Freedom of religious belief

In the Middle Ages, it flourished in Europe Theocracy , State power One with religion, religion becomes the state religion, the Canon is Law of the land Citizens must believe in and observe, and citizens have no freedom to believe in religion or not.

bourgeoisie On the stage of history, put forward Separation of church and state The slogan of religion Freedom of belief As a result, the demand for... France, 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen "No one shall be subjected to interference because of his opinion, even the opinion of a religious person." It came into force in 1791 Amendments to the United States Constitution Article 1 provides that Congress shall make no law establishing religion or prohibiting the freedom of belief, and precludes the use of state power to establish a state religion and enforce the belief of citizens. Later, the principle of separation of church and state and freedom of religious belief was generally recognized by most countries.

People's Republic of China Every constitution of the United States has provided that citizens have Religious belief The freedom. The 1982 Constitution further stipulates that any organ of State, Social group Individuals may not force citizens to believe in or not believe in any religion, and may not discriminate against citizens who believe in or do not believe in any religion. State protection Citizens engaged in normal Religious activity ; At the same time, no one is allowed to use religion for destruction Social order Harm the health of citizens or impede the state Educational system The activities of; Religious group Chinese Christians are practicing religion Active body And religious affairs are not governed by foreign powers, not with foreign powers Religious organization It happens organizationally with the group membership .

We respect everyone's different traditions and Cultural background ; Fully affirm human freedom Will to choose .

Different religions have different doctrines and opinions, and different religions have different rituals and habits, but there can only be one truth and it is eternal. One plus one can't be two and three at the same time. It is precisely because each religion considers its own doctrines to be true, and the conflicts between religions are due to differences of views and opinions; Under such conditions religious belief is not true freedom, but rather barbarism and killing.

In fact, all religions should respect and tolerate each other. Only by knowing the truth can we get real freedom in the truth. Because people's choices carry subjectivity What we choose by our own will is not necessarily the eternal truth; Truth itself transcends all religions, so let us hold this attitude to dialogue and discussion at the level of truth, and perhaps we can get a certain degree of freedom.

But the truth is not in us; all we know is through external input. What we think is true is only what we think subjectively, and because we are not the truth, what we have in our heads is often contrary to the truth; Where is truth to be found? In fact, there are different levels of connotation and theory in various religions. Three world religions What makes it great is that it Theoretical system Covers more than other religions.

Buddhism believes that truth requires human right Natural revelation The Epiphany that the core of faith is the person himself, Buddhism is atheism The religion of... Theravada Buddhism The teachings of the early Shakyamuni, which are practiced but not worshipped, are widely practiced in most parts of China Mahayana Buddhism There is worship and cultivation; The Islamic view is one of submission and belief in the unique Master who created the universe Allah And their will for peace and tranquility in both worlds; But Islam and Judaism Only believe in the Bible and the Old Testament, but do not admit it Christ It is the Word incarnate.

Christians believe that the New Testament and the Old Testament are consistent and that God is The Father Son of God Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the essence of truth, the source of life, the second person of God, who became incarnate in human history and became the form of man, was crucified without sin for all human SINS, rose from the dead three days later, and returned to the Father after 40 days after he appeared to his disciples; The love of Christ is thus revealed to us, and there is judgment after death, and he who believes that Jesus is the Christ has eternal life. This is where Christianity differs from other religions, namely there is salvation, there is judgment, there is resurrection, there is eternal life, and there is a second death for unbelievers.

From the above, we can see that there is unity and transcendence between religions. Each of us should have an inclusive heart and should not make comments without understanding others' beliefs. Although religious belief is beyond science, philosophy, and politics, but as a human duty can not cross the boundary, or even contempt for the above three areas, this is the expression of incorrect faith. Our soul is above it, but our body is below it.

Take truth as the ultimate goal and tolerate each other; Under political conditions, the promotion of harmony, not based on the subjective will and blood as the starting point of belief, this is the true freedom of belief.

In China, freedom of religious belief has always been an important right protected by the Constitution and laws, but citizens should follow three principles in exercising freedom of religious belief, namely Principle of legality The principle of separation of religion from the state education system and the principle of independent education.

Article 36, paragraph 1, of our current Constitution states:" People's Republic of China citizens Enjoy freedom of religious belief." The clause is about freedom of religion generality Rule.

Article 36, paragraph 2, further stipulates: "No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in or not believe in any religion, and may not discriminate against citizens who believe in or do not believe in any religion." ^[2]