The Human Truth Foundation

Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion

http://www.humanreligions.info/freedom_of_belief.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2022

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought (2021)1
Pos.Lower is better1
1Belgium1.0
2Netherlands1.0
3Taiwan1.0
4Sao Tome & Principe1.3
5Ecuador1.3
6France1.3
7Bolivia1.3
8Nauru1.3
9Iceland1.5
10Congo, (Brazzaville)1.5
11Sweden1.5
12Norway1.5
...
185Jordan4.5
186Mauritania4.8
187UAE4.8
188Maldives4.8
189Sudan4.8
190Brunei4.8
191Yemen4.8
192Iran4.8
193Pakistan5.0
194Saudi Arabia5.0
195Afghanistan5.0
196N. Korea5.0
q=196.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights2. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish3. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era4 of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted5. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief6. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands1,7 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia1,8.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed9. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief3, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion10 and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"11 and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.


1. Human Rights

#france #human_rights #immanuel_kant #morals #religious_morals

Human Rights have had a powerful positive effect on the world, ratcheting humanity away from barbarism, political oppression, gender inequality and religious prejudice. Humanity has felt the need for Human Rights for a long time. The derivation of ethics from religious codes has been inadequate as either a source of governance or as a guide to personal conduct: too many old and archaic rules lead to needless segregation, sectarianism, suffering and pain, especially of minorities. Even the well-loved Golden Rule (treat others as you wish to be treated) fails as thugs indulge in dog-eat-dog competiton. Many have built secular (non-religious) frameworks. Immanuel Kant theorized on the categorical imperative12; but this required everyone spend an inordinate amount of time indulging in long-term strategic thinking when making any moral choices. John Stuart Mill in the 18th century constructed his under-appreciated utilitarian ethic13. But the most successful work in this area is by far the Enlightenment's push for human rights.

Human rights solves some of the "deliberation overhead" issues by stipulating some things you cannot deprive people of. One of the earliest Western legal systems that declares the existence of Human rights was created by Hugo Grotius in his book Der Jure Belli ac Pacis in the 17th century CE, based on reason and humanitarianism - and made famous for not referring to divinity14. The wheels had been set in motion in the Enlightenment, as Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau deliberated upon secular sources of morals in France in order to prevent the Christian abuses of the Dark Ages from occurring again15 and it was this that brought HR to the fore in the West16.

It is now widely acknowledged that "the source of human rights is man's moral nature"17 and the international Vienna Declaration states that "all human rights derive from the dignity and worth inherent in the human person"18. Governments, institutions and individuals are now held to account across the world for failing to respect basic human rights.

2. Freethought

#freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #religion

"Freethought" is the freedom to think and believe as you wish. No-one has a right to create any punishments, formal or informal, social or legal, against any person on account of what they believe. Actions can be met with punishments - but not beliefs (or lack of).

Since the advent of formal universal human rights in the 1940s, it is now recognized as freedom of 'religion or belief', where the word 'belief' includes non-religious world views, and as being itself part of a wider freedom of thought and conscience. [...]

According to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 1993, the right to this freedom is far-reaching and profound; it encompasses freedom of thought on all matters, personal conviction and the commitment to religion or belief, whether manifested individually or in community with others [and it] protects theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not to profess any religion or belief. [...]

It's in Europe that the principle of equal treatment has been most extensively implemented in law and policy.

"Secularism Politics, Religion, and Freedom" by Andrew Copson (2017)19

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief.

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (1948)20 Article 18, and
"Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU", Article 10

In order to overcome sectarianism, social conflict, segregation and tribal violence, in the West we have accepted freedom of belief as a basic human right that you cannot deprive someone of. Because religious beliefs are important, it simply cannot be right to deprive someone of the right to choose which religion to declare as their own. Religious violence and religious persecution both decrease in societies where religious freedom is guaranteed9. To deprive people of this right is the most horrendous type of immoral oppression.

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, considers the recanting of a person's religion a human right legally protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: "The Committee observes that the freedom to 'have or to adopt' a religion or belief necessarily entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, including the right to replace one's current religion or belief with another or to adopt atheistic views [...] Article 18.2. bars coercion that would impair the right to have or adopt a religion or belief, including the use of threat of physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs and congregations, to recant their religion or belief or to convert."

Wikipedia21

In the West it is generally taken for granted that people have a perfect, indeed sacred, right to follow their own religious path, and indeed to invite - though never compel - other people to join them. The liberal understanding of religion lays great emphasis on the right to change belief. Earlier this year, a poll found that one in four Americans moves on from the faith of their upbringing.

