Freedom of Religion on February 17, 2000, World Pantheist Movement Members Parts of the USA (Page 12)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD PANTHEIST MOVEMENT pan ISSUE NUMBER 3 • SUMMER 2000 Freedom of religion On February 17, 2000, World Pantheist Movement members parts of the USA (page 12). from four countries gathered in Rome to commemorate the It’s important for us to re member that pantheists, martyrdom of Giordano Bruno (page 8). We came, not just humanists and atheists enjoy the same religious rights as because Bruno was a pantheist, but to celebrate the everyone else. The International Covenant on Civil and importance of freedom of religion and of ideas. Political Rights guarantees freedom of religion, worship, Freedom of religion is a recent gain in Western history, observance, practice and teaching, and bans any form of but history has shown that is critical not just for human coercion which would impair that freedom. The low-level liberty, but for progress in science, ethics and ways of life. pressure and discrimination which our members and other Repression has a longer history. The pagan Romans fed non-Christian minorities face in the Bible belt is a violation Christians to the lions. Christians, as soon as they achieved of rights – rights which the USA has recognized, promotes power, persecuted pagans. Throughout the dark ages, the abroad and should guarantee at home. Middle Ages and the Renaissance, heretics were tortured Those rights mean that we pantheists have a right to and burned, and to express atheism or pantheism meant have holidays for our special “sacred” days, such as the almost certain death. solstices and equinoxes. This grim repression took its toll, not just on religious We have the right to promote our views, and to educate thinking but on all thinking, writing and research. At every our children in our own beliefs. That right is internationally turn the established churches stood out against advancing recognized (Page 4). science, persecuting scientists whose ideas contradicted The use of one’s religious rights is essential to the the Bible. competition of ideas. If we don’t use our rights to promote We owe our modern freedoms to a very long struggle and to teach, while others do, then pantheism will remain reaching back to the Reformation. In the 18th century the still small voice, discovered by a lucky few, that it has courageous writers tested the boundaries and paid with been until now. Meanwhile the voices of Christianity and exile and the banning of their works. Islam will permeate the globe. It was not till the nineteenth century that dissenters and Of course, we don’t have the right to force our beliefs on Jews could aspire to political office in most European anyone, nor do we have any means of doing so, nor would countries, and atheists and pantheists could speak, write we ever wish to. All we seek to do is to inform, make aware, and publish without fear of imprisonment. communicate and debate. Religious freedom is still not fully secure in the modern Every human being is a free agent who can choose to world (page 2). Even supposedly civilized Western countries believe as he or she wishes. Only when that freedom is fully are not exempt. Members of the WPM and lists often tell of recognized and supported is intellectual progress possible. how they suffer discrimination and ostracism in certain Paul Harrison The state of religious Bruno in R ome . 8 Almanac . 1 4 Teaching freedom . 2 Free funding . 1 4 childre n Pearls of wisdom . 1 1 pantheism Action Zone: Credo . 1 5 Page 4 saving forests . 7 God and the USA . 1 2 Membership form . 1 6 Editorial: Paul Harrison Design: David Wright Distribution and US printing: Blessed Bee Inc. 1 Religious Freedom Religious freedom is a recent gain, and despite United Nations recognition it is still being fought for in many countries. Religious freedom, like so many other Roman state in 380, and in 391 banned and practice. human rights, has had to be struggled pagan worship. From then until the The establishment of the United for at great personal cost by many Reformation religious freedom vanished Nations broadened the scope of the courageous individuals. from the West and heretics risked human rights approach. Freedom of In ancient Greece it was dangerous ostracism or death. Jews were tolerated, religious belief, worship, not to venerate the gods of the state: but often persecuted. observance, practice, and Socrates was condemned to death for It was the wars and teaching was recognized alleged atheism. The Roman Empire civil wars between in the Universal eventually encompassed so many Catholics and Declaration of Human cultures that religious freedom was Protestants, and the Rights in 1948. This was generally tolerated and Rome became a compromises necessary expanded in the huge melting pot of religions. The to bring peace, that gave International Covenant Christians, almost