By Daniela Ellerbeck, legal adviser to FOR SA In an important decision this month, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) affirmed the right of religious people to have their beliefs treated with dignity and respect by the government. The question the court had to answer in this case, […]
Tag: religious freedom
Religious exemption clause in Hate Speech bill ‘will only protect sermons’
At Parliament on May 30 2018, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA) attended a briefing by the Department of Justice (DoJ) to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice regarding the proposed Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill (“the Bill”). This briefing followed certain amendments made […]
US Supreme Court rules Christian baker can refuse to make gay wedding cakes
Originally published in The Christian Post The United States Supreme Court ruled in favour of Colorado Christian baker Jack Phillips on Monday in overwhelming fashion, saying that the state government’s hostility towards his refusal to make a same-sex wedding cake violated the US Constitution. In a 7-2 vote, the nation’s […]
Bougardt judgment indicates likely legal limit of religious speech
Pastor gets prison sentence for offensive remarks towards gays On Friday, 18 May 2018 Pastor Oscar Bougardt – who found himself in trouble with the law again after making certain “highly insulting, demeaning and uncharitable” statements regarding the LGBT community – was convicted of contempt of court and sentenced to […]
Senior Christian leaders meet to discuss Code of Conduct
At a meeting convened by The Evangelical Association of South Africa (TEASA) and South African Council of Churches ( SACC) on Wednesday May 23, a broad cross-section of senior Christian leaders met in Kempton Park to discuss the key issues raised by the CRL Rights Commission’s Report on the “Commercialisation” […]
Lack of transparency on ‘Hate Speech Bill’ a concern, says For SA
The surprise tabling of the contentious ‘Hate Speech Bill’ in parliament this week raises serious religious freedom concerns writes Advocate Nadene Badenhorst of Freedom of Religion SA (FOR SA) in this special report. It has come to our attention that the controversial draft Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes […]
FOR SA supports call for Ngcobo commission of inquiry
Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA) supports the CRL’s call for the institution of a commission of inquiry into the Ngcobo tragedy, says FOR SA in a press release. According to weekend news reports CRL chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said her commission decided on Friday to propose an inquiry to establish […]
Rwandan government closes 700 ‘noisy’ churches
Originally published in Faithwire Approximately 700 Churches have been shut down by the Rwandan government for failing to comply with noise restrictions. Most of those closed by officials were small Pentecostal congregations located in Kigali, but one mosque was also ordered to stop hosting services. There has been an increase […]
‘Cult killings might have been averted if CRL had alerted police’
The recent cult killings in Ngcobo could potentially have been averted, had the CRL Rights Commission reported their concerns to the law enforcement agencies in 2016, says Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA) in a media release today. Responding to reports that the CRL says the tragedy could have been […]
Judge rules California can’t force Christian baker to create cakes for same-sex weddings
Originally published in Christian News Network A Superior Court judge has ruled that the State of California cannot force a baker who identifies as a Christian to create cakes for same-sex “weddings” in violation of her faith. He differentiated between selling a generic product on the shelf with having to […]