I chose this article because it is a comparison to the article I wrote about a few blogs ago explaining how an Iranian man was not only arrested for being Christian but sentenced to death. This may not be a surprising find in a country very dedicated to its Islamic beliefs like Iran, but would you be surprised if something similar happened in Greece on the island of Crete? A Pentecostal Christian, Damavolitis Emmanuel, was arrested for trying to convert another man to Christianity in 2006. He appealed his verdict but an appeals court agreed with his conviction this month.He was literally convicted of "sharing is faith". He was sentenced to four months in prison and required to pay a fine of 840 euros. However the prison time has recently been dropped. It is no secret that the majority religion of Crete is Greek Orthodox. In fact, out of the 11.3 million people in Greece, 95 percent of them say that they are Greek Orthodox. Regardless, you would not think that the island does not have a tolerance for other religions.
Now while this case is less severe than the case in Iran, it still infringes on the right to religious freedom. Being imprisoned for practicing a different religion than the majority of a country is not acceptable. The State Department of Greece says that it has laws allowing the freedom of religion but does not permit proselytizing (converting). This laws seems contradictory because while people are allowed to practice their own religion, they are basically not allowed to share it with other citizens. I find it very hard to believe that a Greek Orthodox trying to convert an Evangelical Christian would be arrested on grounds of "sharing his faith." Those that practice Greek Orthodoxy are obviously granted special privileges in Greece over other religions, such as, Evangelical Christians and Protestants. Emmanuel is now appealing to the European Court of Human Rights in France to earn back his right of freedom on religion that should be guaranteed in Greece.
Do you think that Greece is valid in having a law allowing freedom of religion but not allowing proselytizing? Why or why not?
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=351561
Now while this case is less severe than the case in Iran, it still infringes on the right to religious freedom. Being imprisoned for practicing a different religion than the majority of a country is not acceptable. The State Department of Greece says that it has laws allowing the freedom of religion but does not permit proselytizing (converting). This laws seems contradictory because while people are allowed to practice their own religion, they are basically not allowed to share it with other citizens. I find it very hard to believe that a Greek Orthodox trying to convert an Evangelical Christian would be arrested on grounds of "sharing his faith." Those that practice Greek Orthodoxy are obviously granted special privileges in Greece over other religions, such as, Evangelical Christians and Protestants. Emmanuel is now appealing to the European Court of Human Rights in France to earn back his right of freedom on religion that should be guaranteed in Greece.
Do you think that Greece is valid in having a law allowing freedom of religion but not allowing proselytizing? Why or why not?
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=351561
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