Welcome to the
"Liberty Insider."
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This is the
program that brings you
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up-to-date news,
views, discussion, information
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on religious liberty issues.
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My name is, Lincoln Steed,
Editor of Liberty Magazine.
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And my guest on the
program is, Dr. John Graz.
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Hi, Lincoln.
Welcome to the program.
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By way of
introducing you further
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to our listeners
or now our viewers.
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You are the Director for
the Seventh-day Adventist Church
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of the Department of Public
Affairs and Religious Liberty.
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Yes. And as well as
that, Director of the--
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Secretary General
of the International
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Religious Liberty Association.
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And also- And the Secretary
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of the Conference of Secretaries
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of the Christian World Communion
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which is a group
of Christian leaders
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and they represent
two billion Christians.
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Wonderful, so you
definitely have credibility
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as far as religious liberty,
not just in the United States
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where you live and based,
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but internationally
which is your chaffer.
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And by the way, to back
track on another program,
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but I can't
miss the opportunity,
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from your office
one of your associates
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has a full-time relationship
with the United Nation, so-
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Yeah, I have an
associate of full
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as a full-time liaison
with the United Nation.
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It means, he attend meetings,
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he can talk on behalf
of us and the association.
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And I have also an
associate full-time
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in Washington as
a Congress liaison.
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And I was almost
moving into reaganism
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where-you have two associates
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but I'm saying then
you will also have someone
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who is full-time on this.
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They do split their efforts
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and while there is two
full time responsibility.
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Exactly. There are
other functions to come.
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yeah, sometime we work together,
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especially when we
organize Congresses.
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Right, that's what
I was leading toward.
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And both of your associates,
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I know, as you
travel internationally
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on religious
liberty related efforts
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and I had the
privileged to be with you
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on one of those events recently,
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just a few days ago,
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in Santo Domingo,
the Dominican Republic.
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There was an incredible
13,000 people attended
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an incredible
festival of religious liberty.
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Yeah. That was
really a very big event
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and it was not the
first mega festival,
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it was the third mega festival.
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The first one was
in 2006 in Sao Paulo.
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We had 12,000 people
inside the gymnasium,
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and 20,000 outside
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who were unable
to come and to enter.
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Wish they were there-
were there any T.V. monitors,
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or anything out,
outside of the campus?
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that was a fabulous program.
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Then we had last year
in, Luanda, 40,000 people
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in a big stadium,
40,000-45,000 people,
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and marched for
freedom of 10,000 people.
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And you know, in
most of these meeting
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about 60 percent
are young people,
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and it's really to promote,
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to celebrate religion freedom.
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point out that
in those countries,
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most specially
third world countries,
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a very high percentage of
the population are young people.
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That what's happened
all around the world.
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Exactly. Many countries
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where most of them
are early 20s or younger.
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You know, we organize
also a congresses, symposium,
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and so on and you don't have
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a lot of young
people in our congress,
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you know, you have
experts, religious leaders.
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You know, but the young
people come to the festival.
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It means, that's the good way
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to promote religious
freedom at the level of people,
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because, you know, most
of the people don't know
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what does it mean
religious freedom.
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They believe that this
is something for expert.
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You talk about
legislation and so on and so on,
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that's very complicated.
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But when we
organize a special program
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and explaining
in the simple way,
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what is religious freedom.
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What would be your life
without religious freedom?
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And of course, you
invite artist, musician
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and so on, and all together,
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we celebrate the
religious freedom we have.
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Yeah, not
everything there as I saw
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directly as someone lecturing,
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but their attention is caught
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by the whole occasion
there is interesting music,
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of course, the songs that chosen
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to have topic to base on that.
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But to hear a
few people like you,
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international leaders get
up and succinctly summarize
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what we are doing
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and why it's important to them.
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I am sure that's a great
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educative
experience for this people.
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it's a strong message,
the goal of the festival,
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you know, at the
beginning we organize festival
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when we had world Congress
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and we say, you know,
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we need to have
something for the church, okay.
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We have-we will have a
great gathering on Saturday.
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The congress will
be opened for expert,
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religious leader and so on.
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But Saturday, we want
the church to be associate.
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Then after, you
know, I thought about,
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but maybe, that could
be something more precise
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and when you travel, and you see
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so many places in the world
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where people are discriminated
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just because their religion,
or they are persecuted,
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or you cannot build a church,
you cannot build a school.
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You know, your children
in church are humiliated,
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because they are not part
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of the main religion and so on.
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And you say that,
hey, there are still 70,
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but more than 70 percent
countries around the world
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where we have religious freedom.
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Let's celebrate,
let's just say thank you
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for religious freedom
without forgetting, God,
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because, you know,
the goal of the festival
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of religious freedom is to say,
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thank you to the
government, to the country,
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and to, God, but
publicly, publicly.
