Displaying items by tag: religious liberty

Parliament member Päivi Räsänen faces six years in prison for sharing her biblical beliefs on sexuality and marriage. Lutheran bishop Juhana Pohjola was charged with one count of ethnic agitation for publishing Räsänen’s booklet. Finish prosecutors said Räsänen’s statements disparage and discriminate against LGBT individuals and foment intolerance and defamation. The mother of five maintains her expressions are legal and should not be censored. ‘I cannot accept that voicing my religious beliefs could mean imprisonment. I do not consider myself guilty of threatening, slandering or insulting anyone. My statements were based on the Bible’s teachings on marriage and sexuality.’ Six members of Congress have condemned Finland for prosecuting Räsänen, and said the USA should consider these prosecutions when advising on countries placed on a watch list of countries engaging in religious freedom violations.

A leaked memo from the Department of Health and Human Services reveals America’s plan to undo religious liberty protections and disregard First Amendment rights. The memo states, ‘This action will likely be well received among civil rights and groups advocating separation of church from state. But many will interpret this as the Government abdicating its responsibility for compliance with religious freedom, and will issue strong negative reactions.’ We can pray for the US government to remember the roots of their religious freedom and liberty birthed by the Pilgrims in 1620. The Pilgrims didn't just institute Thanksgiving, celebrated on 25 November this year. They were prepared to die for religious freedom and made the Bible America's guide to life. The self-rule they pioneered eventually shaped America’s government and constitution.

A new study on British cultural attitudes at the workplace has found that religion has become the butt of jokes. Workers who would never make sexist or racist jokes feel free to mock faith instead. The recently released ComRes study warned that as many as a million workers may have faced harassment, discrimination or bullying because of their religious beliefs, with some saying they're uncomfortable about mentioning they pray or go to church. James Orr, a fellow in theology, ethics and public life at Oxford University, wrote a report titled ‘Beyond Belief: Defending religious liberty through the British Bill of Rights,’ saying that such targeting is clearly a problem, but questions of humour are not clear-cut. If one is confident in one's belief, one should be able to accommodate and put up with a bit of mocking and humour.