The Economist (2008)22

Academic researchers Grim and Finke have studied the ways in which religious freedom results in less religious persecution and religious violence, and summarize the evidence from around 200 countries into three main streams of change:

Book CoverFirst, the vigilante "policing actions" of religious and social movements are less well tolerated when religious freedoms are protected. Just as state officials often turned a blind eye to the vigilante groups persecuting African Americans in early-twentieth-century America, groups persecuting religious minorities often face little intervention from the state when religious freedoms go unprotected. [...]

A second reason that religious freedoms help to neutralize the social pressures leading to religious persecution is that protecting religious freedoms helps tame what de Tocqueville called the "tyranny of the majority". [...]

Finally... when the social and government restrictions on the practice, profession, and selection of religion are removed, minority religions hold fewer grievances and are less likely to protest the actions of the state. Given that protests by the minority religion often result in a response from the state and the larger society [the result is greater peace and growing tolerance].

"The Price of Freedom Denied" by Brian J. Grim and Roger Finke (2011)23

Their conclusions have also been reached by others, and has incidental support from international statistics such as those gathered by the United Nations on international development.

A recent study of 101 countries conducted by the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom - using entirely independent data from our own - also found that religious freedom in a country is strongly associated with other freedoms (including civil and political liberty, press freedom, and economic freedom) and with multiple measures of well-being. [...]

They found that wherever the level of religious freedom is high, there tends to be fewer incidents of armed conflict, better health outcomes, higher levels of earned income, prolonged democracy, and better educational opportunities for women. Moreover, religious freedom is associated with higher overall human development, as measured by the human development index published by the United Nations Development Program.

"The Price of Freedom Denied" by Brian J. Grim and Roger Finke (2011)24

3. The Benefits of Secular Government: Approaching Religion Fairly

#democracy #freethought #good_governance #religion_and_politics #secularism

In a democratic country, people are free to belong to any religion (or none) as they wish - this is the human right of freedom of belief. To remain just and fair, governments should be neutral when it comes to religion - secular. In liberal democracies, rules should apply to all people fairly and equally regardless of religion25 as much as possible. History has shown us that if the state encourages, officially represents or enforces just-one-religion then it always creates enduring social inequalities and infringes upon the basic human right of being able to choose religion and beliefs freely, which over time is destabilizing. Therefore, for both ethical and practical reasons, politicians and government officials should not be under the control of religious institutions either formally, informally or symbolically25. This preserves equality and fairness to the maximum extent, except for those who want to impose their beliefs or practices on others, allowing for a reasonable, fair and tolerant society.

For more, see:

4. Legislation and Faith: Religious Rights and Religious Wrongs

#equality #freedom_of_belief #freethought #religion #secularism #UK #USA

There is a balance to be had between freedom of belief and religion (a fundamental human right) and good democratic governance, where religions are treated fairly, but also prevented from harming others. When religious ideas of morality and blasphemy are institutionalized by government, inequality is inevitable as other religions and beliefs are overlooked or even indirectly proscribed. When it comes to actions that cause suffering, the basis of the person's justification doesn't matter - all we are interested in is making it clear the action is not acceptable. Adam Smith argued that the way to achieve harmony between religious believers and others is for government not to interfere, except to oblige them not to persecute others26 - and this means that a neutral, central state must enforce an overall set of minimal independent values. Human Rights are of course the clearest way to enforce a fair playing field so that a multiplicity of religious groups can exist together.

Religious beliefs... deserve protection [but] religious conduct, on the other hand, may sometimes require limitation.

"Bad Faith: The Danger of Religious Extremism"
Neil J. Kressel (2007)27

Kressel lists "the enshrinement of religion in the fundamental rules of the state" as one of religion's most dangerous attributes (out of three)10. Many countries grant that laws that protect religious belief also protect non-belief - the UK has had such secularist law since 200628, and in late 2016 the USA also adopted this stance29. "Secularism" is the idea that in order to treat people fairly, all special religious rights should be abolished as democracies should not legislate on beliefs, but on actions (regardless of religion). The government passes laws because it is necessary and because it is for the greater good. The more exceptions there are to those laws, the more democracy is weakened. Legislating for special religious rights are a travesty of justice and undermine democracy and the common good. It is rarely required to mention specific religions in law, or to exempt them from law. Things are better than they've ever been, but few countries so far have managed to achieve complete impartiality and fairness towards religions

For more, see:

5. Apostasy: Thought Crime in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

#atheism #christianity #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #islam #judaism #morals #religion #religious_morals

The main basis on which traditional religions come to lose tolerance for one another is through the concepts of heresy and apostasy (the first means 'believing the wrong things'). Because religious doctrine raises "beliefs" to the status of life-or-death eternal decisions, even minor disagreements can turn into bloody confrontations and schisms. It all begins with a deep concern for what other people believe.

