Fact checking Christoffersons 6 reasons for religious freedom…

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IHAQ
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Fact checking Christoffersons 6 reasons for religious freedom…

Post by IHAQ »

These are the 6 reasons Christofferson gives in favour of protecting religious freedom:
1. Religious liberty is the oldest freedom in international human rights law
Elder Christofferson said “religious freedom is the ‘grandparent’ of all human rights,” with its first legal recognition coming in 1555 with the Peace of Augsburg international treaty. He said this freedom is “essential to the entire structure of human rights.”
“Freedom of the press is rooted in struggles over the right to print the Bible. Freedom of association is rooted in struggles over the right of religious groups to gather. Freedom of speech is rooted in debates about religious orthodoxy. And freedom of conscience is rooted in disputes over the right of religious minorities such as the Quakers to be exempt from military service. Freedom of religious exercise is related to debates about preventing slaves from learning to read the Bible.”

Without religious freedom, these other freedoms “will wither and fade,” he said.

2. Religious liberty is essential for protecting human dignity

He said millions of religious believers find purpose in life through their personal religious expressions.

“Religion is not a hobby, pastime or social club,” Elder Christofferson said. “Religion is central to the familial and community traditions and practices that sustain and give meaning to our lives, from birth to death.”

3. Religious liberty promotes pluralism and peace

Promoting freedom of religion is a way of stymieing efforts to create government-mandated forms of religious expression.

“The history of religious freedom demonstrates that respect begets respect,” he said. “Governments that protect religious freedom have fewer social conflicts and greater levels of social cohesion.”

4. Religious liberty facilitates a proper separation of church and state

Religion and government each have a place in the same community, and they need not be hostile to each other, Elder Christofferson explained.

“The powers of the state should not be exercised directly or dominated by one religion at the expense of the rights and freedoms of others,” he said. “Conversely, government should not interfere with the internal religious affairs of religious organizations.”

He then encouraged governments to “seek an inclusive, religion-friendly ‘secularity,’ based on equal respect for religious and nonreligious persons and viewpoints.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks from the Church Office Building on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks from the Church Office Building on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. Credit: Jon Ryan Jensen
5. Religious liberty allows the provision of critical services to society and its most disadvantaged members

Millions of people in Central and South America benefit from the contributions of religious people whose faith motivates them to serve.

“These acts of kindness and charity are an integral part of our faith,” he said. “Religious liberty allows us to serve in ways that are consistent with the faith that motivated us to serve in the first place.”

6. Religious liberty enables all to freely pursue truth and the meaning of life, and to live accordingly

Religious observance and faith cannot and should not be forced upon someone, Elder Christofferson said. The same must be true of secular ideas and teachings.

“Wherever our seeking for truth ultimately leads, I urge all of us to strongly protect the freedom that makes the quest possible,” he said.

As he concluded his remarks, Elder Christofferson again tied religious freedom to the ability to overcome differences among individuals and groups.

“The practice of religious freedom — by governments, societies and individuals — is a tutorial in how to respect, protect and even love others despite our differences.”
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-a ... dom-231474

Christofferson claims…
1. Religious liberty is the oldest freedom in international human rights law

Elder Christofferson said “religious freedom is the ‘grandparent’ of all human rights,” with its first legal recognition coming in 1555 with the Peace of Augsburg international treaty. He said this freedom is “essential to the entire structure of human rights.”
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-a ... dom-231474
The Peace of Augsburg, also called the Augsburg Settlement,[1] was a treaty between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Schmalkaldic League, signed in September 1555 at the imperial city of Augsburg. It officially ended the religious struggle between the two groups and made the legal division of Christianity permanent within the Holy Roman Empire, allowing rulers to choose either Lutheranism or Roman Catholicism as the official confession of their state. However, the Peace of Augsburg arrangement is also credited with ending much Christian unity around Europe. Calvinism was not allowed until the Peace of Westphalia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Augsburg
The document itself had critical problems. While it gave legal basis for the practice of the Lutheran confession, it did not accept any of the Reformed traditions, such as Calvinism, nor did it recognize Anabaptism. Although the Peace of Augsburg was moderately successful in relieving tension in the empire and increasing tolerance, it left important things undone. Neither the Anabaptists nor the Calvinists were protected under the peace, so many Protestant groups living under the rule of a Lutheran prince still found themselves in danger of the charge of heresy. (Article 17: "However, all such as do not belong to the two above named religions shall not be included in the present peace but be totally excluded from it.") These minorities did not achieve any legal recognition until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The intolerance towards Calvinists caused them to take desperate measures that led to the Thirty Years' War. One of the more notable measures was the Third Defenestration of Prague (1618) in which two representatives of the fiercely Catholic King of Bohemia Archduke Ferdinand (Matthias was Emperor until 20 March 1619) were thrown out of a castle window in Prague.
On his first claim, it appears a quick simple fact check shows him to be stretching.
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