A blog on the Scientology Religion website expresses the views of the Scientology religion on the subject of human rights, and explains why Scientology Churches around the world hold conferences, stage marches and are otherwise intimately involved in Human Rights Day each December 10.
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”
The Church of Scientology, throughout its existence, has sponsored activities to promote, protect and defend religious freedom around the world for everyone. Scientologists are dedicated to this principle as evidenced by their pledge to “support freedom of religion” for “the good of all.”
This year, the Human Rights Day message of the UN High Commissioner for Human Right’s is to call on everyone to “Stand Up for Someone’s Rights.” This applies to all human rights, including the right to freedom of religion. Alarmingly, the right to religious freedom is under assault throughout the world. Religious hate crimes have exploded and reached disturbing proportions. In the United States for example, the FBI released a report last month evidencing a disturbing spike in such crimes.
A recent global study by the Pew Research Center finds that approximately 5 billion people, 75% of the world’s population, live in countries with high government restrictions on religion or high social hostilities involving religion, often targeting religious minorities. The media fuels this hostility through hate religious speech, leading to tragic results.
Human Rights and religious freedom in particular are under attack. Extremist movements subject innocent men, women and children to horrific violence and enslavement simply due to their religious beliefs and associations. Messages of religious intolerance and hatred abound.
The time has come on Human Rights Day for each of us to stand up and defend religious freedom and human rights for all. In the words of the High Commissioner for Human Rights:
There is no action that is too small: wherever you are, you can make a difference. Together let’s take a stand for more humanity.
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