Stop Viewing Religious Freedom as 2nd-Class Right

This week marks 75 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) — the document that has become the blueprint for our international architecture of rights. ...We have seen firsthand how engaging with matters of faith can make many in the political and human rights worlds uncomfortable. These voices often suggest that defending freedom of religion can cause problems in international affairs — for example, when dealing with authoritarian regimes like China that regularly violate the conscience rights of their people. But it’s well worth risking sticky geopolitical situations to stand up for religious freedom. We know from research and experience that both religious freedom and religious pluralism lead to more peaceful, prosperous, democratic societies. As we like to say, defending religious freedom is not just good for individual souls but for the whole of society.