International Association for Religious Freedom

Robert Traer, General Secretary
International Association for Religious Freedom

When the Association was organized in 1900 the concern for "religious freedom" was primarily a commitment to freedom of conscience, or what we might call freedom from dogmatic religion. Most of the founders of the IARF were Unitarians, and the initial name of the organization was "The International Council of Unitarian and Other Religious Thinkers and Workers". In 1930 the name was changed to the "International Association for Liberal Christianity and Religious Freedom", suggesting greater participation by liberal Christians, and the organization began to be known as the IARF.

All the early IARF members were united against religious orthodoxy and church hierarchy. For them, religious freedom was very much a matter of protecting the rights of the individual. Not surprisingly IARF programs in the first half of the 20th century provided opportunities for this view to be presented by individual thinkers. Religious freedom in practice meant the right of individuals to state openly their beliefs about religious matters.

Such a notion continues to inform the IARF, but three historical changes have given "religious freedom" additional meanings. First, since the end of World War II religious freedom has been defined as a human right, which is denied by communist and totalitarian governments and recognized by the "Free World". In this respect religious freedom has been seen less as an individual right (of conscience) and more as the right of religious communities to be free from government oppression. This recent understanding of religious freedom includes the right of free religious speech, but its focus is primarily on the right of a religious community to worship and carry on common life in peace.

For much of the world during the Cold War the problem was not religious orthodoxy but government oppression. The IARF was confronted with this issue very directly, as it had members behind the Iron Curtain - in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Czechoslovakia. These members did not want the Association to protest on their behalf to their governments because they feared persecution; but they did ask for assistance in other ways. Thus for years the IARF "encouraged" religious freedom in Eastern Europe by inviting church leaders from Communist countries to attend "peace meetings" in the West, which enabled them to obtain travel visas, and by channeling funds back into their countries to help their churches.

A second historical change, which led in 1969 to the name of the IARF being shortened to the International Association for Religious Freedom, involved granting membership to several Japanese Buddhist and Shinto groups. This meant not only additional participants and resources but also a greater mix of cultural and religious views in the IARF. The liberal Christian understanding of religious freedom was no longer to dominate IARF thought, and the focus of the Association's programs began to shift toward issues cast in language that is "less Western", such as "peace" and "interfaith cooperation". The IARF's explicit concern for "religious freedom" in the 1970's and 1980's remained limited to supporting its members behind the Iron Curtain and was not extended to include Asia.

The third historical change was the end of the Cold War. Suddenly, IARF members behind the Iron Curtain were "free" and facing the problems of their freedom. They were still endangered by recalcitrant governments, but now they wanted the Association to write on their behalf to their governments in support of their human rights. Moreover, their need for economic aid was all the greater as they struggled to recover from decades of oppression and to compete with new religious movements taking advantage of the new "religious freedom" in their countries.

In addition, in the 1990's the IARF has witnessed the growth of religious extremism (or "fundamentalism") in many parts of the globe, including Asia. The danger to religious freedom once again appears to be religious orthodoxy, although no longer only in Christian forms but also in Jewish, Hindu and Islamic forms. Religious freedom today, however, is not focused so much on the individual, as it was earlier in our century, but rather on the minority community. Thus religious freedom is no longer seen as primarily a "Western problem" but as a global issue facing contemporary, multi-religious societies.

How then is the IARF responding to this new situation? By pursuing a community-building strategy in support of religious freedom. By this we mean a strategy that concentrates on interfaith activities for community development and the support of human rights. We believe that such activities build the kind of relationships between different religious communities in a society that make the lawful and peaceful resolution of conflict possible, and thus lay the foundation for the protection of religious freedom by law.

In practical terms the IARF is engaged in this struggle on three fronts. First, it brings members of different religious groups together to discuss problems and develop common strategies. This is done at triennial Congresses and through regional and local programs. The purpose of these meetings is not primarily to make statements, although statements are made, but to build trust and understanding that can be translated into concrete activities.

Such activities, secondly, may take the form of support for community projects in developing countries that provide incentives for members of different religious groups to work together for the good of their local community. Examples would be literacy training, vocational programs, slum redevelopment, health projects, and rural reforestation. In the Philippines the IARF has purchased cows for farmers, who then give back the calves so that these might be given to other farmers. And in India the Association has begun making loans available at less than bank rates for income-generating projects sponsored by member groups.

Do such projects work? An IARF member group in India, the Ramakrishna Mission Lokasiksha Parishad, has trained thousands of young Hindus and Muslims in village development skills. When fighting between Hindus and Muslims broke out in India in December 1992, not a single village where these young persons were working experienced a disturbance. Moreover, the following August, when the IARF held its World Congress in Bangalore, India, Muslims and Hindus joined Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians, and tribals in committing themselves to religious freedom and the peaceful resolution of community conflict within India.

The third area of the IARF's work is at the United Nations. The Association has representatives in New York and Geneva who are involved in a variety of issues, but the primary focus remains religious freedom. The IARF makes interventions at the UN, and has contributed to a major study on the state of religious freedom in the world. It supports the human right of religious freedom under international law by writing to governments urging adherence to UN covenants.

How can individuals and congregations take up the "IARF challenge"? Those, who share the commitments of the Association, may become members by making an annual contribution. As members, they will receive information on the work of the Association in the IARF World, which is published twice a year. They may assist in raising funds for IARF projects by participating in the Donate-a-Meal program, which involves fasting for one meal three times a month and donating the cost of the meals not eaten.

Individual members may also participate in activities of an IARF Chapter, if one exists in their country, and in other programs sponsored by the Association. If there isn't an existing chapter in a country, individual members are encouraged to organize one. Chapters are authorized to sponsor programs in the name of the IARF that are relevant to the situation in the country of the IARF members.

In India the IARF Chapter is very active in organizing local programs to promote interfaith cooperation. In Europe a summer conference is held annually allowing IARF members in both Eastern and Western Europe to come together. It is planned and organized by the IARF European Coordinating Council. In Japan the IARF Japan Liaison Committee meets regularly and sponsors conferences and service activities. The IARF Chapter in Japan holds an annual get-together and publishes its own newsletter.

Every three years the IARF sponsors a World Congress. In 1999 the 30th IARF Congress will be held in Vancouver, Canada on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The theme is "Creating an Earth Community: A Religious Imperative". Study groups on globalization, spirituality, community development, international interfaith work, religious freedom, and ecology will be offered. Tours in British Columbia will be available after the Congress, and two or three focus groups will hold short conferences immediately preceding the Congress.

Local religious groups may also accept the "IARF challenge"-by affiliating with a chapter and by sponsoring programs. The Association has materials that can be utilized in discussion groups, and it has a slide show, a video of the 1996 Congress and videos of several Indian and Japanese member groups, all of which are suitable for congregational programs. Many congregations have an IARF Sunday once a year to focus on the work of the Association and to raise funds for its programs in developing countries. A local religious group might choose to encourage its members to participate in the Donate-a-Meal discipline. Or it might decide to seek a partner relationship with another religious fellowship or group in a different country, and to share with them ideas, devotional materials, and other resources.

The IARF challenge is to act locally for global harmony. I have suggested that this means not only supporting the individual right to freedom of conscience, but also fostering cooperation among religious communities in order to make the legal and peaceful resolution of conflict possible and religious freedom a reality. If this makes sense to you, then we invite your support and committed participation.

January 1999