Apostasy is the act of leaving a religion. It is deconversion. Normally it involves taking up another religion and sometimes it involves the taking up of a stance skeptical of all religions. If deconversion is the result of no longer believing that gods exist, then, the result is atheism. "Heresy" is the holding of beliefs that central religious authorities (or mobs) deem to be unacceptable. Religions often engage in a lot of internal suppression in these matters, subjecting their own followers to careful scrutiny to make sure that they are not merely believers, but, that they believe precisely the correct things. Dominant monotheistic religions often consider heresy to be the same as apostasy because they reject the concept of diversity or freedom of thought - conversely, the tolerant and moral approach is to accept that Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion are fundamental human rights, as per the Universal Declaration of Human Rights2. Neil Kressel in his book on religious extremism lists "the willingness to implement violent sanctions against those who leave the fold"" as one of religion's most dangerous attributes (out of three)10. They have often made deconversion and heresy punishable by death, especially in historical Judaism and Christianity, and it still continues in present-day Islam.

It is essential that in order to govern well, you cannot discriminate against non-sanctioned religions, even if the majority of the population don't like the beliefs of the minority religions. Anything else is undemocratic. It is only religion and totalitarian states that even have the concept of heresy; in all other disciplines, a variance of belief is seen as good and healthy because it fosters debate, truth-seeking and diversity. The concept of thought crime can have no basis in moral law, so, traditional religions are often in conflict with modernity, human rights, moral goodness, democracy and liberty.

"Apostasy: Thought Crime in Judaism, Christianity and Islam" by Vexen Crabtree (2013)

Until the religious impulse to control belief is curbed, it is never wise (and can never be democratic) to allow any religion to have heightened official status over another, and democratically it is essential that the people can act and move in a neutral environment. Tolerance, peace and compassion can only be maintained by recognizing the basic human right to believe as we do, without punishment, and to pick religions as we choose (or to pick none), without punishment.

6. The Freedom of Thought Report30

#agnosticism #atheism #freethought #humanism #religious_tolerance

The Freedom Of Thought Report is published annually by Humanists International. They compile data on the physical reality of life in each country with respect to how non-religious folk are treated.

Specifically, this report looks at how non-religious individuals – whether they call themselves atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers, or are otherwise just simply not religious – are treated because of their lack of religion or absence of belief in a god. We focus on discrimination by state authorities; that is systemic, legal or official forms of discrimination and restrictions on freedom of thought, belief and expression, though we do also try to include some consideration of extra-legal persecution or persecution by non-state actors, social discrimination, and personal experience where possible.

[We] focus on [...] the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; the right to freedom of expression; and, to some extent, the rights to freedom of assembly and association. [...] Laws and practices affecting the non-religious often also impact on religious groups, usually religious minorities in a national context, so we also consider the corresponding impact from discriminatory laws on other groups. [...]

Our findings show that the overwhelming majority of countries fail to respect the rights of humanists, atheists and the non-religious. For example, there are laws that deny atheists' right to identify, revoke their right to citizenship, restrict their right to marry, obstruct their access to or experience of public education, prohibit them from holding public office, prevent them from working for the state, or criminalize the expression of their views on and criticism of religion. In the worst cases, the state or non-state actors may execute the non-religious for leaving the religion of their parents, may deny the rights of atheists to exist, or may seek total control over their beliefs and actions. [...]

Humanists International 2021 edition

The resultant statistics are divided into five categories; each country's final score is the average across the categories for which data exists. This data is then factored into the Social and Moral Index.

See:

