is religious liberty a Biblical concept?
Who do we turn to when we believe our religious freedoms are being curtailed1? Should those from other worldviews have the same privilege?
Freedom of religion is set out as a universal standard in Article 18 of the 1948 United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
This was followed in 1976 by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), whose Article 18 reads:
1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of his choice.
3. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardian to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.
But is the aspiration to religious freedom grounded in Scripture? How should Christians react to being persecuted, to their fellow Christians being persecuted, or to living in a context of persecution? Is religious liberty central to Christian theology and faith, or is it a luxury, a gift, a privilege? Should Christians resort to human laws and declarations like the UDHR and ICCPR to ensure their religious freedom? Should such freedom cover everyone in society, or only Christians? Should all benefit from religious liberty, or just a few?
Freedom is rooted in God
The Bible shows us that freedom is rooted in God’s nature and in His dealings with human beings. God made the universe, holds it together by His Word of power, and governs it through His law, in wisdom, truth and love. God made human beings in His divine image. He made us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever (Westminster Shorter Catechism)2 He does not force His rule or love on us but gave us a conscience and a desire to seek Him. In other words, He gives us the freedom to seek and find Him.
God’s way of governance must be the model for human governance. Humans must deal with each other in wisdom, truth and love. Because each one of us is created in God’s image and the Son of God came clothed in human flesh, we must treat each other with the dignity which this entails. Autocratic human governance does not reflect God’s nature or God’s governance. No one must be forced; no one must be hindered. Everyone must be free to worship and free to serve Him. Each individual has the duty, and therefore the right, to seek the truth and to seek Him.
Liberty of the spirit
Christian experience has shown that in times of intense persecution – torture, imprisonment or approaching martyrdom – God gives grace to His people. Many have testified to a bliss that transcends their physical environment.
Another gift from God is the spiritual freedom He gives to those who have put their faith in Christ: they are free from sin (Romans 6), from the law (Romans 7) and from death (Romans 8). “Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1).
Freedom and humanity
The Biblical understanding of freedom is based on the Biblical understanding of humankind as imago Dei, made in the image of our Creator God. This gives us not only the potential for inner freedom but also dignity as individuals free to make our own choices.
God gives us freedom to choose. Adam and Eve made a choice. So did Cain when he chose to kill his brother Abel out of jealousy and then asked a question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”3 Yes, he should have been his brother’s keeper and taken responsibility for his brother’s wellbeing, as we all should for each other.
God commands us to act with tzedakah. This beautiful Hebrew word means “righteousness”. It is much broader than “charity” in the sense of “alms-giving”. It is about right relationships with other people, as well as about our private morality. This is the “righteousness like a never-failing stream” that the Lord desires (Amos 5:24).
Closely linked to tzedakah is the Hebrew word mishpat, which in simple terms means “justice”, a justice rooted in the nature of God. Mishpat means much more than punishing wrongdoing. Mishpat is about treating people the same, regardless of race, social status, sexual orientation or religion. God frequently commands us to do mishpat and the word occurs more than 200 times in the Old Testament. It means giving people their rights, what is due to them. So caring for the poor is not love, so much as it is justice. David Doty says, “The justice of God is sacrificial and active.”4 If everyone behaved with perfect tzedakah there would be no need for mishpat, because there would be no injustice or neglect to put right. Mishpat tops the list of things that are right and good in Isaiah 1:17 and Micah 6:8. Mishpat frequently describes helping widows, orphans, immigrants and the poor – “the quartet of the vulnerable”5 – and we should note that there are no conditions laid down that these vulnerable people must worship Yahweh in order to be eligible for mishpat.
God also commands us to love, with agape love, the love of Christ. Love is the essential quality of the Christian, based on the sacrificial, self-giving love of Jesus. Love (for God and neighbour) is both the first and the second greatest commandment, Jesus said, thus redefining the boundaries of how we should deal with others (Matthew 22:34-40). We are not to treat others on the basis of skin colour, religious belief or sexual orientation, but on the basis of the fact that they are made in God’s image. Jesus takes this teaching a stage further, when He gives His disciples a new command: to love one another (John 13:34).When they have truly learned to love one another, in the way that Christ loved them, they will be able to love everyone else too.
Freedom for all?
God called Israel to be holy as a nation, separated from all the practices of the Canaanites. Yet they had to allow the unbelieving Gibeonites to live in their midst and not persecute them, even though the Gibeonites had used trickery to gain this status and Israel had failed to seek counsel from the Lord. For their part, the Gibeonites co-operated with Israel and agreed to obey her laws.
God created all human beings in His image, giving them dignity and choice. Dignity and the power to choose are linked. God intends that humans should act on their own judgment, enjoying and making use of a responsible freedom, not forced but motivated by their conscience.
God also teaches us that His priorities of righteousness, justice and love override everything else. The Gibeonites were to live among the Israelites and freely follow their own polytheistic religion.
This is not just a principle from Old Testament times. Jesus tells us that our heavenly Father causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and [He] sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. To be like Him, we must love our enemies (Matthew 5:44-45). We must be just to all who are created imago Dei, whether they are a fellow Christian, an agreeable neighbour, or an implacable foe.
Jim Campbell, senior counsel of the USbased Alliance Defending Freedom, explains that:
Defending religious freedom is not and must not become a selfseeking quest to shield us [Christians] from inconvenience and trials as we practice our faith. Rather, it must be part of fulfilling the church’s call to love our neighbours by righting fundamental assaults on our common humanity.6
So the Bible teaches that freedom of religion must be for all in society. We should not try to prevent followers of other religions from having places of worship, or access to their sacred books, for example.
But freedom of religion does not include freedom to be murderous or to incite others to violence. It does not override existing laws for the maintenance of a stable and peaceful society. It is not an excuse, either morally or in law, for any such destructive behaviour.
1 For the complete article – https://tinyurl.com/y9tt7427
2 https://tinyurl.com/y7v3utwv
3 Genesis 4:9
4 David B. Doty, “On Justice and Righteousness (mishpat and tsadaq)- Strong’s 4941 & 6663”. https://tinyurl.com/y8plrunt.. (accessed 2 March 2018).
5 This phrase was coined by Nicholas Wolterstoff.
6 Jim Campbell, “Why Christians Should Support Religious Freedom for Everyone” 22 April 2017https://tinyurl.com/ycz4t9cf .. (accessed 2 March 2018)