Europe: Adventist Representative Leads Debate on Religious Freedom Laws

The contentious issues raised by religion laws in Europe headed debate at an inter-parliamentary conference held in Brussels, Belgium on August 6, 2004.

Seventh-day Adventist Church representative Jonathan Gallagher both moderated discussion and made a presentation regarding the serious concerns over new restrictions being imposed on religious minorities in Europe.

“Our concern is that as more nations in Europe and further east adopt religion laws that increasingly restrict the ability of religious minorities to operate, freedom of belief is being compromised and violated,” said Gallagher. “Religion laws are frequently counterproductive, and may be used in some cases as a form of control and repression.”

As an example, Gallagher cited the proposed law on religion currently under discussion in Serbia and Montenegro. “While no worse, or better than many other such laws, the discriminatory impact of this law illustrates the impact of trying to legislate in religious affairs. Sadly this legislation, if passed, would make some beliefs officially recognized, with funding from the state, while others would be termed ‘religious associations’ with much fewer rights. Religion laws need to be open, transparent, and non-discriminatory.”