action. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom was established under the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. Its purpose is to ensure “that freedom of religion and belief are an integral part of the United States' foreign policy and national security agendas.â€ÂÂ  The commission is made up of a bipartisan group of presidents and directors of various organizations representing different religious backgrounds. One function of this commission is its yearly report, which is submitted to the President and other heads of state. The report highlights the various countries that practice the most egregious violations of freedom of religion and suggests possible U.S. policy action toward these nations. This year’s report added 5 “countries of particular concernâ€Â to last year’s 8. Here are some excerpts from the reports regarding the individual nations. Burma – The State Peace, and Development Council (SPDC), the military junta governing Burma, remains one of the world’s worst human rights violators. The SPDC severely restricts religious practice, monitors the activity of all religious organizations, and perpetrates violence against religious leaders and communities, particularly in ethnic minority areas. In the past year, the SPDC has engaged in severe violations of the freedom of religion and belief including: the arrest, mistreatment, and harassment of Buddhist monks who participated in peaceful demonstrations in 2007 or are suspected of antigovernment activity; the severe repression and forced relocation of the Rohingya Muslim minority; the banning of independent Protestant “house churchâ€Â activities; and the abuses, including forced labor, relocations, and destruction of religious sites, against ethnic minority Protestants…In 2007, a Christian pastor was arrested for writing a letter to General Than Shwe, the chief of the military junta, urging an end to the persecution of Christians. North Korea – The Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK or North Korea) is one of the world’s most repressive regimes. Severe religious freedom abuses occur regularly, including: surveillance, discrimination, and harassment of both authorized and unauthorized religious activity; the arrest, torture, and possible execution of those conducting clandestine religious activity…The government controls most aspects of daily life, including religious activity, which is allowed only in government-operated religious “federationsâ€Â or a small number of government-approved “house churches.â€Â Iran – The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused. Iran is a constitutional, theocratic republic that discriminates against its citizens on the basis of religion or belief. During the past year, the Iranian government’s poor religious freedom record deteriorated, especially for religious minorities such as Baha’is, Christians and Sufi Muslims, and physical attacks, harassment, detention, arrests, and imprisonment intensified. That really makes you think of the religious oppression we face here in the United States doesn’t it? Isn’t it terrible that some non-Christians have to drive down the highway and see a cross on the side of the road? Or the Ten Commandments by a courthouse? Or that our president would have to promote a National Day of Prayer? Ironic as it may be, the recent court cases regarding the National Day of Prayer (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10041508.html)   and the Mojave Cross (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/28/high-court-supports-mojave-cross-calif) are no joke. When you hold these cases up to real religious oppression they become ridiculous. The example of these countries show exactly what the First Amendment was designed to guard against: government tampering with the religious views of its citizens. In short, “wall of separation between church and stateâ€Â is supposed to protect freedom of religion, NOT freedom from religion. As these recent cases show, the government – the courts in particular – have been doing the opposite. The courts have not backed down from making decisions on precisely religious cases, and that is a huge violation of the boundaries placed on government by the Constitution. However, even as we hold our own cases up to the travesties committed in these countries, we have to remember that these aren’t just scary stories from far away lands. We don’t want to exploit the suffering that takes place in these countries.  The persecuted church needs prayer and support from its brothers and sisters in the more civilized world.  We need to make sure that our government does what it can to dissuade these oppressive regimes from its horrendous treatment of Christians and other religions.  One great place to learn more about Christian persecution is the Voice of the Martyrs website, www.persecution.com. =============================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference! Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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