Among those to address the three-day International Religious Freedom Summit July 13-15 include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (via video) and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, confirming the importance placed on the issue by both sides of the aisle.
Held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel with an option to participate virtually, the summit also draws broad support from religious groups and organizations.
Co-hosted by Sam Brownback, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, 2018-2021, and Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights, the summit plans “to create a powerful coalition of organizations that operate together for the cause of religious freedom around the world.”Among those featured at the summit are survivors of religious persecution including:
- Pastor Andrew Brunson, imprisoned in Turkey for two years for practicing his ministry
- Asia Bibi, a Christian mother, finally released from prison and allowed to leave Pakistan in 2019 after being sentenced to death in 2010 for apostasy
- Mariam Ibraheem, a Sudanese Christian sentenced to death for apostasy in Sudan.
“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 charter further emphasizes:
- The right of every human being freely to believe in religious truths, or not to believe, uncoerced by any human authority, especially the state with its extraordinary powers;
- The right to join with others in a religious community, which also possesses religious freedom. This freedom includes the right to pursue the goods natural to religious communities, such as building houses of worship, training clergy, establishing religious schools, developing and upholding religious doctrines. It includes the rights of parents to raise their children within their chosen faith community. It includes the rights of individuals and communities to share their beliefs with others and to invite others to join their religious communities. It includes the rights of adherents to leave any religious community and to join another;
- The rights of believers and of religious communities to live and act peacefully, within civil and political society, in accord with their religious beliefs. It includes the right of believers and their communities to draw on those beliefs as they participate in civic life. It includes the right to convey their religious views to the general public on issues of the common good, such as justice, peace, equality, and freedom.
___________________
The Church of Scientology publishes this blog to help create a better understanding of the freedom of religion and belief and provide news on religious freedom and issues affecting this freedom around the world.
The Founder of the Scientology religion is L. Ron Hubbard and Mr. David Miscavige is the religion’s ecclesiastical leader.
For more information, visit the Scientology website or the Scientology TV network.
