Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), John Graz
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000182A
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00:23 Welcome to The Liberty Insider.
00:24 This is the program that brings you up-to-date news, 00:27 views, discussion and opinions on religious liberty. 00:31 My name is Lincoln Steed, editor of Liberty Magazine 00:34 and my guest on the program is Dr. John Graz. 00:38 Well, Director for Religious Liberty 00:40 for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:41 Welcome John. Thank you for inviting me-- 00:44 And this is not the first time and I hope not the last. 00:46 No it's always a pleasure to be here. 00:50 There is a lot of things that we can talk about. 00:51 I know--even though our offices are not far apart 00:54 you're hardly ever there traveling the world 00:56 and there so many things going on. 00:58 But there was one recent event that 01:00 I want spend some time discussing with you. 01:03 I was there and it was your event. 01:06 And--and I characterized by the working title 01:08 of this program on the beach. 01:11 Yeah. 01:13 That--that was the Seventh World Congress. 01:15 And it was not holiday or vacation 01:17 for me and for our team too. 01:19 But a nice a place to be working? 01:20 Oh, yeah fabulous place. 01:21 Tell--tell us little bit about it. 01:23 About the place or about the event. 01:24 Place. You know the place was the, 01:27 resort, beach resort and the fabulous place 01:31 to spend some-- some days 01:33 but really that was not--gave us, 01:36 did not give us a time to stay on the beach, 01:39 because we have to lot of things to do. 01:41 And that was the Seventh World Congress 01:44 of the International Religious Liberty Association. 01:48 The seventh it mean you know we have already a story. 01:52 And seven is a perfect number. 01:53 Seven is a perfect number and I wanted really to have 01:57 really a big congress, something different 02:00 and I think that we reach our goal and thanks the Lord, 02:04 you know, that was probably the largest event about 02:09 religious freedom in term of congress. 02:12 It means you know people who are invited 02:14 our expert of religious freedom, 02:16 about religious freedom, religious leaders 02:19 people involved in NGOs, 02:21 it means non-governmental association 02:25 defending religious freedom. 02:26 It was really a world event not just for those 02:29 who are close to the association 02:32 but for all people interested about religious freedom. 02:36 How many people attended? 02:37 About you know, we were very close 02:39 to nine hundred and I think we may-- 02:41 we may have been more because you know 02:43 I am not sure that all people where registered. 02:45 Well, I wrote this up for Liberty Magazine 02:47 and I remarked on something, I thought it was good hook 02:51 for the article but I didn't just make it up. 02:54 I've been to other conferences and there is standard pattern 02:58 whether it's a medical conference 03:01 or something for metal workers or whatever, 03:03 you see them as you traveled the world, 03:05 lot of big hotels-- big conference. 03:08 But invariably they have the first assembly, 03:10 a few presentations. Yeah right. 03:12 And then from there on there's hardly anyone 03:14 there they are all out by the pool or on the beach. 03:16 Exactly. And that didn't happen here. 03:18 No, no, and I thought the same thing you know, 03:20 because you know when I build the program, 03:22 I thought that may be let see may be 03:26 we should not have meeting in the evening. 03:28 And after you know I thought that people, 03:31 some people are really here because they want to speak 03:34 about religious freedom and they are some topics 03:37 like the state of religious freedom in the world. 03:41 We need to have a kind of workshop about. 03:44 And we decided to put in the evening, 03:47 it means several workshops and of course I thought 03:51 that you know 20 people, 25 people but it was full. 03:55 It was full and we have a problem because we did not 03:57 plan to have a translation from English into Spanish. 04:01 And we had to improvise that because people were there 04:04 and they were very interested. 04:05 And as you remember, you know, 04:07 when we start the program in the afternoon at two, 04:10 two beautiful whether, beaches and resorts. 