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I am glad you throw that in,
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because I picked up
even in the small fraternity
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in our church there
with religious liberty,
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many of them lawyers that
there is an easy temptation
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to turn it into
sort of a constitutional
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legal construct, not
that those sort of elements
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are unimportant, but
they are not central.
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The central thing as a Christian
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and as a believer is
my reference to, God,
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and it's not just
sort of a professional game
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where we see he is the Lord,
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he is leader and
we put it together.
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Yeah, this is important too but-
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the higher value of this.
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Exactly. You know,
because if you don't have
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religious freedom,
everyone is affected.
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It means just, not
just a small minority
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but everyone, and also
which is important is to show
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that people want to
have religious freedom,
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they love religious
freedom, they want to keep it.
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Well, yes, and back
to the young people.
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Even in the country where
there is religious freedom
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and more--it's a negative
thing in some countries,
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but others are continuing
and developing freedom.
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But it won't go
any further unless
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that new
generation buy into it. Yeah.
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I know, this is
not religious liberty,
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but thinking of Germany.
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You know, it's now
many, many years since
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the horrors of
Nazi regime in, Germany.
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That's the danger there,
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but unless that new generation
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reminded of it forcibly
by the older generation that
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as the older generation
die, well, that's an abstraction
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and they could easily
fulgurate the same thinking.
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more and more
people and especially
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the government see
religion as dangerous.
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Of course, dangerous for peace
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and we have to be honest. Yeah.
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Religion--aberrant
forms of religion
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have caused great harm.
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And do you know, you
have as a religious people,
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you have to say
but we believe that
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religious freedom is
also an heritage of religion.
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Of course, all those who defend
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in religious freedom in
a pass way are persecuted.
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And people say, you know,
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you have
religious freedom today,
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because the
philosopher but not just that,
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it's clear that we
have to say, thank you
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also to the
philosophers, heroes of freedom.
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But there is a
long straight tradition
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among the
Christians and all the religion
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in favor of religious freedom,
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but people were all
the time persecuted.
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This is why now we
have to strongly to say,
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we are Christian,
we believe in, God.
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We are religious
people, but we believe in
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religious freedom
for all, not just for us.
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Plus it seems to me,
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we haven't spoken
about this before,
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but even to hold the festival
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of religious freedom in
a country that doesn't have
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a perfect record
on religious liberty
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would be a good thing,
because you could hold them
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or encourage them
toward a better idea ,
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to a better situation.
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And before this
program, you and I talking about
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some of the communist countries
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and it impressed me
when I visited years ago.
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Not that I was ever
impressed with communism,
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but we could easily
criticize communism.
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It was in essence a failed
experiment in human idealism
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but they always
had these pictures
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of crowds surging
forward with flags.
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And I found out
that invariably they said
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something equivalent
to "Onward to Communism."
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Because they recognize
that they hadn't attainted
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to what their idea
was, It was quite pitiful.
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But here on religious liberty,
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even on a situation
where the government
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does not seem fit
to really free people
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to practice
their faith correctly,
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but is making moves toward it.
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That would be even
appropriate to have festival
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and say thank
you, what you've done
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whether we appreciate this,
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but this why it's so important
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and the inference
would be that we would,
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that you would say the advantage
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of even fraying up,
and you know Lincoln,
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when you have ten
people talking about
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religious
freedom that doesn't make
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a lot of difference,
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but when you have
20,000, 30,000, 10,000, 50,000,
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as we expect to have in Lima.
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You know, the
politician, the government,
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this Adventist
say, what's going wrong.
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And it means that, hey, you have
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a number of
people in your country
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who believe in
religious freedom, protect it.
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Yeah, so there are quite a few
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of these planned
in the months usually.
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we have, where we in the past,
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we had more than
10, we have probably 15,
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festival of religious freedom.
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In the future, we
will have more than ten,
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and now our goal, you
know, our goal is to become
00:10:05.59\00:10:07.64
really the leaders in the
field of religious freedom.
00:10:07.65\00:10:10.73
And we hope that
one day or another
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after this big
festival with 50,000,
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we hope that we
will be able to organize
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a festival with 100,000.
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It has never, never been
organized in all history.
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We have to do that.
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I'm sure we will,
because even the spirit
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of religious
restriction is very much
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alive around the world
that there are many people
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just hungering for
freedom-- More and more.
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And it's-it's often the young
people, they are rising up.
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I think we should
acknowledge that and use it
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to the benefit of
them, not just as a--.
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It's not a political movement
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but encourage
people for this wonderful
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freeing of the human spirit.
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You know, John, we've both been
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privilege to see
these festivals in action
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and you several of
them made just the last one,
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but when you look
back on these events,
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what's a memorable
moment that stuck in your mind.
