In Nigeria, escalating religious conflict impacts Adventist Church (ANN)
Jan. 23, 2012 Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Gilbert Weeh/ANN staff
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria is seeing a drop in church attendance and some church closures amid worsening religious conflict in the country.
An upsurge of attacks against Christian churches by the extremist group Boko Haram beginning late last year has led to ongoing sectarian violence between Muslim and Christian groups in northeast Nigeria.
Adding to the tumult, the country’s government recently eliminated energy subsidies, doubling the price of gasoline and inciting nationwide strikes and demonstrations. News reports indicate that Nigerians are living in fear of continuing unrest.
Meanwhile, Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie called on religious leaders in her country to speak out against the violence, the Guardian reported last week.
“Christian leaders must continue to preach peace and togetherness so that Christians do not retaliate,” Adichie told the Guardian. “Muslim leaders must strongly and repeatedly condemn the violence against Christians and make it clear that Boko Haram does not represent Nigerian Islam,” she said.
The Adventist Church in the country has devoted recent days to fasting and prayer for the ongoing situation. Church administration in the country is encouraging membership to work in small groups and avoid large public religious gatherings. Open air evangelism efforts have been put on hold due to a curfew and the fragile security situation, church officials said.
According to a report by Northeast Nigeria Conference President Bindas Stephen Haruna, the Adventist Church there has not suffered property damage or loss of life. However, some individual members have had their property looted or burned.
“The situation in Northern Nigeria shows how a lack of religious freedom can affect the life of churches, and why we must promote and strongly defend this essential freedom before it is too late,” said John Graz, director for the Adventist world church’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty.
Church attendance in northeast Nigeria has dropped drastically, leading to church closures in some regions where most members are traveling business people who have returned to their homes. In other churches, pastors have left their congregations for fear of being killed.
The situation has produced a wave of small group evangelism, church leaders said. As Nigerian Adventists funnel their efforts to spread the Adventist hope on a smaller scale, church officials in the country are soliciting the prayers and support of the world church family.
Herbert E. Douglass – Red Alert: Hurtling Into Eternity (Book Excerpt)
In his new book, Red Alert: Hurtling Into Eternity, Dr. Herbert E. Douglass connects Bible prophecy with current headlines – increasing natural disasters; appearances of the Virgin Mary; wars and rumors of wars. Prophecies are being fulfilled all around us, reinforcing the belief that time is short.
Here is a brief excerpt from this book:
Perhaps some are asking, “What does an economic collapse have to do with the Second Advent? Answer: The coming international economic meltdown, coupled with natural disasters, will drive governments to find scapegoats for the escalating calamities.
The religious card will be played. Something like this will be said, perhaps by the president of the United States: “We are in an enormous crisis. We need unity as never before. We need to restore our common values, our religious roots. We need fewer divisions, less hate talk. In fact, we are going to outlaw any group talking negatively about anyone else. This is a time to come together and fulfill the American dream. Remember, ’Righteousness exalted a nation.’ Let’s restore peace to our communities, at least for one day of the week. Let’s restore America to the way it used to be.”
Bingo! Sunday will be the day of choice, and the plea for tolerance and national unity will trump all negative talk about anyone’s sexual orientation, ethnic origin, or religious beliefs.
So what? someone may ask. These unprecedented conditions we have been reviewing in these pages will soon compel frightened citizens to enact strict government laws that will evaporate the basic freedoms on which this country was founded. For instance, no longer will it be permissible to argue for which day is the Sabbath or to point out who changed it-that will be considered intolerant, divisive, and subject to rapid, legal incarceration.
These unprecedented conditions we have been reviewing in these pages will soon compel frightened citizens to enact strict government laws that will evaporate the basic freedoms on which this country was founded.
…
Bottom line–such a time will come, when loyal, patriotic citizens will not be able to buy or sell. And if they continue to be divisive with their appeal to freedom, as guaranteed in the Constitution, Revelation 13 comes into play. Verse 15 predicts that the law will say they should be killed! We are not there yet, but the stage is surely being set. Really, it has never been this late before!
Does anyone still doubt the accuracy of the predictions in Revelation 13 and 18 that we have just reviewed, and Testimonies, volume 9, page 13? In this chapter, we have briefly flown over the current economic/political distress primarily in the United States. Only a fool is saying, “All is well!” But the U.S.A. comprises only part of the world’s predicaments.
