Church of Scientology shares the value of religion to society
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Every January 16th one of the most valued freedoms is celebrated: religious freedom. Each year the President of the United States issues a proclamation declaring this day to be Religious Freedom Day and asking Americans to pledge to protect this freedom. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/01/12/a-proclamation-on-religious-freedom-day-2024/
Taking the opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the freedom of religion, the International Religious Freedom Roundtable (www.irfroundtable.org) highlighted this important day at their weekly meeting. The IRF Roundtable provides a safe space where individuals of all faiths or none from non-governmental organizations, religious groups, and government offices work together for freedom of religion or belief globally. The IRF Roundtable has attracted representatives of 800 organizations and launched more than 200 multifaith initiatives to protect those being persecuted around the globe and engage governments to adopt firm policies to protect their citizens.
In honoring Religious Freedom Day, the freedom to worship and practice any faith, no matter what religion each person espouses or no religion, is recognized as unique and precious.
According to a Pew Research Center report, 70% of the world’s population lives with high or very high government restrictions on religion. Many in the world are persecuted for their beliefs or their religious practices.
To promote freedom of religion, Religious Freedom Day commemorates the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, authored by Thomas Jefferson and passed by the Virginia General Assembly on January 16, 1786. This statute laid the groundwork for the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and established the right to religious freedom in the United States. It emphasizes the importance of respecting individuals’ rights to practice their religion without discrimination or coercion.
President Joseph Biden in his Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day, 2024, stated, “As a world leader, we are also working to make it possible for people to practice their faith freely and peacefully around the globe. Billions of people worldwide are persecuted for or prevented from freely choosing, practicing, or teaching their faith. Repressive governments and violent extremists continue to reach across borders and target people for their beliefs. We have seen these abhorrent attacks on people of all faiths, including Christians in some countries. That is why, since the beginning of my Administration, we have provided more than $100 million to promote religious freedom and hundreds of millions more to provide humanitarian assistance to victims fleeing religious repression, including genocide.”
Supporting these values of religious freedom across the globe, the Church of Scientology and its members support both Youth for Human Rights International and United for Human Rights programs, which are based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR Article 18 states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
The founder of the Scientology religion, L. Ron Hubbard, stated, ‘When religion is not influential in a society or has ceased to be, the state inherits the entire burden of public morality, crime and intolerance. It then must use punishment and police. Yet this is unsuccessful as morality, integrity and self-respect not already inherent in the individual cannot be enforced with any great success. Only by a spiritual awareness and inculcation of the spiritual value of these attributes can they come about. There must be more reason and more emotional motivation to be moral, etc., than threat of human discipline.’
International Religious Freedom Roundtable meeting below
About the company: The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, DC, works with many organizations to improve human rights, criminal justice, and religious freedom internationally.
Contact Info:
Name: Sylvia Stanard
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Organization: Church of Scientology National Affairs Office
Address: 1701 20th St. NW Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202-667-6404
Website: http://www.scientology.org
Release ID: 89119044
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