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Oh, I see. It's something,
00:11:03.61\00:11:04.58
it's like a just a
little picture of--
00:11:04.59\00:11:06.73
Yeah, I think it is the first
mega festival in Sao Paulo.
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It's really an
experience of faith.
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That was in
Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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You know to see,
first time you attend
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the big meeting
on religious freedom
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and you see 30 minutes
before the program start,
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the stadium is already full.
00:11:22.47\00:11:24.24
And you see a lot of people
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and specially young
people coming, coming, coming
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until the moment
whether police say,
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no, now no more, we
have to close the door.
00:11:29.66\00:11:32.40
And you see that
and you say that's,
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that's incredible
for religious freedom.
00:11:33.96\00:11:37.45
They come, they want to
support religious freedom.
00:11:37.46\00:11:39.40
Sort of like we're used to
seeing that on sport events
00:11:39.41\00:11:41.86
where people just
surge in and I noticed in,
00:11:41.87\00:11:45.74
it was in England,
recently with the flu scare,
00:11:45.75\00:11:49.27
now in Mexico
because of flu scare,
00:11:49.28\00:11:51.19
they stopped the sports events
00:11:51.20\00:11:52.52
and some of the fans still
00:11:52.53\00:11:53.85
kind of they wanted to get in,
00:11:53.86\00:11:55.06
and this is the same thing,
00:11:55.07\00:11:56.23
that people are hungering
after this, the sense of--
00:11:56.24\00:11:59.22
And don't forget
that, you know, we're--
00:11:59.23\00:12:02.25
most of the time, we have event,
00:12:02.26\00:12:04.17
the biggest event was 500, 400.
00:12:04.18\00:12:08.06
And now we talk about 10,000,
12,000, that's the difference.
00:12:08.07\00:12:12.16
Yeah. You know, it reminds me,
00:12:12.17\00:12:14.15
the Bible, at the end
speaks about the multitude that
00:12:14.16\00:12:17.21
no man can number
that are gathered in heaven
00:12:17.22\00:12:19.89
celebrating the
deliverance, the salvation that
00:12:19.90\00:12:23.57
God has given to them.
00:12:23.58\00:12:25.29
That's it, that will
be an amazing movement,
00:12:25.30\00:12:26.81
but I think here and
now in a very trouble world
00:12:26.82\00:12:30.08
when we bring
together tens of thousands
00:12:30.09\00:12:32.64
of people to
celebrate religious freedom that
00:12:32.65\00:12:36.01
we can have that same
dynamic, a little taste of
00:12:36.02\00:12:38.45
what it is to just exult
in something special what God
00:12:38.46\00:12:41.65
has given us and that with
His grace, we can practice,
00:12:41.66\00:12:45.54
we can stand
tall, we can witness,
00:12:45.55\00:12:48.13
and world will stand up
and take notice of that.
00:12:48.14\00:12:51.32
One-hundred years, a
long time to do anything,
00:12:59.93\00:13:03.34
much less publish a
magazine, but this year Liberty,
00:13:03.35\00:13:07.30
the Seventh-day Adventist
voice of religious freedom,
00:13:07.31\00:13:10.03
celebrates one-hundred years
of doing what it does best,
00:13:10.04\00:13:13.65
collecting, analyzing,
and reporting the ebb and flow
00:13:13.66\00:13:17.49
of religious
expression around the world.
00:13:17.50\00:13:20.20
Issue after issue,
00:13:20.21\00:13:21.39
Liberty has taken on
the tough assignments,
00:13:21.40\00:13:23.87
tracking down
threats to religious freedom
00:13:23.88\00:13:26.28
and exposing the
work of the devil
00:13:26.29\00:13:27.72
in every corner of the globe.
00:13:27.73\00:13:30.14
Governmental
interference, personal attacks,
00:13:30.15\00:13:32.44
corporate assaults,
even religious freedom issues
00:13:32.45\00:13:35.53
sequestered within the
Church community itself
00:13:35.54\00:13:37.51
have been clearly
and honestly exposed.
00:13:37.52\00:13:40.97
Liberty exists for one
purpose to help God's people
00:13:40.98\00:13:44.45
maintain that all important
separation of Church and State
00:13:44.46\00:13:47.98
while recognizing the dangers
inherent in such a struggle.
00:13:47.99\00:13:52.38
During the past century,
00:13:52.39\00:13:53.36
Liberty has experienced
challenges of its own,
00:13:53.37\00:13:55.77
but it remains on the job.
00:13:55.78\00:13:58.48
Thanks to the
inspired leadership
00:13:58.49\00:13:59.99
of a long line of
dedicated Adventist Editors,
00:14:00.00\00:14:02.44
three of whom
represent almost half
00:14:02.45\00:14:04.33
of the publications existence
00:14:04.34\00:14:05.71
and the foresight of a
little woman from New England.