In our next chapter we will focus on the quiet, though extraordinary methods being used to globalize all aspects of our lives, no matter what country we may live in. “All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” Shakespeare said so well in “As You Like It.” Never before in earth’s history has Planet Earth become such a world theater! Yes, we all are “bit” players! For the world to be bankrupt, “when great riches came to nothing”-that is still ahead.
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Order your copy of Red Alert: Hurtling Into Eternity by Herbert E. Douglass from the Pacific Press Publishing Association at http://pppa.com/index.php?pgName=prodBooks&sku=0816324883
During his 60 year ministry, Dr. Herbert Douglass has served as a college theology professor, Atlantic Union College president, vice-president of a publishing house, president of Weimar Institute, vice-president for philanthropy at Adventist Heritage Ministry, and most recently, as consultant for Amazing Facts Ministry. Author of many books and articles, Dr. Douglass earned his doctorate in 1964 at the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California.
Adventist Church Selects New UN Liaison
From Adventist News Network - The Seventh-day Adventist Church has selected Ganoune Diop, a theologian and multi-linguist, as its new voice at the United Nations.
Former mission study centers director will also contribute to IRLA
Bettina Krause/IRLA/ANN
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has selected Ganoune Diop, a theologian and multi-linguist, as its new voice at the United Nations.
Diop, originally from Senegal, takes up his responsibilities this month as the associate director of the denomination’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department, where he will represent the church at the United Nations in Geneva and in New York. He will also contribute to PARL’s work with the International Religious Liberty Association.
He is an academic, administrator, and a musician who has lived and worked on three continents.
Diop replaces Barry Bussey, who served in the position since 2008 and left earlier this year to take a position in Canada.
“Dr. Diop’s cross-cultural experience, education, and desire to serve his church, make him extraordinarily well-suited to his new responsibilities,” said John Graz, PARL department director.
Diop has served as a church pastor, a conference Sabbath School director, a professor of Biblical Languages, Exegesis, and Theology at Saleve Adventist University in France, and later at Southern Adventist University and Oakwood University in the United States. In his most recent assignment, he served as director of the five Global Mission Study Centers of the Office of Adventist Mission.
Diop holds a master’s degree in philology and a doctorate in Old Testament studies. In 2008, he told ANN that he’s comfortable conversing in 10 languages.
Diop said an important focus of his new role will be to “make the case before representatives of nations that they benefit from having Adventists live in their countries, freely practicing their religion and lifestyle.”
“Our various services to humanity — healthcare systems, education institutions, organizations for the support of human rights, development and relief agencies — all these things are focused on improving the quality of life within communities,” he said.
Diop says he will draw principles to guide his work from the life and example of Jesus Christ. “Jesus showed through His life and teachings that he was certainly a diplomat,” he says. “He did not, for example, force Himself on humanity, but through appeals, dialogues, conversations, negotiations, based on respect for human dignity, he shared His values. He appealed to the deepest values he inscribed in people he created in His own image.”
Delbert Baker, a general vice president of the world church, who also serves as an adviser to the the PARL department, says Diop will bring will a unique line-up of abilities to his role as an international church diplomat.
“He brings a deep commitment to his faith and a wealth of experience to this pivotal role of spokesperson for the church within the international arena,” Baker said.
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Article18: Norway — Personal Reflections on the Origin of a Tragedy
By Martin Surridge – My personal experience with terrorism is not extensive but is actual nevertheless, and extends through several phases of my life. As a child I lived in East England, and North London and I remember the daily news updates of the troubles in Northern Ireland that would frequently extend into England. When I was ten years old, an IRA terrorist killed himself and injured eight others when his bomb detonated in a bus traveling in Aldwych, London. This vehicle was decimated only twenty miles from our house in Watford and it was part of a public bus system our family used several times a year. It understandably left the residents of North London shaken, including my mother who was concerned for our safety as children when we traveled in the area. Other IRA attacks included a bombing less than an hour away from our town that killed two that same year and mortar attacks 30 mins away just three years earlier. 
