wfn.org | Adventist Leads Debate On Religion Laws in Europe

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

August 30, 2004
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief APD
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Schweiz

Adventist Representative Leads Debate On Religion Laws in Europe

Brussels, Belgium, 11.08.2004/ANR/APD	 The contentious issues
raised by religion laws in Europe headed debate at an inter-parliamentary
conference held in Brussels, Belgium on August 6, 2004.

Seventh-day Adventist Church representative Dr. Jonathan Gallagher both
moderated discussion and made a presentation regarding the serious
concerns over new restrictions being imposed on religious minorities in
Europe.

"Our concern is that as more nations in Europe and further east adopt
religion laws that increasingly restrict the ability of religious minorities
to
operate, freedom of belief is being compromised and violated," said
Gallagher. "Religion laws are frequently counterproductive, and may be
used in some cases as a form of control and repression."

As an example, Gallagher cited the proposed law on religion currently under
discussion in Serbia and Montenegro. "While no worse, or better than many
other such laws, the discriminatory impact of this law illustrates the
impact
of trying to legislate in religious affairs.

Sadly this legislation, if passed, would make some beliefs officially
recognized,
with funding from the state, while others would be termed 'religious
associations' with much fewer rights. Religion laws need to be open,
transparent, and non-discriminatory."

The inequalities that result from such laws, and the potential for
discrimination
based on religion, were excellent reasons not to pass such legislation,
Gallagher
added.

Joseph K. Grieboski, president of the Institute for Religion and Public
Policy
and sponsor of the inter-parliamentary conference, commented, "It's most
important to have religious and registration laws on the agenda for this
inter-parliamentary conference because those responsible for considering,
drafting, and passing such legislation are here. This is an opportunity for
us
  to dialogue together and act so we can take the first steps to prevent
negative
laws, shift current negative laws, and promote positive laws on religious
registration laws."

Also speaking during the plenary session were Prof. Ringolds Balodis, head
of the department of Constitutional Law at the University of Latvia, and
Prof. Cole Durham, director of the International Center for Law and
Religious
Studies at Brigham Young University.

The 2004 Inter-parliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious
Freedom ran August 5-7, 2004 and included over 20 parliamentary
delegations from such countries as Angola, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Burkina
Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Italy, Jordan, Korea, Morocco, Portugal, Slovakia,
and Turkey.

The Institute on Religion and Public Policy, Inc., was founded as a think
tank and advocacy organization to study and understand the relationship
of religion, ethics, and morality to public policy, government, culture and
politics in both the international and domestic arenas. [Editor: Viola
Hughes
for ANR/APD]