alone, were singled rise to the first steps in on Civil and Political out for repeated persecution. religious freedom in the Rights of 1967 (see 17th century. The Dutch panel), and further in the Everything changed when Constantine Constantine converted to Christianity in Republic was the prime 1981 Declaration on the 312 AD and began to favoritize the leader from 1648, but it Elimination of All Forms religion. The emperor Theodosius made was not till the end of that century in of Intolerance and of Discrimination Christianity the sole religion of the the UK, and not till 1789 in France, that Based on Religion or Belief. dissent could be pursued without Religious freedom now covers all of serious risk to life and liberty. the following: Religious rights In the USA settlers were often The right to have a religion, to ancient and modern refugees from persecution and the early change your religion, or to have no colonies enacted religious tolerance – as religion at all. To worship, to assemble All ... are to be allowed the free and long as you were some type of Christian. for worship,to have places of worship. unrestricted practice of their religion, Tolerant Maryland in 1649 made it a To observe holy days, to be given for it accords with the good order of crime to decry other Christian holidays for these, and to observe the realm and the peacefulness of our denominations – yet blasphemers and times that each should have freedom ceremonies. To observe practices such atheists were to be put to death. to worship God after his own choice. as special clothing or diets. To solicit The American and French funds, to appoint clergy, to teach your Constantine, Edict of Milan, 311 CE revolutions, with their ideology of the beliefs publicly, to publish and There should be no compulsion in Rights of Man, established religious disseminate materials about them. religion. freedom on a firmer footing (see panels). Finally, parents have rights to rear their Mohammed, Koran, The Cow: 256 But disadvantages still remained in most children in their own religion, and to No person shall be molested for his of Europe for Jews and dissenters, who send them to religious schools. opinions, even such as are religious, could not hold political office until well Under the UN rights instruments, provided that the manifestation of into the 19th century. none of these activities is to be subject these opinions does not disturb the Totalitarianism in Germany and to any form of coercion, including public order established by the law. Russia reversed some of these gains. In discrimination, distinction, exclusion, Declaration of the Rights of Man, Germany persecution of Jews, followed restriction or preference – not just by French National Assembly, 1789 CE by the Holocaust, was based on a governments, but by any institution, Congress shall make no law respecting twisted view of race rather than religion. group of persons, or individual person. an establishment of religion or In Russia, while it never became illegal In practice this means that governments prohibiting the free exercise thereof. to pursue a traditional religion, should take active steps to prevent these US Constitution, Amendment I, everything possible was done to practices when they occur. The only 1791 CE suppress and discourage worship exceptions are practices that interfere 2 with the rights and freedoms of others or moslems. Adherents of other religions development projects only in villages with public order and morality. could be forcibly converted. where there are Christians, is this Of course making declarations about Today a number of Islamic countries improper pressure? Are tribal religions rights, and actually realizing them and have a poor record on religious freedom, so vulnerable that all proselytization guaranteeing them for all, are different especially where clerics are powerful should be banned? things. The UN (and resurgent Is it an interference in religious machinery to enforce fundamentalism has freedom if a religion claims the right to human rights is weak, made them a force to be dictate details of your private ethical and relies on moral and reckoned with behaviour – eg, whether you should use political pressure. everywhere). Moslems modern contraceptives or not – and Religious freedom is are not permitted to threatens you with divine punishment if still restricted in many convert to other you disobey? countries. Outright religions. In some Intolerant fundementalism may suppression is rare but countries apostasy is appear to be on the rise, but this is pri- does occur. Iran has done punishable by death or marily because its positions are under its best to eradicate the confiscation of property. growing threat. In the long run tolerance Bahais, who numbered Abu Zaid If an apostate is married and religious freedom will prevail. some 300,000 before the 1979 to a moslem woman, he may be forcibly Paul Harrison revolution.