RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Foundations – Reflections – Models One World Theology (Volume 5) One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 1 11/11/14 11:55 AM One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 2 11/11/14 11:55 AM RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Foundations – Reflections – Models 5 Edited by Klaus Krämer and Klaus Vellguth CLARETIAN PUBLICATIONS Quezon City, Philippines One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 3 11/11/14 11:55 AM RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Foundations – Reflections – Models (One World Theology, Volume 5) Copyright © 2014 by Verlag Herder GmbH, Freiburg im Breisgau Published by Claretian Publications A division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman 1101 Quezon City, Philippines Tel.: (02) 921-3984 • Fax: (02) 921-6205 [email protected] • [email protected] www.claretianpublications.com Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. It aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today. CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Macau, Madrid, Manila and São Paolo. Cover design by Jayson Elvin E. Guevara Layout design by Ma. Myreen Q. Gayos All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without written permission from the publisher. ISBN: 978-621-8009-11-0 One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 4 11/11/14 11:55 AM Contents Preface ......................................................................................... ix Systematic-Theological Deliberations Dignitatis Humanae and the Current Debate on Religious Freedom.......................................................... 3 Klaus Krämer Religious Freedom............................................................... 19 Michael Amaladoss Religious Freedom as a Variable of Governance ................ 31 Francisco Javier Porras Sánchez Between Religion and Violence A Missiological Appraisal ......................................................... 41 Francis Anekwe Oborji Religious Freedom as a Human Right Religious Freedom in the Maghreb Countries ..................... 81 Hans Vöcking Freedom of Religion for a Church in Minority Situation ....... 91 Emmanuel Asi Religious Freedom from an Indigenous Perspective ........... 119 Eleazar López Hernández Religious Freedom for a Minority Church Religious Freedom for a Minority Church: Impressions from Malaysia .................................................. 129 Christoph Marcinkowski v One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 5 11/11/14 11:55 AM vi Religious Freedom Christian Witness and Religious Freedom in Algeria ........... 143 Henri Teissier Freedom of Religion in a Minority Situation ......................... 155 Felix Machado Religious Freedom as a Right to Mysticism. From Pluralism to a Shift in Perspective .............................. 189 Lucas Cerviño Religious Freedom as the Right of the Others The Disturbing Potential of the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief – Freedom of Religion as the Freedom of Others .................................................... 201 Daniel Legutke Freedom of Religion as the Right of the Other .................... 211 George Ehusani Religious Freedom in Defense of the Margins. Lessons from Dignitatis Humanae ....................................... 225 Daniel Franklin E. Pilario Interactive Freedom of Beliefs in the Christianity of the Andes ......................................................................... 239 Diego Irarrázaval Models of Succeeded Religious Freedom Religious Freedom: A Civil Liberty Thrives with and through Conflict.................................................................... 255 Klaus Vellguth Religious Freedom in the Church and in Islam .................... 269 Samir Khalil Samir Christians among Muslims in Indonesia Religious Freedom in Context ............................................. 281 Franz Magnis-Suseno One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 6 11/11/14 11:55 AM Contents vii Religious Freedom means the Right of the Other: Practical Experiences and Liberating Effects of the Christian Religion for a Mayan Woman from Guatemala ................................................................... 291 Inés Pérez Hernández Appendix Index of Authors ................................................................... 301 Index of Translators ............................................................. 307 One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 7 11/11/14 11:55 AM One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 8 11/11/14 11:55 AM Preface This fifth volume in the One World Theology series focuses on religious freedom. The fact that three-quarters of the world’s popu- lation currently live in 184 countries in which the right to free exercise of religion is under threat underlines the importance of the right to religious freedom in all its various aspects. Theologians from different continents have contributed articles to the present volume on this issue, thereby enabling it to serve as a forum for debate within the universal Church. In the first chapter the authors address the question of religious freedom from a systematic theological perspective, while in the second chapter they consider religious freedom as a human right. Chapter three gives the contributors a chance to report on the religious freedom of the Church where it finds itself in a minority position. The fourth chapter makes it clear that support for religious freedom must never be confused with a “policy of clientelism” aimed at ensuring freedom solely for one’s own religion. On the contrary, advocacy of religious freedom implies a commitment to free religious practice for the followers of other religions, too. The fifth chapter is devoted to examples of the successful exercise of religious freedom. The chapter on systematic theological reflections begins with the article entitled “Dignitatis humanae and the Current Debate on Religious Freedom”. Klaus Krämer argues that the conciliar declaration Dignitatis humanae laid the theological foundations which enabled the Church to discard outdated views. This was because the document distinguished more clearly between a moral and theological order, on the one hand, and a legal and political order, on the other, which in turn made it possible to overcome the dichotomy between theonomy and autonomy. The significance of Dignitatis humanae resides in the fact that “the Catholic Church formally recognised religious freedom as a subjective right of every individual and considered itself to be ix One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5) 325pp. 5.25x8.5.indd 9 11/11/14 11:55 AM x Religious Freedom under an obligation to promote compliance and enforcement of this right at the international level.” In the second article in this chapter the Indian theologian Michael Amaladoss deals with the importance of religious freedom. He, too, begins with the Declaration on Religious Freedom Dignitatis humanae and emphasises the fresh impetus John Paul II gave to the theological discourse on religious freedom. Of crucial importance for Amaladoss is the realisation that “God is inviting all peoples to the Kingdom in various ways through their own religions”, which implies that people must respect the freedom of God “who calls people in various ways through the Spirit”. Amaladoss considers awareness of this as the basis of the Christian understanding of religious freedom. Francisco Javier Porras Sánchez places a different emphasis from his Latin American perspective. Regarding religious freedom as a variable of governance, he says it goes hand in hand with freedom of conscience. Moreover, governance of whatever kind depends on the richness of civil society, which guarantees religious freedom. He stresses in conclusion that religious freedom can thus also be a sustainability factor in governance “through the personal and social incentives which the different beliefs give to the forces of convergence and cooperation.” In the final essay in the first chapter Francis Anekwe Oborji addresses the meaningfulness of religious freedom in view of the assertion that there is a connection between religion and violence. The Nigerian theologian argues that religion itself is not the cause of violence but is misused as a focus for the hostility that is rooted in quite different conflicts. The second chapter on “Religion as a Human Right” starts with an article by Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. He points out that religious freedom is currently under pressure from two sides: “on the part of those who struggle with freedom and see in it a threat to religion, and on the part of those who find it hard to come to terms with religion and see in it a threat to freedom.” Bielefeldt sets out five key aspects of religious freedom: (1) religious freedom is for individuals; (2) the universality of freedom of religion means that it applies to all persons; (3) religious freedom is a comprehensive freedom; (4) religious freedom also includes a dimension of equality: (5) religious freedom is articulated in the form One World Theology (Rel.Freedom-Vol.5)