[...]... France, and China, along with a dozen smaller nations), and it composed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which in Article  states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, Freedom of Religion and of Conscience  either alone or in community with others and in public and in private,... Article  “freedom of conscience” is deemed to be equal to the “profession and free practice of religion.” The AfrCHR also stresses the traditional values of the African community and mandates in Article () that “every individual shall have duties towards his family and society, the state and other legally recognized communities and the international community.” Although the approach of Africa to the... awful things that have happened to dissidents and conscientious objectors in Cambodia, Rwanda, and the Balkans, one has to hope that a new era has arrived and that governments and organized religion will respond to the Freedom of Religion and of Conscience  new challenges The challenge is awesome: governments must make provisions for their religious and nonreligious citizens to embrace their right,... easier in respect to Europe and Latin America than to Africa, Asia, and India In the past most nations in Europe and Latin America have contributed in one way or another to the world establishment of religions, and several nations, such as Great Britain, retain shreds of this history The countries of Europe and Latin America could be described as post-Christian Here adjustment can be made to deemphasize... thin and easily overcome Terms such as “public order” and “the common good” can swallow even the most imperious claims of religious dissenters How can the effectiveness of humanity’s announced respect for religious freedom be evaluated? One way is to survey how nations are complying with the demands for religious freedom, some of which have attained the status of customary Freedom of Religion and of... covenants on human rights is surely one of the most significant developments in national and international law Conscience is an expandable concept, so its recognition in world law should not be underestimated Its potential is almost incomprehensible Freedom of Religion and of Conscience  A belief in a conscience illuminated by God in the heart and soul of every human being has been an important part... Article  of the International Covenant on Cultural and Political Rights (ICCPR) It reads, “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  Freedom of Religion and of Conscience others and in public or private, to manifest his religion... practice and preaching.” The inclusion of the right to freedom of “thought, conscience and religion” in a document now ratified by over  nations, including the United States and China, is obviously an event uniquely important in world history Also of significance is Article () of the ICCPR: “The state parties to the present covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when... education of their children, and some nations, including Greece, Portugal, and Ireland, have entered reservations to Article  The right to conscience is also codified in Article  of the American Convention on Human Rights (AmCHR) The authors of this document, coming as they did from largely Catholic nations in Latin America, inserted a right to “profess or Freedom of Religion and of Conscience  disseminate”... proselytize was thereby granted The Latin American document is also stronger on the rights of parents Article () reads, “Parents or guardians, as the case may be, have the right to provide for the religious and moral education of their children or wards that is in accord with their own convictions.” The Organization of African Unity issued the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (AfrCHR) in  . w0 h1" alt="" Can God and Caesar Coexist?