00:14:05.72\00:14:09.49
One-hundred years of struggle,
one-hundred years of victories,
00:14:09.50\00:14:13.95
religious freedom isn't
just about political machines
00:14:13.96\00:14:16.84
and cultural prejudices.
00:14:16.85\00:14:18.77
It's about people
fighting for the right
00:14:18.78\00:14:21.56
to serve the God
they love as their hearts
00:14:21.57\00:14:24.27
and the Holy Spirit dictate.
00:14:24.28\00:14:26.85
Thanks to the
prayers and generous support
00:14:26.86\00:14:28.86
of Seventh-day
Adventists everywhere.
00:14:28.87\00:14:31.31
Liberty will continue
to accomplish its work
00:14:31.32\00:14:33.56
of providing timely information,
00:14:33.57\00:14:35.50
spirit filled inspiration,
00:14:35.51\00:14:36.84
and heaven sent encouragement
to all who long to live
00:14:36.85\00:14:40.77
and work in a world
bound together by the God
00:14:40.78\00:14:44.27
ordained bonds of
religious freedom.
00:14:44.28\00:14:47.16
Welcome back to
the "Liberty Insider."
00:14:58.05\00:15:00.00
Before the
break, we were talking,
00:15:00.01\00:15:01.89
I was talking
with, Dr. John Graz,
00:15:01.90\00:15:03.61
about the, Festival of
Religious Freedom, that have
00:15:03.62\00:15:06.99
being held around the
world, and you gave your feeling
00:15:07.00\00:15:10.26
about the
excitement that you've gotten
00:15:10.27\00:15:12.28
in particular the first one.
00:15:12.29\00:15:13.97
I would like to say
that, that is the result
00:15:13.98\00:15:16.33
also of a spiritual experience
of a faith experience.
00:15:16.34\00:15:20.82
You know, after 2005,
I thought that we should
00:15:20.83\00:15:24.45
do something but,
you know, something
00:15:24.46\00:15:26.73
at a great level,
bigger level, larger level.
00:15:26.74\00:15:30.99
And I read in the
Bible. Fresh well as basically.
00:15:31.00\00:15:33.79
Yeah, the Bible, you know,
the promise of God, you know,
00:15:33.80\00:15:36.52
I will make you the
head and not the tail.
00:15:36.53\00:15:39.61
I say but this promise
is for us too, you know,
00:15:39.62\00:15:42.64
God gave us the
privilege to promote
00:15:42.65\00:15:46.11
and to protect
different religious freedom.
00:15:46.12\00:15:48.06
We should not be happy to
be one among other association.
00:15:48.07\00:15:51.65
We should really
according to the promise of God
00:15:51.66\00:15:54.42
be the head and not the tail.
00:15:54.43\00:15:56.53
How can we do that?
00:15:56.54\00:15:57.61
And I thought that these
moment about the festival
00:15:57.62\00:16:01.02
and way to expand and I say that
00:16:01.03\00:16:03.30
nobody has done that in
all history of Christianity.
00:16:03.31\00:16:06.57
You've never, never had
00:16:06.58\00:16:08.33
a big meetings
celebrating religious freedom.
00:16:08.34\00:16:11.97
You've many, many big
meetings, but not this one.
00:16:11.98\00:16:14.74
Well,
unfortunately religious liberty
00:16:14.75\00:16:16.13
is often expressed in
the negative, isn't it?
00:16:16.14\00:16:18.03
Yeah, most of the time--
00:16:18.04\00:16:19.24
Something that's
inspired people of faith,
00:16:19.25\00:16:21.56
certainly all through
the times of the reformation
00:16:21.57\00:16:24.01
on has been
Foxe's Book of Martyrs
00:16:24.02\00:16:25.89
and I sort of
open it, but, you know,
00:16:25.90\00:16:28.10
that's almost not to
be read before bedtime.
00:16:28.11\00:16:31.33
And also to encourage people.
00:16:31.34\00:16:32.77
You know, people who are
fighting for religious freedom
00:16:32.78\00:16:35.79
even if they are not
Christian or believers,
00:16:35.80\00:16:38.50
but they believe that
this principle is good.
00:16:38.51\00:16:40.74
You know, they need to receive
00:16:40.75\00:16:42.49
some support from other people.
00:16:42.50\00:16:44.97
Exactly. Specially like us.
00:16:44.98\00:16:46.90
By the way, as I was hearing
you lead into that I thought,
00:16:46.91\00:16:49.98
I really need to
give an advertisement
00:16:49.99\00:16:51.49
from Liberty Magazine now.
00:16:51.50\00:16:52.89
It's fulfilling
some of the same function
00:16:52.90\00:16:54.97
and when you
set a higher level--
00:16:54.98\00:16:59.16
I heard one of our inside group
00:16:59.17\00:17:01.69
once some years ago say
something that troubled me.
