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Religious Freedom
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
No civil law can violate the sacred conscience of religion, because each religion has its own sovereignty established under God.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
By an overwhelmingly bipartisan U.S. Senate vote, Rashad Hussain was confirmed this month as America’s first Muslim Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
If confirmed by the Senate, Hussain would arguably be the most qualified person ever to hold the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom post.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
The penalties carried out for what have been deemed offenses can vary from extended prison sentences, public lashings and amputations to more severe punishments such as stoning or death by hanging.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
As difficult as some of these cases may be, courts have usually sided with the church and with the Lockean ideas. The church, not the state, distinguishes between human actions based on their religious motivation or lack thereof.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
In keeping with the spirit of the day, I engaged in a bit of reflection on what the Constitution means to me personally. Certainly as a lifelong Scientologist, a religion that emerged in the 20th century, the promise of religious freedom, combined with the prohibition of any official state religion, stand out. Although the forward progress of Scientology has not been without challenges, I’ve personally observed the strong commitment of many Americans to the ideal of religious freedom which has helped it thrive.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Politics is a zero-sum game. It is a game of power and control, and for one party to win, another party has to lose. (There has never been an election where both parties won.) Religion, on the other hand, is a win-win game. When a Hindu worshipper strives for freedom from the endless cycle of life, death and rebirth, he does not impinge on a Muslim’s relationship with Allah, or a Christian’s worship of Christ, or any of the other myriad ways that believers manifest their beliefs.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Protecting freedom of religion and the ability to speak and share religious ideas and beliefs openly, honestly and freely is vital to the health and well-being of all people, regardless of what they choose to believe.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Having been a CEO myself for more than 25 years in one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., I understand the importance and value of diversity in the workplace, and I was encouraged by this uplifting event.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Those three events may have been more dramatic and grabbed more headlines than most instances of violent persecution, but they were by no means isolated. Open Doors, an organization which advocates for persecuted Christians, estimated that between October 2019 and September 2020, over 4,700 Christians were killed around the world for their faith. There were also close to 6,000 incidents of arrests or abduction of Christians due to their religion. By their estimation, 340 million Christians live in countries where they are subject to persecution.