Exactly a decade later, almost to the day, I was traveling through Palestine with a friend from college. We were visiting Beit She’an, a Roman-era settlement, as well as Jericho and the banks of the Jordan River. As to be expected in the Holy Land, even when things are outwardly peaceful, a tension hangs in the air nearly everywhere you go. Military checkpoints had 18-year old female Israeli soldiers with sub-machine guns eye us suspiciously when we crossed into new territory. I had noticed helicopters hovering above our taxi while we were driving, but didn’t think anything of it. Then we were suddenly escorted to the side of the freeway by unmarked cars and quickly had more sub-machine guns aimed at our car by what appeared to be policemen, speaking rapidly to our driver while we sat mesmerized and terrified. As quickly as they came, they left, satisfied we posed no danger. Our driver told us they were looking for two suicide bombers in an identical van to ours on the same road at the same time. Our shock only increased when we read the newspaper the next day and saw that the suspects were in fact apprehended that day–same model of taxi-van, same freeway, same afternoon.
I have experienced the effects of terrorism in two countries, albeit not directly and fortunately not in any way that harmed me or my loved ones and for that I am thankful. One was the result of violent criminals who were White, staunchly Catholic, and Irish. The other was planned by Arab Muslims in the Middle East. For both, religion was an important motivation, but not the sole or even primary reason for their terrorism.
Like most terrorist acts, the motivation came out of a mix of socioeconomic and/or ethno-religious reasoning and such people rarely represent their community at large. If you have read this blog before, even just a couple entries, you know that we have profiled religiously motivated violence and terrorism in several countries and the aggressors are a colorful bunch–Hindus in India, communists in Cuba and China, Buddhist authorities in Thailand, as well as the aforementioned Muslims and Christians.
The horrific attack that occurred in Norway last week might be the worst terrorist attack to hit Europe in the post-9/11 era. The savage way that the acts were committed and the tragedy of so many youth being targeted makes the incident hard to comprehend. It was an alarming story for me to hear as I had camped in a similar location near Oslo some years ago, very close to where the killings took place. Many were quick to point out that the suspect is a Christian fundamentalist, an anti-Muslim terrorist, eager to erase Norway’s non-indigenous populations. There have been those on the right who are quick to ignore or brush this fact away and those on the left who see this as a way to further demonize religion, Christianity in particular.
Too many people in the news quickly blamed Muslims for the attack, speaking without any credible information in the hours before we knew the attacker’s name or motivation, leading to a CNN article on why we can’t blame the Muslims in such a situation without knowing all the information. The fact of the matter is that the demon of terrorism is one that will practice whatever religion it must to satisfy its craving for violence. Terrorism knows no religion that it can’t corrupt. Violence can find a home in any religion, any belief system, be it Muslim, Christian, or Sikh and it is not partial to any one in particular, despite the ramblings in the media. I have even had several good discussions with RLTV contributor Joshua Crouch this year about how violence and terrorism find just as comfortable a home in the lack of a religious structure, as we have seen this year in Laos, China, North Korea, and Cuba. 
As candidates for president openly admit their refusal to appoint a Muslim in their hypothetical cabinet, let us remember that the world’s one billion Muslims should not be judged on the actions of criminals, just as Christians would not want to be judged by the actions of Anders Behring Breivik in Norway.
Khalid Latif in that same article gave his readers a suggested course of action, one we often forget about in this chaotic world, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Norway. May God make things easy for them and grant us all the strength and courage to stand up against those who preach intolerance and hatred, even if they look like us, align politically with us, or practice the same religion we practice.”
Article18 is a weekly blog written by Martin Surridge, Associate Editor of Religious Liberty TV. Article18 logo and other artwork created by Bradley Kenyon.
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Don’t forget to check out other recent Article18 entries.
Article18: Uzbekistan — Recent Incidents of Violence Against Christians Alarm Religious Minorities
Article18: Laos — Four Christian Women Raped and Executed by Laotian Military Along Vietnam Border
Discernibly Proactive: History of Adventist Involvement in Public Policy
Discernibly Proactive
Balancing National Temperance Reform with
Opposition to Sunday Law Legislation
By Kevin R. James & Gregory W. Hamilton
Published in the June 2004 edition of Liberty Express Journal
Buying Power: Human Trafficking and the Local Marketplace
I’m not willing to pick cocoa beans or cotton for a dollar a day, so who is? Trafficked boys on the Ivory Coast and factory children in Asia whose fingers are small enough to work intricate and dangerous machines fill this gap.