00:17:01.70\00:17:03.76
They said, Liberty Magazine,
is not for the average person.
00:17:03.77\00:17:06.50
Well, I think the average
Seventh-day Adventist should
00:17:06.51\00:17:09.46
be reading Liberty, so they
know what our principle are,
00:17:09.47\00:17:12.07
and anybody in the community
could and should read it.
00:17:12.08\00:17:15.46
But it's been designed and
targeted and we mailed out,
00:17:15.47\00:17:19.54
we deny to sending it to
the president in his office,
00:17:19.55\00:17:22.85
congressmen,
senators, judiciary, mayors.
00:17:22.86\00:17:26.12
We often say, we want the
thought leaders to know this,
00:17:26.13\00:17:30.17
and that is the
unique sort of way
00:17:30.18\00:17:31.84
of treating on
religious liberty.
00:17:31.85\00:17:33.47
Often the people that
were affected by the average
00:17:33.48\00:17:36.10
church going
person they have discussed
00:17:36.11\00:17:37.55
and troubled about it
and had to fight for it.
00:17:37.56\00:17:40.12
But I think to take
it to this higher level,
00:17:40.13\00:17:42.03
put it before in this
case, the thought leaders,
00:17:42.04\00:17:45.80
the government leaders,
that's doing something special
00:17:45.81\00:17:48.81
and these festivals again
put it in a very public way
00:17:48.82\00:17:53.00
where the whole community
can see this simultaneously.
00:17:53.01\00:17:55.22
You remember, we can also
00:17:55.23\00:17:56.73
organize a festival in a church.
00:17:56.74\00:17:58.50
Remember we did that in
the Spencerville Church.
00:17:58.51\00:18:01.21
And most the time when we have
00:18:01.22\00:18:03.55
religious freedom rally
in the afternoon meeting,
00:18:03.56\00:18:06.28
you have just 30, 40
people in a big church,
00:18:06.29\00:18:09.14
and this time we say okay.
00:18:09.15\00:18:10.40
I asked people in
the morning to come
00:18:10.41\00:18:12.53
even if you are not
interested about the program,
00:18:12.54\00:18:15.43
but come because
in coming you should--
00:18:15.44\00:18:18.15
you will show that you
stand for religious freedom.
00:18:18.16\00:18:20.53
You know, that's
really, it's a civic act come,
00:18:20.54\00:18:23.24
you just stand
for religious freedom.
00:18:23.25\00:18:25.22
And we had a fabulous
program, a classical program
00:18:25.23\00:18:28.64
in the afternoon, the
church was totally full.
00:18:28.65\00:18:31.37
It means once a
while people has to show
00:18:31.38\00:18:34.95
for what they stand and we
have to show the government,
00:18:34.96\00:18:37.92
we have to show the authorities
00:18:37.93\00:18:39.40
that we stand for
religious freedom.
00:18:39.41\00:18:41.40
If not, they will say, oh,
00:18:41.41\00:18:42.69
it's not very
important, nobody care about.
00:18:42.70\00:18:45.45
Worst, I'm thinking
it's not important to them.
00:18:45.46\00:18:47.70
They will deduce that
from these other people,
00:18:47.71\00:18:49.61
they don't care, that
they say it now and then,
00:18:49.62\00:18:51.39
but there's really
no reason to think that
00:18:51.40\00:18:53.50
that they mean
it. And of course--
00:18:53.51\00:18:55.38
I am sure the people
are moved to act on it.
00:18:55.39\00:18:57.81
And of course, Liberty
Magazine, is always welcome,
00:18:57.82\00:19:00.44
you know, you
gave our presentation
00:19:00.45\00:19:02.34
during this big
congresses watch.
00:19:02.35\00:19:04.31
It was short, but
people were very--
00:19:04.32\00:19:06.62
and they were very happy
to know that Liberty was on.
00:19:06.63\00:19:09.83
And we organized together
the Liberty Dinner Award.
00:19:09.84\00:19:15.13
And I was, you know,
00:19:15.14\00:19:17.17
you've been very
much involved with that.
00:19:17.18\00:19:19.20
I was privileged
to be able to use
00:19:19.21\00:19:20.76
some of that money that
people send in for the magazine,
00:19:20.77\00:19:24.75
you know, none of us
goes toward my salary,
00:19:24.76\00:19:26.37
but we carefully
onitor that amount
00:19:26.38\00:19:28.74
and we were able to
pull enough away from that
00:19:28.75\00:19:31.10
to subsidize the fest
of these liberty dinners.
00:19:31.11\00:19:33.82
You mean Washington?
00:19:33.83\00:19:34.81
And now it's shared financially
00:19:34.82\00:19:36.58
by several entities
but Liberty still giving
00:19:36.59\00:19:38.73
the significant amount and
yes, it's an amazing event.
