Written by: Michael Swain, FOR SA Executive Director
Article source: JOY! Magazine
It is extraordinary to witness, in real time, the destruction of the right to religious freedom in so-called “Western” nations that once championed it. This is a global trend and the shift is pervasive. Often, it is empowered and accelerated by government agencies and legislation. Although these initiatives come with the apparently noble intention of preventing hate speech, keeping public order, promoting equality, and preventing unfair discrimination – they are often used to minimise, marginalise, shut down, and even criminalise people who stand up for and express their sincerely held convictions.
Difficult legal battles
Private individuals and organisations who are caught in the crossfire can find themselves facing lengthy and ruinously expensive legal battles. A Colorado baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple was sued by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. America’s top court found blatant evidence of hostility and bias against the baker’s sincere religious beliefs. They concluded that his right to have the Commission be neutral and tolerant towards his religious beliefs had been infringed. However, literally the next day, another case was opened against him by a biological man who identifies as a woman who is also a Colorado lawyer. Closer to home, the Beloftebos wedding venue in the Western Cape was sued by the South African Human Rights Commission on behalf of a same-sex couple for declining to participate in the celebration of their wedding. This case is still pending.
Free speech is often the first casualty
In Norway, a representative of a global feminist organisation faces a jail sentence of up to three years for criticising a trans-activist group for teaching children that biological males can be lesbians. In the UK, the battle seems to be moving to the suppression of freedom of thought: in two different cases, women were arrested for praying silently in the vicinity of an abortion clinic and one has been convicted and fined R40,000. The UK’s Public Spaces Protection Order establishes a “safe zone” around abortion clinics and prohibits “engaging in any act of approval/disapproval,” including praying. In South Africa, FOR SA has campaigned for over five years against the Hate Speech Bill, which could see you sent to jail for up to eight years for expressing a view that causes someone in a protected group substantial “emotional harm”.
Criminalising conversion therapy
A law passed in Victoria, Australia, criminalises “conversion therapy”, which is reported to “most commonly occur in faith-based contexts, with typical practices involving counselling, prayer, scripture reading, fasting, retreats, or ‘spiritual healing’”. This same law also forces mothers and fathers to accept their children’s desire to change gender or face prosecution if they do anything to try to prevent potentially harmful and irreversible treatment – from chest-binding to taking hormone blockers and ultimately sex-change surgery.
Protecting religious freedom
FOR SA is in its 10th year of existence and we can say without fear of contradiction that we have played a major role in protecting and upholding religious freedom in this nation. Let us continue to stand together in the fight for faith and freedom to ensure that South Africa does not quickly go the same way as other Western nations.
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Date published: 16/04/2023
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only. Artwork adapted from www.freepik.com
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