04:13 We thought that nobody will be here, 04:15 but you know what 2:15 the room was almost full. 04:18 That's all right. I think that's, 04:19 I mean that's some testimony to how well 04:22 this organization, this event was run. 04:24 But I in a larger sense, I think religious liberty 04:28 as catching the attention of professionals 04:30 and there were many government leaders there. 04:33 People want to know because this is a hot topic now. 04:36 Yeah that's, as you said, that's a hot topic and, 04:39 you know, we had a privilege to know so many people 04:41 we invite 50 religious leaders but you know, 04:46 university professors from the best universities. 04:50 It--it means that, that was really an event 04:52 where the best expert on religious freedom 04:57 and some famous religious leaders like the sacred age 05:01 of all of the Baptist World Alliance, 05:03 sacred age in all of the Christian global forum 05:06 and our president Dr. Ted Winson was with, 05:09 they were all together. 05:10 Absolutely. No this is a very high profile event. 05:14 We need to talk at some length about many 05:16 of the presentations but one that got my interest 05:18 though was government representative from Cuba. 05:20 Yeah. In the United States, 05:21 you don't often hear directly from Cuba but-- 05:25 You- you know, he want also when we had 05:27 the first congress I organize, was in Rio, it was in 1997. 05:33 And they send also the deputy director 05:36 of religious affairs from Cuba. 05:37 And it means we know more or less 05:39 what kind of speech they will give 05:41 and we we're not disappointed this time too. Yeah. 05:44 Well, I maybe I should comment on it, you know 05:47 it's a free forum, you don't-- 05:49 you can't tell people what they? 05:51 They should say and I was interested in the woman for the, 05:55 representing the Cuban government. 05:56 She gave very optimistic presentation, 06:00 in my view it was what they would like it to be 06:03 or at least like us to think its, it is. 06:06 But to me the value was that they've been called 06:10 to high expectations and just in front of people 06:13 that are standing for a religious liberty 06:15 and for them to sort of put 06:16 a good construct on their situation. 06:18 I think it's very likely to actually 06:20 improve religious liberty in Cuba. 06:22 Exactly and first, you know, we have to remember that 06:24 when you represent a government, 06:26 you cannot say everything. You have too... 06:28 No, its not a critique, its an observation. 06:29 You have just to explain the policy of the government 06:32 that was also true for the other officials we had invited, 06:37 except the one from Honduras, but he had been just dismissed. 06:41 Because, you know, that's a fabulous story. 06:43 I was there in Honduras a few-- few days before the congress. 06:48 And in Honduras they had a big discussion about a new law 06:53 and the new law should or planned to recognize 06:57 not just the Catholic Church but an evangelical association. 07:03 And the deal was, you know, all those who are not catholic 07:07 has to be member of this evangelical association. 07:10 And they will be recognize 07:12 at the same level of the catholic church. 07:14 Of course, many evangelicals including the Adventist 07:17 and some other said no, we don't want to be member 07:22 of this association, why we should? 07:24 And they had a big discussion 07:26 and the minister of religious affairs, you know, 07:30 disagree with the president publicly. 07:33 And of course, you know, when I visited there 07:34 he was waiting the telephone call from the president 07:37 and saying I'm sorry but, you know, 07:40 you know disagree with my policy, we cannot keep you. 07:43 And he was--he was had to leave the government 07:46 with his deputy director and he came to the congress 07:49 and he explain what happened in Honduras. 07:52 And actually that sort of dynamic is being played out 07:55 also in Latin America because the countries are moving away 07:59 from once was the truly confession step, 08:01 where Roman Catholicism was not just favored 08:04 by the state it was sort of. 08:06 Then was a state religion. Yeah. 08:07 And I mean in many countries you know in Latin America, 08:10 still you have still some countries like that. 08:13 You could not be the president of the country, 08:15 if you are not a catholic, 08:17 like in Argentina a few years ago. 08:19 You had to be a catholic but now you know with the growth 08:23 of the evangelicals and present or pluralism. 08:28 It tends, they tend to change the law 08:30 and there is a strong movement to have more religious freedom 08:33 at least at these level. 