00:19:38.74\00:19:42.59
Where we had
several hundred people drawn
00:19:42.60\00:19:45.27
from the diplomatic
community, the staffers,
00:19:45.28\00:19:47.36
the Senators,
and the Congressmen.
00:19:47.37\00:19:48.72
Some of the Congress
people themselves as Senator.
00:19:48.73\00:19:51.87
We've had, John McCain
00:19:51.88\00:19:52.91
and Hillary Clinton, for
example, and, John Kerry.
00:19:52.92\00:19:57.60
These are top people to
come and talked to our groups
00:19:57.61\00:19:59.80
to see again,
not tens of thousands
00:19:59.81\00:20:02.08
because it's a
different environment,
00:20:02.09\00:20:03.29
just but to see
hundreds of people
00:20:03.30\00:20:04.80
that are doing something
about religious liberty,
00:20:04.81\00:20:07.71
gather there to honor,
to hear these civic leaders
00:20:07.72\00:20:11.65
say why it's so important
to them and by extension
00:20:11.66\00:20:14.38
we know that, that will
affect government policy.
00:20:14.39\00:20:15.81
And we have also
religious leaders,
00:20:15.82\00:20:17.51
it means, everyone is here.
00:20:17.52\00:20:18.96
And, you know, people
talk about it, oh, who is do
00:20:18.97\00:20:21.92
who is organizing
that? That's interesting.
00:20:21.93\00:20:24.27
The Adventists are so
involved in religious freedom.
00:20:24.28\00:20:26.95
Why are they so involved in
defending also other faiths?
00:20:26.96\00:20:30.89
You know, and
people try to understand
00:20:30.90\00:20:33.17
we are
Christian, we are believer,
00:20:33.18\00:20:35.30
but we defend everyone.
00:20:35.31\00:20:36.86
We defend
religious freedom, why?
00:20:36.87\00:20:39.09
And of course, they
are interested about what
00:20:39.10\00:20:41.64
we believe in other way and
we organize also congresses.
00:20:41.65\00:20:45.65
Every five years,
we have world congress
00:20:45.66\00:20:48.64
and it became the major
event, you know, in 2007,
00:20:48.65\00:20:53.32
we had our seventh
world congress, you know,
00:20:53.33\00:20:56.59
it was a sixth world congress--
00:20:56.60\00:20:58.08
In Cape Town, I was
there. Six hundred participants.
00:20:58.09\00:21:01.83
It was one of
the biggest congress
00:21:01.84\00:21:04.11
for experts and
religious leaders.
00:21:04.12\00:21:06.19
We made the point
in a congress too.
00:21:06.20\00:21:09.05
And every year we have regional,
00:21:09.06\00:21:11.49
international,
symposium and congresses
00:21:11.50\00:21:15.14
Now you also have
the meeting of experts
00:21:15.15\00:21:16.95
which is another category.
00:21:16.96\00:21:18.30
The meeting of
expert, its something
00:21:18.31\00:21:19.28
that we start ten years ago.
00:21:19.29\00:21:21.44
We were talking with
the religious director,
00:21:21.45\00:21:25.81
the religious affairs
for the government of Spain,
00:21:25.82\00:21:29.33
the director of
religious affairs.
00:21:29.34\00:21:31.09
Which is an
interesting country, because,
00:21:31.10\00:21:32.50
and he became a very good
friend, under Franco's Spain,
00:21:32.51\00:21:35.29
not but the few decade ago now,
00:21:35.30\00:21:37.85
that was very repressive
regime and even against
00:21:37.86\00:21:41.64
the Catholic Church
curiously enough which--
00:21:41.65\00:21:44.32
because it's a
largely Catholic community,
00:21:44.33\00:21:45.78
but religion did not
get a good go and now--
00:21:45.79\00:21:47.79
you had such close dealings
with new administration.
00:21:47.80\00:21:51.50
All of them, all of
them are very Catholic.
00:21:51.51\00:21:53.52
There was former government
and when we talk about this
00:21:53.53\00:21:57.96
possibility to have experts
and to talk about issues like
00:21:57.97\00:22:02.87
proselytism,
security, education,
00:22:02.88\00:22:06.03
and religious freedom and so on.
00:22:06.04\00:22:07.16
They say, oh,
that's a very interesting.
00:22:07.17\00:22:08.88
We could do that, we
could help you, and we start.
00:22:08.89\00:22:11.94
And of course, they invited
the very well-known expert
00:22:11.95\00:22:15.96
and every year, you
know, we put some money
00:22:15.97\00:22:19.88
and every year we continue
to have the meeting of expert.
00:22:19.89\00:22:22.73
And it became one
of the best think-tank
00:22:22.74\00:22:26.49
about religious freedom
that's also something fabulous.