Spending four dollars on a candy bar seems irrational. There are so many great tasting candy bars for 90 cents, why would I spend three more dollars for this Alter Eco specialty chocolate? In the end, they’re both equally bad for me and I won’t remember the difference tomorrow. Plus, I’ll be able to buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks with the leftover change. Being a business major, I began wondering if these “socially conscious” products like Alter Eco chocolate, Threads for Thought clothing, and other specialty made products were all cutting edge ways for people to make money with the front of caring about the sustainability for the world and people. It seemed to me that it was a great marketing scheme, and that these people in the companies focused on promoting a cheaper product for a greater cost to consumers because they put the emphasis on the individuals making them. The government already has regulations, like labor laws, in place so maybe all this hype about building “sustainable communities” is just a fad or another way for small companies to make it against these transnational corporate giants.
To make things clear, I really am all about supporting the local coffee shop or book store instead of always flocking to big corporations; but when Amazon has the same product for less, it has been my impression that I would be a careless buyer to go somewhere else. This is a question that has been introduced to us with globalization. Growing up in a consumerist society, I’ve repeatedly been taught to find the best product with the lowest cost, it’s Business 101. Gobbling up my 90 cent chocolate, I started worrying about how many insects the FDA allowed per candy bar, realizing that maybe that was the downside to cheaper chocolate. My business professors teach that the bottom line is what matters the most, but I have grown up in a family immersed in mission work and advocating global consciousness. I have started wondering what is most important in order to simultaneously be successful and yet not cross my personal ethics. Is there a way to be both? Is money the only way to success? Surely there was a way to balance both sides instead of veering off in just one direction.
With these thoughts mulling through my head and chocolate lingering in my mouth, I walked into the Freedom Summit conference hear about all the forms modern day slavery takes, and how globalization has created prime breeding grounds for the vulnerability of the masses. The speakers included Condoleezza Rice—former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Bradley Myles—CEO of Polaris Project, and David Batstone—a Professor of Ethics at USF and founder of Not for Sale Campaign. In the hardest days as Secretary of State under the Bush Administration, Condoleezza turned to the Founding Fathers biographies and came to the conclusion that with every large struggle, “what seemed impossible one day, seemed inevitable the next.” She introduced us to the idea that anti human trafficking is the social justice movement of our century and what is happening behind the backs of the general public is far worse than slavery in the past. There are more slaves today than in any other time in history, and we are all doing our part to help propel it forward.
Much of this shocked me—while not being completely ignorant to the struggles of people globally, I still had the rude awakening that every person is participating in this victimization process, where the marginalized people of society always become the victimized, from sex slavery to forced labor. As middle-class consumers, we want to support our families and ourselves while still having our 401ks and Baskin Robbins family night. The great disappointment to us is not having the fudge sauce on our two scoops because they ran out; but where does the chocolate Baskin Robbins buys come from? Consumerism doesn’t leave much room for humanity. It turns people into self-centered buying machines. Instead of being praised for finding the best deal, maybe we should be praised for being globally aware.
Nathan George, founder of Trade as One, switched from working at a lucrative software company to starting his fair trade company and discussed the business side of slavery. Common sense shows that resellers want the best price, and distributors want to make money, so somebody needs to make up for the gap at the bottom line. I’m not willing to pick cocoa beans or cotton for a dollar a day, so who is? Trafficked boys on the Ivory Coast and factory children in Asia whose fingers are small enough to work intricate and dangerous machines fill this gap. At the other end of the sheltered world, people want more chocolate and twenty t-shirts from Costco, therefore creating a demand for this work. All traffickers need to do is provide children to employers who solely care about money, and the cycle keeps going.
Most human traffickers tend to be ex drug traffickers who have realized that unlike cocaine, people are a resalable commodity. This creates a higher earning power for the trafficker and minimal risks because in developing countries, people cannot search after every child. With a high reward and low risks, it is a perfect business set up; that is, if you just look at numbers. The chocolate didn’t taste as sweet in my mouth as I heard about how I was eating slave-produced products and wearing a shirt made by 10 year old hands.
Realizing that my demand is directly correlated with the amount of their exploitation was not satisfying. Instead of being a savvy shopper by looking for the yellow smiley faces on weekly deals, maybe the valued knowledge actually comes in knowing the product’s supply chain. The advertising for a product tasting the best or being the cheapest shouldn’t trump what is happening on the underside of their business. I don’t see a change coming in my chocolate addiction, but the 30 minutes more of work to buy the slave-free chocolate won’t strain my body as much as theirs. This conference probed me to think about the validity of these brands that I was a skeptic of. One of the careful statements that Nathan George, founder of Trade as One, made during the conference was that we as consumers may be overwhelmed at the prices of actually buying socially responsible items, but the first step is to reduce what we consume in order to balance it out. Do I really need to have a candy bar and Starbucks? Aren’t both of those luxury items anyways? By living responsibly, I’m giving others a higher chance of simply living.
