Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech

When America fought for its independence from England in the late 18th century, citizens of this new country wanted certain freedoms as a foundation for the new government and society. Many of these freedoms were written into a set of Amendments to the US Constitution. The First Amendment (ratified in 1789) described the freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly that this new government would protect for each individual.

Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the choice of an individual or community, in public or private, to express beliefs and teachings as well as practice worship and observances that identify a religious affiliation. The concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religious affiliation or not to identify with a religious community at all. This freedom of religious expression is considered by many people and nations to be a fundamental human right.

The modern American conception of freedom of speech derives from the principles of freedom of the press (mainly in the context of political criticism) and freedom of religion as they developed in England, starting in the seventeenth century. Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations, such as libel (deliberately telling lies about someone) and the use of "hate speech.”

The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR – 1976).

Religious Pluralism/Plurality

Let’s start with the easy term, religious plurality. It clearly refers to a demographic fact, namely, that in a particular area or country there are multiple religious bodies. For example, this is very much the case with the United States of America, among other countries—and it is becoming increasingly true of countries which formerly were largely mono-religious, for example many European countries.

Religious pluralism, building upon religious plurality, goes further by recognizing this religious plurality as potentially adding several positive values. For one, having multiple religions in a country helps its citizens to experience in their own country the pluralistic reality of the world, rather than live in a less reality-reflecting religious cocoon, which does not adequately mirror the rest of the world’s religious multiplicity. 

Beyond that, religious pluralism tends to lead, first to toleration of the religious other, then to positive tolerance and mutual respect, and finally to dialogue and cooperation—in order to mutually make the world more peaceful and flourishing.