Documenting religious freedom -- or the lack thereof -- in 212 countries, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department, or PARL, has released a report surveying the landscape of liberty around the world.
Documenting religious freedom—or the lack thereof—in 212 countries, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department, or PARL, has released a report surveying the landscape of liberty around the world.
The “Religious Freedom World Report, 2004-2005,” is a spiral-bound, 240-page volume distributed to church religious liberty leaders worldwide, as well as to government agencies, the United Nations and other groups involved in religious freedom issues. The contents will also soon be available, free, online at http://parl.gc.adventist.org
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“This report is very easy to read,” said Dr. John Graz, PARL director for the world church. “It is concise and easy to understand. It will be a great help in understanding religious freedom around the world.”
The world’s nations and territories are organized by region and graded on the level of religious freedom available, with a “Category 1” listing denoting the greatest level of freedom and “Category 5” denoting the worst. Only eight nations appear in the “Category 5” listing, slightly down from the last report in 2003, Graz said. Of the rest, 32 have legislation that restrict religious freedoms, and 48 other nations, while not outlawing groups, have some government authorities or media that cause difficulty for minority religions. A total of 128 nations offer their citizens complete religious freedom.
Graz indicated the report is based on first-hand experience: PARL staff members visit 50 countries each year, as well as receive reports from correspondents in 204 countries.
By sharing the results with embassies in Washington, D.C., Graz said, “We give to these leaders an awareness that if their nations are persecuting minority religions such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church, it will appear in this report.” He said other groups that monitor religious freedom have used the report’s findings in their work as well.
A positive note this year has been the improvements found in Turkmenistan, which now has registered the Seventh-day Adventist Church and allowed its pastor to travel overseas.
The report focuses on the situation of Adventists in various nations, but also includes information about other religious groups’ status, underlying the church’s concern for freedom of religion for everyone, everywhere, a cornerstone of PARL activity since the department was created in 1901.
