Summary: Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is not only an unalienable, fundamental right; it is essential to the protection of all human rights. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) cites man’s endowment with both conscience and reason as evidence of human dignity, the basis of universal human rights. However, in the seven decades since the United Nations General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the UDHR, the human rights movement has come unmoored from its foundation in natural law. This has led to two dangerous trends: 1) the proliferation and devaluation of human rights and 2) conflicts between fundamental rights like religious freedom and newly asserted rights based on membership in special identity groups. For civil society leaders, government officials and victims who seek to strengthen protection of all human rights; restoring the natural law foundation of the right to thought, conscience and religion is essential. Please join us for this important conversation.
