Unregistered Baptists object to proposed law changes

BAPTISTS (INITSIATIVNIKI) APPEAL TO RUSSIAN PRESIDENT REQUESTING REJECTION OF DRAFT LAW OF MINISTRY OF JUSTICE RESTRICTING FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE Portal-credo.ru, 10 October 2011 Moscow Evangelical Christians-Baptists (Initsiativniki) expressed in a letter to the president of the Russian federation their concern over the contents of a draft of amendments to the federal law "On freedom of conscience and religious association," which was prepared by the Russian Ministry of Justice, a Portal-credo.ru correspondent reports. In particular, the draft law eliminates the concept of a religious group, which in existing law is defined as "a voluntary association of citizens formed for the purpose of joint confession and dissemination of faith, which conducts activity without state registration and the acquiring of the legal status of juridical person. . . . Religious groups have the right to conduct worship services and other religious rites and ceremonies and also to conduct teaching of religion and the religious education of their adherents" (federal law of 26 September 1997, "On freedom of conscience and religious associations," art. 7, points 1,3). "Thus, according to the draft law, jointly to confess and disseminate faith and 'to conduct worship services and other religious rites and ceremonies and also to conduct teaching of religion and the religious education of their adherents,' that is, to enjoy the right to freedom of conscience and religious confession will be a right possessed only by those citizens who are members of registered religious associations. All other citizens will be deprived of this right," the letter says. In the believers' opinion, "this violates the constitution of RF which declares: 'everyone is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of religious confession, including the right to confess individually or jointly with others any religion or not to confess any, freely to choose, have, and disseminate religious and other convictions and to act in accordance with them" (Constitution of RF, art. 28). That is, the constitution of RF guarantees the right to freedom of conscience to every citizen independently of his membership in a registered religious association." The authors of the letter also declare that "such registration contradicts the biblical principle: 'render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.' Christians as citizens of the state acknowledge the state's authority and observe the state's laws, but in questions of faith, conscience, morality, and service to God we may be guided only by God's commandments. Therefore for Christians who wish to obey the commandments of Jesus Christ in everything, such registration is unacceptable." The believers express the fear that in the event of the adoption of the proposed amendments, the authorities will illegally require citizens who wish to exercise their constitutional right to freedom of conscience to join a registered religious association, and the unregistered EKhB churches will be placed outside the law. Thus the adoption of the amendments proposed in this draft law will lead to the denial to citizens of RF one of the basic human rights, the right to freedom of conscience and religious confession and, as a result, to repressions and persecutions with respect to peaceful believing citizens and to a worsening of conditions in society and the creation of a totalitarian regime in the state. The letter also says that "in proposing the amendments imposing on the church control on the part of the state and preventing the free confession of faith, the composers of the draft law in effect are trying to deprive Jesus Christ of the right to be head of the church (Bible, Epistle to the Ephesians 1:22) and to transfer this right to the state. The adoption of such laws is a sin against God and a violation of the order established by him. The Lord Jesus Christ gave his life in order to give those who believe in him forgiveness of sins and eternal life; the church must obey him and fulfill his commandments, and nobody has been given the right to encroach upon his place and authority in the church." The letter ends with a request to turn down the discriminatory amendments proposed in the draft law and to take measures for preserving the constitutional right to freedom of conscience and religious confession. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 October 2011) Russia Religion News Current News Items