Western Europe vs. Religious Freedom
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Mary Ann Glendon serves as vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Azizah al-Hibri serves as a USCIRF Commissioner.
"If the lamp of liberty is to remain lit, Western Europeans must accept that the age of conformity to an official monoculture—secular or religious—is at an end. In the coming year, their countries should embrace their religiously diverse future and accord religious freedom to all. "
What do you think?
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Religious homeschooling has always seemed very exotic to me. I have never heard of anyone doing this as long as I have lived. Not until it was suddenly forbidden in my country.
In 2010 there was a report regarding growing Atheism and agnosticism worlwide. In the third most atheist country, France the part of the population was around 40% and the second, Japan around 60%. No chock, since those countries are well known secular states. But then came the; Sweden 85%! I remember being chocked, because I knew my country was secular, but not that freakin TWIZE the percentage of the people was non-belivers as in in the VERY proudly secular nation of France.
Add to those 85% non-belivers the pretty large number of people who confess themselves to Wicca, New age-movements and even outright Satanism (for they are many in my country). Then consider the fact that most of the rest of the practicing religious people are immigrant muslims, Buddhists, Hinduists etc (mostly from other religions than Christianity). Sweden has long been one of the countries who takes in the most immigrants in Europe. Then add to that fact that the church of Sweden quite recently officially declared Satan to be just a "mythological figure who does not exist." Not that many people goes to church anyway- They are actually forced to sell out most churches to people who makes them into whatever they choose now. And no wonder, since more people than ever are STILL leaving christianity here. I suspect that my homecountry is not only the by far no 1 atheist nation, but also the one with fewest people of any faith somewhat like mine left:( I´ve had friends making me promise not to tell anyone they are christian and I´m not even kidding! They are afraid of what the atheists will think about them if they get to know that! There are not any laws that forbid people to wear religious symbols here, but that´s because all non-belivers are wearing crosses as fashion statements, so they have actually lost their symbolic meaning to most swedish people! As for the faceveils, politicans has said that if more women start wearing them then forbidding it might be neccesary. As it is nowomen who do are so extremely few.
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