6.1. By Country

#freethought #religious_tolerance

Freedom of Thought (2021)1
Pos.Lower is better1
1Belgium1.0
2Netherlands1.0
3Taiwan1.0
4Sao Tome & Principe1.3
5Ecuador1.3
6France1.3
7Bolivia1.3
8Nauru1.3
9Iceland1.5
10Congo, (Brazzaville)1.5
11Sweden1.5
12Norway1.5
13Mongolia1.7
14Guinea-Bissau1.7
15S. Africa1.7
16S. Korea1.8
17Albania1.8
18Palau1.8
19USA1.8
20Kosovo1.8
21St Kitts & Nevis1.8
22Micronesia1.8
23Mozambique1.8
24Burkina Faso1.8
25Namibia1.8
26Slovenia1.8
27Sierra Leone2.0
28Luxembourg2.0
29New Zealand2.0
30Gabon2.0
31S. Sudan2.0
32Barbados2.0
33Benin2.3
34Greece2.3
35Antigua & Barbuda2.3
36Japan2.3
37Kiribati2.3
38St Vincent & Grenadines2.3
39Cape Verde2.3
40Botswana2.3
q=196.
Freedom of Thought (2021)1
Pos.Lower is better1
41Uruguay2.3
42Marshall Islands2.3
43Seychelles2.3
44Bhutan2.5
45Kenya2.5
46Timor-Leste (E. Timor)2.5
47Romania2.5
48Fiji2.5
49Bulgaria2.5
50Tonga2.5
51Niger2.5
52Senegal2.5
53Central African Rep.2.5
54Chile2.5
55Colombia2.5
56San Marino2.5
57Mali2.5
58Costa Rica2.5
59Bahamas2.5
60Liechtenstein2.5
61Ukraine2.5
62Czechia2.7
63Honduras2.7
64Austria2.7
65Kyrgyzstan2.8
66Denmark2.8
67Dominica2.8
68Latvia2.8
69Peru2.8
70Lithuania2.8
71Estonia2.8
72Georgia2.8
73Malta2.8
74Jamaica2.8
75Ireland2.8
76Nepal2.8
77Gambia2.8
78Haiti2.8
79Montenegro2.8
80Monaco2.8
q=196.
Freedom of Thought (2021)1
Pos.Lower is better1
81Mauritius2.8
82Portugal2.8
83UK2.8
84Argentina2.8
85Slovakia2.8
86Venezuela2.8
87Canada2.8
88Switzerland3.0
89Belize3.0
90Lesotho3.0
91Laos3.0
92Grenada3.0
93Finland3.0
94Panama3.0
95Spain3.0
96Hungary3.0
97Australia3.0
98India3.0
99Guatemala3.0
100Uganda3.0
101Ivory Coast3.0
102Moldova3.0
103Serbia3.0
104Cyprus3.0
105Tuvalu3.0
106Mexico3.0
107El Salvador3.0
108Cambodia3.0
109Zambia3.3
110Vanuatu3.3
111Malawi3.3
112Ethiopia3.3
113Paraguay3.3
114Madagascar3.3
115Italy3.3
116Macedonia3.3
117Armenia3.3
118Philippines3.3
119Trinidad & Tobago3.3
120Tajikistan3.3
q=196.
Freedom of Thought (2021)1
Pos.Lower is better1
121Bosnia & Herzegovina3.3
122Croatia3.3
123Singapore3.3
124Djibouti3.3
125Dominican Rep.3.3
126Cameroon3.3
127Brazil3.3
128Liberia3.3
129Germany3.3
130Ghana3.3
131St Lucia3.3
132Solomon Islands3.5
133Togo3.5
134Turkey3.5
135Turkmenistan3.5
136Poland3.5
137Tanzania3.5
138Guyana3.5
139Equatorial Guinea3.5
140Guinea3.5
141Burundi3.5
142Suriname3.5
143Kazakhstan3.5
144Papua New Guinea3.5
145Nicaragua3.5
146Angola3.7
147Andorra3.7
148Uzbekistan3.7
149Myanmar (Burma)3.8
150Zimbabwe3.8
151Palestine3.8
152Belarus3.8
153Sri Lanka3.8
154Russia3.8
155Thailand3.8
156Israel3.8
157Oman3.8
158Samoa3.8
159Swaziland3.8
160Chad3.8
q=196.
Freedom of Thought (2021)1
Pos.Lower is better1
161Rwanda4.0
162Congo, DR4.0
163Tunisia4.0
164Cuba4.0
165Azerbaijan4.0
166Lebanon4.0
167Vietnam4.0
168Libya4.0
169Algeria4.0
170Iraq4.3
171Nigeria4.3
172Comoros4.3
173Eritrea4.5
174Egypt4.5
175Bangladesh4.5
176Bahrain4.5
177China4.5
178Qatar4.5
179Indonesia4.5
180Somalia4.5
181Malaysia4.5
182Morocco4.5
183Kuwait4.5
184Syria4.5
185Jordan4.5
186Mauritania4.8
187UAE4.8
188Maldives4.8
189Sudan4.8
190Brunei4.8
191Yemen4.8
192Iran4.8
193Pakistan5.0
194Saudi Arabia5.0
195Afghanistan5.0
196N. Korea5.0
q=196.

6.2. By Region

#freethought #religious_tolerance

AreaFreedom of Thought (2021)
Lower is better
1
Africa...3.1
Arctic
Asia...3.7
Australasia2.6
Baltic States2.8
Central America3.0
Europe...2.6
Melanesia3.2
Micronesia1.9
North America2.8
Polynesia2.8
Scandinavia...2.2
Small Islands...2.7
South America2.6
The Americas...2.7
The Balkans2.6
The Caribbean...2.8
The Mediterranean3.3
The Middle East...4.3
World3.0

This is the average results from all countries within that region.