April 25, 2012 – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic…[Melissa Reid/IRLA NAD]
“Religious freedom is the most personal of our human rights.”
This was a statement made early on in Attorney Knox Thames’ presentation this morning-the first presentation made during Day Two of the IRLA World Congress-and it has lingered with me throughout the remainder of the day.
Knox serves as the Director of Policy and Research at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent U.S. government entity created by Congress to monitor religious freedom worldwide and make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress. His talk this morning put a much-needed face-albeit a demolished one-on the cause of religious discrimination: a Seventh-day Adventist Church in Turkmenistan which was razed in 1989 “for the betterment of the community” under the religiously hostile regime of Sparmurat Niyazov.
Often times, when policy experts and academics convene to parse a theme or concept, the “personal” component of the topic is regrettably neglected. As neither an expert nor an academic, but merely a layperson passionate about religious liberty, I appreciated the walk through the Turkmenistan case study. It helped me visualize not only the blatant discrimination against the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but also illuminated the practical application of the US government’s foreign policy in matters of religious freedom.
Thames concluded his remarks by appealing to the audience that the reason why we continue to fight for religious freedom is because it matters to those who are “rotting in a God-forsaken jail cell” because of their conscientious objection to military service. It matters to those whose house of worship has been destroyed. It matters to those who wish to keep their holy day of worship sacred. It matters to those are convicted to change their religious affiliation or share their faith with others. In other words, it matters to those whose religion, faith, or belief system-whichever term you prefer-is their priority, their focus, quite simply, their life.
And so, I’ve decided to use Knox’s statement this morning as a jumping off point for a bit of self-reflection and motivation. If indeed my faith is the most precious aspect of my life; if for me service to God takes precedence over service to man (including my own self-interest!); and as a Christian, if my relationship with Jesus Christ is second to none other; then, yes, religious freedom will naturally be the most personal of human rights. Both my own religious freedom and that of others.
So is it truly? Does religious freedom resonate more deeply and touch me most closely? Today-the second day of the International Religious Liberty Association’s 7th World Congress-it absolutely does.