00:22:26.50\00:22:30.04
Where were these
meetings held in Spain?
00:22:30.05\00:22:31.54
You know, last year
we were in Bucharest.
00:22:31.55\00:22:33.79
We were welcomed by
00:22:33.80\00:22:35.28
the President of
the National Assembly.
00:22:35.29\00:22:37.42
The meeting was opened by
the President of the Senate.
00:22:37.43\00:22:41.50
We've even the
archbishop is shared the--
00:22:41.51\00:22:44.17
orthodox archbishop
shared the first meeting
00:22:44.18\00:22:47.07
and it was on religious freedom.
00:22:47.08\00:22:48.45
We had people from congresse
senate and that was fabulous.
00:22:48.46\00:22:51.99
Next year, this year,
it will be in Washington
00:22:52.00\00:22:54.70
and we will try to meet
the new administration to see
00:22:54.71\00:22:58.04
what are their convictions
about religious freedom.
00:22:58.05\00:23:02.00
Yeah, and this is
a very pivotal moment
00:23:02.01\00:23:03.73
in United States political life.
00:23:03.74\00:23:06.46
We know a new administration,
they have an agenda
00:23:06.47\00:23:09.55
some of what we
see already in process.
00:23:09.56\00:23:11.94
As far as religion
about all we can deduce
00:23:11.95\00:23:14.78
as far as policy
is the faith-based.
00:23:14.79\00:23:17.04
I am trying to think
what they call it now
00:23:17.05\00:23:19.08
as the
terminology changed but he--
00:23:19.09\00:23:20.79
President Obama
is continuing push
00:23:20.80\00:23:23.63
his faith-based initiative,
but more careful to apply
00:23:23.64\00:23:28.27
government to regulations to
it which is in a way troubling
00:23:28.28\00:23:32.87
but it's not contrary to
the way a government would work.
00:23:32.88\00:23:36.75
Yeah. It really endorsees
00:23:36.76\00:23:38.67
what we've often said
about religious groups
00:23:38.68\00:23:40.63
should not take
money unnecessarily,
00:23:40.64\00:23:42.49
it tangles them
with the government.
00:23:42.50\00:23:44.46
And also, Lincoln, you know,
00:23:44.47\00:23:46.58
we are ambitious
because the value, we defend
00:23:46.59\00:23:50.44
religious freedom is so
important and we should not
00:23:50.45\00:23:53.12
be happy when we do something
which is just an ordinary.
00:23:53.13\00:23:56.64
This is why we need
to have a great project
00:23:56.65\00:23:58.93
and the next
congress, the next it will be
00:23:58.94\00:24:02.07
the seventh world
congress on religion freedom.
00:24:02.08\00:24:04.45
It will be the biggest
which has never been organized.
00:24:04.46\00:24:07.44
The biggest ever?
00:24:07.45\00:24:08.42
The biggest congress of
expert and religious leaders,
00:24:08.43\00:24:11.50
yeah, of ever,
yeah. And where is this?
00:24:11.51\00:24:14.41
Probably
somewhere in Mexico. Mexico.
00:24:14.42\00:24:16.99
Mexico in the
Inter-American region.
00:24:17.09\00:24:19.21
After the epidemic
passes by. Yeah, yeah, I hope.
00:24:19.22\00:24:21.70
It would be
finished, it would be over--
00:24:21.71\00:24:24.14
I can't resist the joke,
but it just underscores that
00:24:24.15\00:24:26.21
the world is a dynamic
and sometimes dangerous place,
00:24:26.24\00:24:28.57
but principal like religious
liberty can go anywhere.
00:24:28.58\00:24:32.72
Yes, in Mexico, you
know--during long time,
00:24:32.73\00:24:36.75
we did not have
access to Mexico.
00:24:36.76\00:24:39.05
People did not understand
exactly what we wanted to do.
00:24:39.06\00:24:41.69
In the last five years,
almost every year in Mexico,
00:24:41.70\00:24:46.38
somewhere they have
regional congresses,
00:24:46.39\00:24:48.94
they have regional
festival, and you know,
00:24:48.95\00:24:51.83
it's a growing, growing
and you can be sure that
00:24:51.84\00:24:54.25
when we have a world congress,
that would be a radiant event.
00:24:54.26\00:24:58.06
I'm sure it will
be, we will support it.
00:24:58.07\00:24:59.46
I know what the--with
the meeting that preceded
00:24:59.47\00:25:01.84
the festival there in
the Dominican Republic,
00:25:01.85\00:25:04.80
there were many
representative from Mexico.
00:25:04.81\00:25:07.47
So I can tell
that they are on fire.
00:25:07.48\00:25:08.96
Yeah, I know they
are on fire, yeah,
00:25:08.97\00:25:10.46
and they are able to
do a very, very good work,
00:25:10.47\00:25:13.13
very good job, yeah.
