Adventists bring distinct perspective to high-level religious liberty talks

Aug 02, 2018 | Washington D.C., United States | Bettina Krause, communication director, International Religious Liberty Association

Participants at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom Participants at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on July 24, 2018. [State Department photo/Public Domain].


Two Seventh-day Adventist religious liberty advocates were among those invited to participate in a landmark religious freedom summit organized by the US Department of State in Washington, D.C. The event, which began July 24, was the first-ever of its kind, and brought together government officials from some 80 nations, along with an internationally diverse group of religious leaders and non-governmental organizations. Together, attendees spent three days listening to first-hand accounts of religious persecution and exploring ways to promote religious freedom as a basic human right.

The event was hosted by Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, who told attendees that “millions of people of all faiths are suffering every day” because of religious persecution, even though religious freedom—expressed in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—is enshrined in international law. United States Vice President Mike Pence also addressed the group, saying that, “tragically, a stunning 83 percent of the world’s population live in nations where religious freedom is either threatened or even banned.”

Dr. Ganoune Diop, director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) for the Adventist world church, and Dwayne Leslie, associate PARL director for legislative affairs, attended the invite-only event on behalf of the church and sought to bring a uniquely Adventist perspective to current religious freedom challenges.

3 key takeaways from this week's first-of-its-kind State Department religious freedom event

By

Kelsey Dallas @kelsey_dallas

Published: July 28, 2018 9:47 am

Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, wave following a speech by Pence at the close of a three-day conference on religious freedom at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, July 26, 2018, as the Trump administration comes under criticism for strict refugee and migration policies that have sharply reduced America's intake of people fleeing persecution over their beliefs. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) 

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SALT LAKE CITY — The State Department succeeded in bringing together a diverse group of government and religious leaders for three days this week in a first-of-its-kind religious freedom gathering. But that's just the beginning of addressing religious persecution around the globe, participants said.

"There are tremendous threats to religious freedom coming in the future," said Emilie Kao, who directs the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation. "Solidarity is really important."


However, unity will be unsustainable if members of the Trump administration continue to praise authoritarian regimes or anti-Muslim activists, some observers said. Moving forward, government leaders will need to show that they understand what it means to guarantee religious freedom for all.

"It makes it hard to take them seriously when they both undermine religious freedom here at home and when they are ignoring so many other disastrous human-rights abuses," said Michael Fuchs, a former deputy secretary of state, to Politico.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has already announced plans to turn the recent gathering into an annual event. Here are some additional takeaways from the first Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom:

 

Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

Archbishop Demetrios of America, right, from Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, attends the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, July 26, 2018, attended by Vice President Mike Pence and hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) 

1. The Trump administration is taking religious freedom activism to a new level.

The ministerial consisted of three days of official events and dozens of side events, which were attended by survivors of religious violence, clergy members, government officials, diplomats and leaders of social service organizations. Speakers highlighted major threats to religious freedom, shared success stories and created goals to guide future work.

What impressed some participants is that top U.S. officials seemed deeply invested in the success of the gathering.

"At every event, there were senior U.S. government leaders and State Department officials," said Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation.

Remarks by Vice President Pence at Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom

Photo (Courtesy) https://www.dailywire.com/news/33676/mike-pence-religious-freedom-top-priority-trump-paul-bois

Remarks by Vice President Pence at Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom

Law & Justice

Issued on: July 26, 2018



Harry S. Truman Building

Washington, D.C.

10:17 A.M. EDT

Thank you, Secretary Pompeo. To the Secretary, to Ambassador Brownback, to Administrator Green, Director Mulvaney, to the representatives of more than 80 nations gathered here, and especially to the survivors of religious persecution who honor us by their presence here today: It is my great honor to address this first ever, and first annual, Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. (Applause.)

And I bring greetings from a champion of religious freedom, at home and abroad. I bring greetings this morning, and gratitude for all the efforts represented here, from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.)

As President Trump has said on many occasions, the United States of America is a “nation of faith,” and religious freedom is a top priority of this administration.

Since the earliest days of our nation, America has stood for religious freedom. Our earliest settlers left their homes to set sail for a New World, where they could practice their faith without fear of persecution. Our forebears carved protections for religion into the founding charters and their early laws.

And after this great nation secured our independence, the American Founders enshrined religious freedom as the first freedom in the Constitution of the United States. And America has always, and will always, lead the world by our example.

As our first President, George Washington, wrote in his famous letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, he said, and I quote, “The United States of America [has] given to mankind…a policy worthy of imitation,” for here, as he said, “to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” We “require only that they who live under [our] protection should demean themselves as good citizens.”

And in the long history of this nation, religious freedom has been our first freedom. But as our Founders knew, this precious liberty is endowed not by government, but by our Creator. And we believe that it belongs not just to the American people, but to all people so endowed. (Applause.)

The right to believe or not believe is the most fundamental of freedoms. When religious liberty is denied or destroyed, we know that other freedoms — freedom of speech, of press, assembly, and even democratic institutions themselves — are imperiled.

That’s why the United States of America stands for religious freedom yesterday, today, and always. We do this because it is right. But we also do this because religious freedom is in the interest of the peace and security of the world.