08:35 They have religious freedom we cannot say that 08:37 you don't have religious freedom in Latin America, 08:40 but you know they would like also to have 08:43 these religious freedom in the law. 08:46 Not just in practical. 08:47 Well, I think they moving in the right direction 08:48 because they trying to disentangle themselves 08:51 from the pressure relationship but at the same time 08:53 they can't instantly go to a situation, 08:56 it's very difficult to go instantly to way 08:58 all religion including this old, not old but the catholic church 09:03 that they had this old relationship with they can't 09:05 suddenly put it just one among many. 09:08 One of the problem is you know for us 09:10 we are in favor of separation of church and State. 09:14 In some countries where are you had, 09:16 you know one religion, or one church as recognize 09:19 as a state church or state religion. 09:23 It's difficult and what they are doing, 09:25 they try to give the same privilege to the others. 09:29 But we know that-- that's not the best way 09:31 but anyway it may be a first step. 09:33 That's what I was trying to say. 09:35 I mean it's not theoretically ideal, 09:37 but we have to recognize most of Latin America, 09:40 they are moving in the right direction. 09:42 And their intentions that to create 09:44 greater and greater freedom for or, 09:46 an equality of religious freedom. 09:48 And coming back to Cuba, you know if we compare Cuba 09:51 with some other really communist countries like North Korea, 09:56 and even Vietnam you know even China, 09:59 Cuba has a better, better 10:02 situation for religious minorities. 10:04 They, its--its not really perfect but-- 10:08 but you know that's still, still we can visit Cuba. 10:12 We can have meeting in Cuba. 10:14 There also, you know, 10:16 we have also evangelistic campaign in Cuba. 10:19 Of course, you have to be careful 10:20 not criticize the government but you know 10:23 it happened in several other countries. 10:25 Well, it was a great opening there 10:26 and I often wondered this is purely my opinion, 10:29 but I've noticed that the, the increased religious liberty 10:33 in Cuba corresponds to Fidel Castro's illness 10:39 and remember he was early on in Israel 10:41 just when the first came. 10:42 Yeah, right. 10:44 And he started to be a more 10:45 open and open to religion and so. 10:47 I don't know, I think that 10:48 there is practical aspect and you know when we, 10:52 I visit Cuba 15 years ago. 10:54 I talk with several official and I remember having talk 10:58 with the Baptist pastor I need explain that 11:02 he was invited with all the religious leaders 11:05 by Fidel Castro and he explained that, 11:07 you know, the state and the different 11:09 religious group should have good relations and they try 11:13 to treat religious people in a various, in a different way. 11:17 You know we they are many things we can say 11:19 but we have also to see the positive aspect. 11:22 No, no. If I take... 11:24 Should even indulge that, but--but on--on one level 11:29 we need to be quite clear that in Cuba there was 11:32 incredible persecution of many Christians and Adventists. 11:37 I know some people that were imprisoned, that was real. 11:41 But we have to face just the historical change in Cuba 11:45 while it is not a perfect system but they have 11:48 radically improved and that there is a new openness 11:51 that--that compared to what it once was. 11:52 Yeah. It's amazing. 11:54 And we can pray that, 11:55 that it-it continues on like that. 11:56 You know we had also program in Columbia. 11:58 We have program in several country which was, 12:00 which is absolutely fabulous is you know, 12:04 40 years ago in Latin America, you do not have 12:08 religious freedom in most of the countries 12:10 except may be the Brazil, but--but now, you know 12:13 they have more religious freedom on the American Continent 12:16 than everywhere else around the world. 12:19 Now--and, and within our own church, 12:21 Seventh-day Adventist Church the increase 12:24 in membership reflects the surplus, doesn't it. 12:26 I think things are changing all you know 12:28 at the number of the Evangelicals, 12:31 Pentecostal are growing Adventist are growing, 12:34 probably it's a positive factor to have a more freedom. 12:38 Very good. We will be back after the break 12:40 to further discuss this Seventh World Congress 12:43 of Religious Liberty that was held 12:44 In Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. |
Revised 2014-12-17