00:25:13.14\00:25:14.29
And you've mentioned
the ongoing festivals,
00:25:14.30\00:25:17.18
but what are your
ultimate goals for that?
00:25:17.19\00:25:20.16
You know, our ultimate
goal to really to become
00:25:20.17\00:25:22.86
the leaders in the
field of religious freedom.
00:25:22.87\00:25:24.78
To strongly put the
theme of religious freedom
00:25:24.85\00:25:28.37
on the frontline
saying people, you know,
00:25:28.46\00:25:30.75
that is important and
look around the world,
00:25:30.76\00:25:33.34
we are losing our
religious freedom more and more.
00:25:33.35\00:25:36.76
And if we don't react,
we will lose everywhere.
00:25:36.77\00:25:39.69
We have to do something.
And of course, in defending
00:25:39.70\00:25:42.96
and promoting religious
freedom you communicate values.
00:25:42.97\00:25:46.66
Exactly, and that's the
bottom-line for you and me.
00:25:46.67\00:25:49.04
We believe it is a
construct but we motivate it
00:25:49.05\00:25:52.48
for by our personal fight,
00:25:52.49\00:25:53.76
and so we need to
communicate that spirituality.
00:25:53.77\00:25:56.43
Yeah, because, you
know, spirituality is behind.
00:25:56.44\00:25:59.04
We defend religious
freedom, because we believe that
00:25:59.05\00:26:02.98
it's an expression
of the character of God.
00:26:02.99\00:26:05.83
God loves us and God loves
us, it means that He created us
00:26:05.84\00:26:12.41
with the capacity
to say, yes or no.
00:26:12.42\00:26:16.17
He doesn't want to
force people to love Him
00:26:16.18\00:26:19.53
but He let us free to
say, yes, when He call us.
00:26:19.54\00:26:23.69
It's a great God, you
know, it's a God of love,
00:26:23.70\00:26:25.90
and in defending,
protecting religious freedom
00:26:25.91\00:26:28.34
for all around the world.
00:26:28.35\00:26:30.35
We just express how
much God loves people,
00:26:30.36\00:26:34.56
and He wants to save everyone.
00:26:34.57\00:26:36.62
But you are free
to say, yes or no.
00:26:36.63\00:26:38.47
Never, never, Jesus,
forced people to follow Him.
00:26:38.48\00:26:42.43
He let people free to choose,
00:26:42.44\00:26:44.37
but He gave His
life for everyone of us.
00:26:44.38\00:26:48.98
Flying back from, Santo Domingo,
00:26:48.99\00:26:50.80
in the Dominican Republic
and after the plane had landed
00:26:50.81\00:26:53.64
I took the time to
go to the local library
00:26:53.65\00:26:55.99
near Hagerstown,
Maryland, where I live.
00:26:56.00\00:26:57.79
I wanted to find out more
about Christopher Columbus.
00:26:57.80\00:27:00.75
The woman at the circulation
desk noticed my accent
00:27:00.76\00:27:04.75
and then found out
where I just come from
00:27:04.76\00:27:07.07
and she was overwhelmed.
00:27:07.08\00:27:08.19
"I've never traveled" she said.
00:27:08.20\00:27:09.65
I had been outside of Maryland.
00:27:09.66\00:27:11.33
What's the rest
of the world like.
00:27:11.34\00:27:12.86
I wanted to go to that place.
00:27:12.87\00:27:14.57
I want to go to
Australia where you from.
00:27:14.58\00:27:16.10
Well, when you are a traveler,
00:27:16.11\00:27:18.68
sometimes the world
can appear very different.
00:27:18.69\00:27:22.18
Christopher Columbus
arrived in the new world
00:27:22.19\00:27:25.24
determine not just to
find goal, but to change the
00:27:25.25\00:27:28.28
religion of the
inhabitants that he found there.
00:27:28.29\00:27:31.37
Unfortunately he
changed their lives
00:27:31.38\00:27:33.57
and their religion in bad ways,
00:27:33.58\00:27:35.49
eventually all of
them pretty much died out.
00:27:35.50\00:27:38.38
As we look to the world today,
00:27:38.39\00:27:40.15
there are those same tendencies,
00:27:40.16\00:27:41.76
United Nations in the code
on deformation of religions
00:27:41.77\00:27:46.46
seems determine to
enforce religious conformity.
00:27:46.47\00:27:51.75
We can't do that. God
doesn't demand that of us.
00:27:51.76\00:27:54.27
We need to look to the
higher values of tolerance,
00:27:54.28\00:27:57.52
understanding,
love, and communicate
00:27:57.53\00:27:59.76
spiritual values in
the non-violent way.
00:27:59.77\00:28:03.49
For "Liberty Insider"
this is Lincoln Steed.
00:28:03.50\00:28:05.90