A recommendation that new laws be introduced to enforce registration of pastors and ministers is overkill and a response that one would expect more from a totalitarian state than a constitutional democracy”, said Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town and President of the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). He […]
Tag: freedom of religion
Court says public schools may not promote a particular religion — but religious observances allowed
Originally published in forsa.org.za A mere six weeks after the case was argued in court, the Johannesburg High Court this morning delivered its much-anticipated judgment in the case of OGOD v six public schools regarding religion in schools. REACTION TO RULING FEDSAS The Federation of Governing Bodies of South Africa […]
Are we using or abusing our religious freedom in South Africa? — Jan Gouws
Jan Gouws executive director of Open Doors South Africa looks at religious freedom in South Africa from a global perspective, On April 27, we celebrated freedom in our country. The constitution partly defines this freedom as follows: “everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion”. […]
Church and Press have role to defend freedom of speech
The Church and the Press are two fundamental pillars of civil society that stand for freedom of speech. Our recent history is a clear example of the important role that the Church and the media played in the struggle against Apartheid. In fact, at one stage the Church was the […]
Bill attacks freedom of speech — our right to tell people what they don’t want to hear
It is a sad day for democracy and the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression when the State decides to legislate what is (or is not) acceptable speech, and further prescribes criminal sanctions in the form of fines and jail time for those who may be found guilty […]
E-mails on “State control religion in SA” – fact, or hoax?
Originally published in FOR SA. It has been brought to our attention by friend and ally INcontext Ministries (www.incontextministries.org), that it may be necessary to shed light on and clarify two e-mails that are currently doing the rounds relating to “State Control Religion in South Africa”. (Note that FOR SA […]
Take action on religious, speech freedom threats — sign two online petitions
Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA) have posted two online petitions which provide South Africans with an easy way to oppose current government-driven threats to freedom of religion and freedom of speech. FOR SA NEWSFLASH This afternoon (Thursday November 17 2016), FOR SA, acting on behalf of over 69 […]
MPs call for parliamentary religious freedom forum across party lines
ACDP Member of Parliament Cheryllyn Dudley, supported by her #IPPFoRB colleagues in parliament, Narend Singh (IFP) and Nqabayomzi Kwankwa (UDM), has called on chief whips of political parties in parliament to invite and send members to join and help establish a multi-party forum committed to protecting and promoting religious freedom. […]
Religious bodies granted more time to respond to CRL Commission proposals
The CRL Rights Commission has granted a request by religious bodies for more time to respond to its controversial proposals on the regulation of religion. The CRL’s report on the “commercia isation” of religion was published on October 26 and religious bodies were given until November 18 to comment. The […]
Baptists call on CRL Rights Commission to withdraw proposal to regulate religion
While it is disturbed by apparent abuses within religious communities, the cure proposed by the CRL Rights Commission — to regulate religious bodies and licence religious practitioners — would be a thousand times worse than the described disease, says the Christian Citizenship Network of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. Calling on the commission […]