This is easier stated than done. With opportunities for “deals” surrounding us daily, it’s hard to not fall into a pattern that we, as free people, are used to. One of the biggest reminders and strongest points I repeat daily is that I have done nothing to secure the position I have in life of being in a free country, just like these modern day slaves have done nothing to have their entire lives indebted to us because of the harsh demands we put on them with our high consumerist behavior. These socially conscious products contain more than just a new age aura or a better selling point; they represent a desire for the priority of humanity instead of selfish search for profit. The balance that fits in my life is one that requires awareness of what I consume, learning to live on less, and realizing that I can be socially active this the model and with my voting power. What changes can you make in your life to leave room for others?
Kate Case, a Global Studies major at La Sierra University, is a campaign strategy intern for California Against Slavery, a non-profit, non-partisan human rights organization working to get an anti-human trafficking initiative on the 2012 ballot for California. Case is the founder of the blog, The Priority of Humanity (http://www.priorityofhumanity.com), which is a compilation of books, documentaries, and other resources related to human trafficking. The blog also has information on current and pending legislation on the issue. This fall, she will be interning with Seventh-day Adventist Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department in Washington, DC where her duties will include research and advocacy.
Following Norway attack, Adventist religious liberty director urges caution in use of ‘fundamentalist’ label
Adventist News Network -
Church religious liberty director urges caution in use of ‘fundamentalist’ label
ANN staff
Separately, the denomination’s religious liberty director urged careful dialogue on the incident and cautioned that the ideology of the man who confessed to the acts should be referred to as “extremist” instead of “Christian Fundamentalist,” as several news reports had indicated.
“Our thoughts are with relatives and friends of those who have been injured and killed,” said Reidar Kvinge, president of the Adventist Church in Norway. “We are appalled by the cruel disregard for human life these actions show.”
“The grave tragedy that has affected young, enthusiastic people gathered at Utøya must not lead us in Norway to let hatred prevail,” Kvinge said.
Norwegian native Anders Behring Breivik, 32, confessed to a pair of July 22 attacks, which killed 76 people, The Washington Post reported. Breivik allegedly was responsible for the bombing of a government building in the capital, Oslo, and later gunned down dozens of teens and young adults at a youth camp of the Labor Party on the island of Utøya in Lake Tyrifjord.
Breivik had apparently targeted the nation’s ruling Labor Party, a left-center party and historic supporter of immigration and multiculturalism. Breivik allegedly published earlier that day an online screed that railed against pluralism, including, in his words, the “Islamization of Western Europe.”
The afternoon bomb attack on the government building did not affect a nearby Adventist Church property in Akersgt, but services on Saturday were canceled on advice from police, said Torre Tjeransen, Communication director for the Adventist Church in Norway.
The Adventist Church’s national headquarters, along with a junior college, is located a few miles from the Utøya island in Lake Tyrifjord, Tjeransen said.
There are about 4,600 Adventists in Norway, a nation of about 4.9 million people.
In a statement today, John Graz, director of the Adventist world church’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department said “media reporting that these attacks may have been motivated by right-wing Christian fundamentalism are profoundly disturbing.”
“Such acts are utterly alien to Christian teachings and values,” Graz said. “Violence carried out in the name of Christianity is an absolute distortion of a religion that finds its genesis in Jesus Christ, the ‘Prince of Peace.’”
Graz also urged caution in the use of the term “fundamentalist” to describe the individual alleged to have carried out the attacks, instead proffering the term “extremist” as a more accurate description of the type of ideology and behavior that falls far outside the norms of a religious community.
“There’s a risk that ‘fundamentalism’ will become blurred in people’s minds with the idea of ‘conservative Christianity’ — a confusion that could serve to widen the gulf of misunderstanding between different religious traditions,” he said.
“We must re-double our efforts to promote understanding and respect between people of different cultures and faiths,” he said.
