Religious Liberty Lays Basis for Universal Human Rights, Say Faith Leaders
Among the human rights abuses of genocide, human trafficking and the displaced, religious liberty was labeled by Christian and other faith leaders as the ''first freedom'' that lays the basis for all other human rights.
Among the human rights abuses of genocide, human trafficking and the displaced, religious liberty was labeled by Christian and other faith leaders as the "first freedom" that lays the basis for all other human rights.
"Religious freedom is really the first freedom," Nina Shea, director of Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom, said during a bipartisan conference on human rights Tuesday. "It's a prerequisite to other freedoms."
"At the core of religious freedom is respect," explained Shea as she placed human rights as the first before any other freedom. “Those who are deeply committed to ... religious freedom also are deeply tolerant.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
“It's far more than worship and it has an important individual dimension part of the congregation."
Shea introduced the issue of religious liberty during a human rights discussion at Georgetown University, where she served as moderator to the panel with speakers Dr. Richard Land, president of Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
"There is a basic, bedrock, nonpartisan, bipartisan, polypartisan commitment to basic human rights among Americans," said Land. "And certainly foremost among those is the right to religious freedom - the first freedom."
All three panelists have either served or are currently serving in the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, now in its sixth year of operation, monitoring and promoting the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief throughout the world.
"Whenever religious freedom is being denied, whenever religious freedom is being abused, ... it is a dangerous signal that there are other severe problems in the society," said Land.
Bipartisan Efforts
The Southern Baptist stressed action that has been taken on a bipartisan level where joint efforts are made in a universal concern for human rights.
"We disagree about virtually everything," said Land in referring to the two political parties. "But on this issue, there is absolute solidarity that every human being has the right to freedom of conscience and freedom of practice.
"It's not an American value. This is a universal human value."
Leaders across the political and religious spectrum have joined hands in protecting human rights beginning with religious freedom. Land listed legislation that have already been passed on a "bipartisan basis" to promote religious freedom including:
1. International Religious Freedom Act of 1998
2. Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000
3. Sudan Peace Act, 2002
4. North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004
Currently, both parties and religious leaders have two other pieces of legislation on the table including the Advance Democracy Act to promote democracy and freedom abroad and the End Demand for Sex Trafficking Act of 2005 to combat unlawful commercial sex and reduce trafficking.
America Needs to Take Action
Panelists stressed the need to put words in to action in protecting the human values of people worldwide.
Land said America needs to pressure China on the situation of North Korean refugees, pressure Sri Lanka in regards to religious conversion legislation and provide religious freedom educational opportunities in Muslim countries.
"Religious persecution ... [is] not waning," he said. "It's not going to get better without the active engagement of the United States. Without American leadership, a lot of these situations are not going to be adequately addressed."
Why Do This?
"Well, for me as a Christian, I'm commanded to love my neighbor as myself, that when anyone is suffering anywhere in the world and is not being allowed basic human rights, it's my responsibility ... to do something about it," said Land.
Not only speaking from a Christian perspective, Land also exhorted the American public to take the challenge and the responsibility they have as a birthright.
"Secondly, as an American, there's also a scriptural principle that to whom much is given, much is required. We are Americans who have been reared in America. We drink from wells that we didn't dig; and we eat from vineyards that we didn't plant; and we live in houses that we didn't build; and we have enormous blessings from just being born in the United States of America.
"And there are people around the world who have not had those blessings,” Land continued. “They have not had the same human rights protection and religious freedom protection supporting them that we have personally as a birthright.
"It is our responsibility and our obligation to be the friend of freedom, be the friend of human rights, be the friend of universal human rights."
Taking human rights protection to a broader level beyond the American first amendment system, Land stressed the United Nations declaration of universal human rights - "that people have a universal right to freedom of conscience and freedom of practice in the area of religion."
