A group of officials from a country in Central Asia were visiting the International Religious Liberty Association at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We did our best to make their visit interesting and invited them to a dinner in their honor. They asked us to explain the relations between the government and religious minorities in the United States. We talked about religious freedom and church-state separation. Sitting by me, a member of the delegation was listening very carefully. Then he said in a soft voice so only I could hear, “What a blessed country it is!”
Just a few words, but I will never forget them: “What a blessed country it is!” What a blessed country it is when religious minorities have the same rights and protections as the majority. What a blessed country it is when you are not discriminated against because you don’t believe like others. In such a blessed country, we are used to complaining openly about minor restrictions or possible projects that could potentially create a problem in the years to come. We are quick to imagine the worst and speculate about the inevitable discriminations that may be secretly planned. But what about the gift we have had for more than two centuries in this country: religious freedom!
Time to Say Thank You
We received our norms of religious freedom as a gift from courageous people who sometimes did not share our beliefs, but wanted all humans to be free
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To choose their religion;
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To have or not have a religion;
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To change their relig ion if they wanted to;
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To teach their religion to their children; and
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To share their beliefs.
This dream came about because of their understanding of human dignity. Few of us living in North America have been openly and legally persecuted or discriminated against. Why? Because religious freedom was already a fact a long time before we were born. What a blessed country it is where we have inherited religious freedom.
I think the time has come to say publicly: Thank you for religious freedom! Not a little or a timid or a confidential thank-you, but a massive thank-you!
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A march-past of women and youth associations a the Luanda, Angola, Festival of Religious Freedom, June 28, 2008
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More than half of the world population is living in 40 countries where religious persecution and discrimination are a fact. According to some experts, about 300 million Christians are legally discriminated against. Every day I receive information about churches attacked, believers arrested or beaten, or worship services interrupted by the police or the military. This world is not headed toward more religious freedom, not at all. The time has come for all citizens who care about religious freedom and live in countries where this fundamental freedom is protected, to say publicly: Thank you!
Thank you first to God, who gave us the freedom to choose. Thank you to those who gave their energy and sometimes their lives for it. Thank you to those countries that cherish freedom—particularly the United States, which protected freedom through its legislation and its Constitution.
We need to look to holding Festivals of Religious Freedom. We, here in places of religious freedom, need to proclaim what we believe in and want to protect and promote.
Celebration of a Freedom
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Dr. John Graz prepares to address the crowd of 40,000 at the Luanda festival.
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I believe in religious liberty congresses, symposiums, and meetings of experts. They are important in our promotion and defense of religious freedom. They reach experts, government people, and religious leaders. But we need to involve all people. We need to involve people in great numbers. We have decided that in connection with every world congress on religious liberty organized by the IRLA (International Religious Liberty Association), we will hold a meeting for masses of people. The first “festival” was held in a church in Rio de Janeiro in 1997, a few days after the IRLA World Congress. Young people, musicians, and children were involved in the program. We enjoyed the same experience in Manila in 2002 and in Kiev and Trinidad in 2005.
The programs typically started on Saturday morning in a religious context, with testimonies, prayers, and a sermon. The afternoon was devoted to a more specific celebration, where experts and preachers led in a program featuring musicians, poets, actors, and others. These three-hour programs attracted more people than there were seats. A 2006 program in Bucharest attracted some 4,000 people to an outstanding program. It was a great beginning to a dream!
Why Wait?
In February 2006 I was in São Paulo, Brazil, meeting the IRLA secretary-general for South America, Williams Costa, Jr. I shared my dream of organizing a festival for 2009 that could attract a crowd of 10,000 people. He looked at me and said, “Why do you want to wait until 2009 to have 10,000 people?” I had expected a reaction like, “It won’t be possible!” or “Nobody is interested in religious freedom!” He added, “We can do that in four months here in São Paulo!”
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Protestand, eastern Orthodox, and Muslim leaders dialogued at the first North American Festival of Religious Freedom in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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With the support of the Central Brazil Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, they did it. The festival attracted more than 30,000 people, even though the gymnasium itself could hold only 12,000. The program was excellent. It involved 27 soloists, a choir of 1,500 children, an orchestra, and a large adult choir of more than 1,000 singers. There was a special Web site for the festival, which attracted hundreds of thousands of hits from all over the world. The governor of the state of São Paulo and several other officials attended the program. It was a big thank-you for religious freedom to God and to the city of São Paulo.
In every country where we have religious freedom, in blessed countries such as Brazil, we should say a big “Thanks” for religious freedom.
The Dream Continues
In 2007 more than 4,000 people gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, for the festival that was held after the IRLA World Congress. The first festival in Mexico was held in Tijuana. As Roberto Herrera, Inter-American IRLA secretary-general, said, “The seed has been sown!” For 2008-2009 a number of celebrations have been planned on four continents. The first was a successful event held in a stadium in Luanda, Angola—with almost 60,000 people attending. Cities such as Saint Petersburg, Santo Domingo, Seoul, and Rome, and countries such as the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, and Chile will soon have their festivals. Honolulu, Hawaii, recently hosted the first Religious Liberty Festival to be held in the United States, and while it was a modest step, it was the first of others to come. Liberty magazine, the IRLA, the Adventist Church in Hawaii, and a wide array of religious and political leaders worked together to make a big “Aloha” statement.
It is time to celebrate what we have and that which is so precious: our freedom to choose our religion; to have or not to have any religion; and to change, to teach, and to share our beliefs. It is time to celebrate religious freedom—freedom that is only a dream for the millions who have been persecuted because of their beliefs.
November 21, Lima, Peru:
World Capital City of Religious Freedom
I have been so encouraged when traveling around the world to see the enthusiasm with which the concept of celebrating religious freedom is received. An exciting upcoming event is the First World Festival of Religious Freedom, in Lima, Peru, November 21, 2009. It will be held in one of the largest stadiums in the country. From 50,000 to 70,000 people are expected. Religious leaders, human rights experts, officials, and members of the government will join us. Lima—which had been the capital city of the Inquisition for centuries—will become a capital city of religious freedom. A festival is a celebration. No church or religion will be attacked, but all people who love and believe in religious freedom will be invited.
A Festival of Religious Freedom is more than an event. It is becoming a movement. The dream of thousands of people celebrating this essential freedom continues. I love to think that one day people from all religions and beliefs will fill a 100,000-seat stadium to celebrate our common and precious freedom that gives us dignity and causes us to respect others.
What a blessed country is the one that protects and values God’s gift of religious freedom for all.
Dr. John Graz is director of the International Religious Liberty Association. He is also secretary-general of the Christian World Communion. A Swiss, he works at IRLA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A.
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