17 October 2006
Religious Freedom Establishes Other Freedoms, Experts Say
Religious tolerance, role of private groups topics of online discussion
Washington -- Religious freedom is a quintessential feature of U.S. foreign policy because it is a prerequisite for establishing other freedoms, Doug Johnston, a political scientist and former officer in the U.S. Navy, said in a Democracy Dialogues webchat October 17.
"Not only is it important for people at the grassroots to understand how religious and cultural factors affect the aspirations and worldviews of others, it is every bit as important in today's context that religion and culture be incorporated by policymakers as defining elements of international security," asserted Johnston, president and founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy in Washington, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that uses faith-based diplomacy to achieve peace worldwide.
Johnston joined Matt Cherry, president of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief and executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies in Albany, New York, in the online discussion.
"Too many people think that 'freedom of religion' does not protect the nonreligious," said Cherry. But, in fact, freedom of religion or belief protects atheists and agnostics as well as believers, and thus is controversial among many governments. Because of this, the United States and other democracies have made freedom of religion or belief a centerpiece of their human rights efforts, Cherry said.
In working to promote religious freedom, international NGOs encourage educational programs based on democratic principles, Johnston said. Even in places where it is a criminal offense to criticize a particular religion, if the country is a democracy, the situation is far from hopeless, he said.
Educating missionaries about freedom of religion or belief is also important, Cherry said. "Missionaries do a lot of good work, but they must not require people to change their beliefs in order to be recipients of this good work," he added.
NGOs should operate from a posture of religious neutrality, Johnston said, while taking steps to seek input from religious leaders of different faiths. "At the core of each of these religions are laudable principles relating to neighborly concern and the betterment of humanity," he said.
The challenge for U.S. foreign policy is to be able "to develop an effective capability for dealing with religious differences in hostile settings and for countering demagogues like bin Laden who manipulate religion for their own purposes," Johnston said.
"Until religion is incorporated as a defining element of international security, the West will continue to fall victim to uninformed foreign policy choices," he asserted.
Cherry is an official NGO delegate to the United Nations, representing the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). Cherry and Johnston were co-hosts of the State Department's Democracy Dialogues online discussion of the role of NGOs in promoting religious freedom.
The transcript of Cherry and Johnston's discussion and information on upcoming webchats are available on USINFO's Webchat Station.
Democracy Dialogues is a global conversation addressing democratic governance through interactive public forums, readings, videos, photos and historical documents, with a new topic introduced every two months.
For more information, see International Religious Freedom.