–reporting by BUC News, IRLA and ANN staff
European Court OKs display of crucifixes in Italian classrooms – Adventist News Network
http://news.adventist.org/2011/03/european-court-oks-d.html
Secularism isn’t the same everywhere: Three models in Europe highlight various church-state relations (ANN)
Corrado Cozzi
Understanding three models of church-state relations in Europe is a key first step in addressing issues of religious freedom here.
As recently as a decade ago, religion in the West was considered to be facing extinction. Now more than ever, matters of religious freedom and human rights in secular states are at odds with a refocus on religion — this resurgence being fueled by the fact that extensive technical reasoning has been unable to explain the meaning of life.
Earlier this month, the Adventist Church sponsored a symposium in the city of Bellinzona, Ticino, bringing together elected officials, experts on church law and church-state relations, theologians and students of different Christian denominations to better understand religious liberty concerns and discuss possible solutions.
At the heart of the matter is understanding religious liberty in relation to the different models of secularism existing in Europe and Switzerland.
While Switzerland has 26 different models of church-state relations (as many as there are Cantons in Switzerland), in Europe, three models exist:
First: Countries with a large Catholic or Orthodox majority, where traditional religions are considered by the State to be capable of providing the necessary social cohesion for the country and thus recognized and favored.
This trend in Europe is that of an alliance between strongly Catholic and strongly Orthodox countries which then manifests itself in particular situations, such as Italy’s recent defense of the crucifix, with the cooperation of these countries.
Second: Countries where the majority religion is weak. In such countries, secularism, with its values of equality, liberty and fraternity, becomes the organizing principle and the State takes on the task of promoting this secularism. This usually manifests itself as imposing negatives — “no” to religious symbols in schools, for example. This is the case in France.
Three: A multicultural policy. This has developed in England. There, human rights are at the forefront in relation to religions, which must recognize and submit to human rights. Unfortunately, in some cases human rights have risked overriding the rights of the single religions.
Understand, these are not fixed models. Indeed, today’s situation in Europe — especially here in Switzerland — is one of constant oscillation between the three models, determined by the sense of decline that is being perceived in Western culture.
The search therefore progresses in the direction of merging the various models, and to search for common ground where the rights of the religions, religious liberty, human rights and rights of the majority and minorities are kept in balance.
Participants at the February 4 symposium said possible solutions should be seen in terms of:
- A greater disposition to accept individuals and groups who desire to manifest their religion or belief publicly.
- Helping to increase the acceptance of plurality concerning personal beliefs.
- Safeguard the internal autonomy of religion and belief communities, while respecting human rights to their full extent.
Knowing these issues is a starting point. Now is up to us to continue pursuing this goal of balancing religious liberty in multicultural societies.
–Corrado Cozzi is the Communication director for the Adventist Church’s Euro-Africa Division, based in Berne, Switzerland
In Peru, ‘historic’ religious liberty legislation passes (ANN)
Law recognizes religious pluralism; all faiths to enjoy same ‘rights, obligations and benefits’
Members of Peru’s congress voted last week to approve legislation guaranteeing the religious liberty of all citizens, a freedom already recognized by the South American country’s constitution.
The act comes a year after more than 40,000 Peruvians gathered in the country’s capital, Lima, for a festival in support of burgeoning religious liberty there.
The law guarantees free public and private exercise of religion, except where such expression infringes on the freedoms or fundamental rights of others, or where public order or welfare is threatened, religious liberty advocates said.
Specifically, the act protects students’ religious convictions and requires state educational institutions to respect those convictions, assuring that a student’s practice of faith does not affect his or her academic grades, said Edgardo Muguerza Florián, who directs Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Peru.
It also prohibits any “action or omission” discriminating against a person because of religious belief and recognizes religious pluralism, assuring that all faiths enjoy the same “rights, obligations and benefits,” Florián said.
Adventist Church representatives have worked for broader religious liberty protections in Peru for more than a decade, meeting with government officials and faith representatives in the country.
“We are very pleased to see that our work may have played a role in the passage of this historic law,” said John Graz, director of the world church’s department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty.
Graz said the legislation is a testament to the efforts of all defenders of religious freedom in Peru. The country’s religious liberty movement has a long history, making the continued protection of religious freedom there an important investment, he said.
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ANN World News Bulletin is a review of news issued by the Communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. For reproduction requirements, click here. The opinions expressed by Commentary authors and sources in ANN news stories do not necessarily reflect those of Adventist News Network© and/or the Seventh-day Adventist© Church.
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