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Laws define our rights and duties and the processes by which complaints and punishment can be addressed.
All countries have laws, the most enlightened try to separate the church and the state, the Roman Catholic church also has laws that appear to govern church and state
because they see themselves as having the right to govern in both arenas.
Laws separating the church and state are not meant to be hostile to either,
rather they are an attempt to protect one from the other.
History has clearly demonstrated that when the two are combined in any sort of government other than a theocracy,
that no one is safe.
 The Constitution Of The United States Of America  
Amendments To The Constitution
 France: Declaration Of The Rights Of Man And Of The Citizen  
 
This law was enacted on August 26, 1789 during the French Revolution and the authors got some inspiration from
the United States constitution. 
| Preamble The Representatives of the French People, formed into a National Assembly, considering ignorance, the lapse of memory or contempt of the rights of man to be the sole causes of public misfortunes and the corruption of Governments, have resolved to set forth, in a solemn Declaration, the natural, inalienable and sacred rights of man, to the end that this Declaration, constantly present to all members of the body politic, may remind them unceasingly of their rights and their duties; to the end that the acts of the legislative power and those of the executive power, since they may be at every moment [continually] compared with the aim of every political institution, may thereby be the more respected; to the end that the demands of the citizens, founded henceforth on simple and incontestable principles, may always be directed toward the maintenance of the Constitution and the happiness of all. Consequently, the National Assembly recognizes and declares, in presence and under the auspices of the Supreme Being, the following rights of the man and the citizen. | 
| Articles Article 1 Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. The social distinctions can be founded only on the common utility. Article 2 The goal of any political association is the conservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of the man. These rights are {personal} freedom [liberty], the {ownership of} property, {personal} safety and resistance [the ability to resist] to oppression. Article 3 The principle of any sovereignty lies primarily in the nation as a whole. No body nor individual can exert authority which does not emanate from it expressly. Article 4 Freedom consists in being able to do all that does not harm others. Thus, the exercise of the natural rights of each man has limits only to the extent of those which ensure that the other members of society obtain the pleasure of these same rights. These limits can be determined only by the law. Article 5 The law has the right to proscribe the actions harmful of society. All that is not forbidden by the law cannot be prevented, and no one can be constrained to do what the law does not specifically order. Article 6 The law is the overt expression of the general will. All the citizens have the right to contribute {to the legislative process} personally, or by their representatives, to the formation of law. The law must be the same one for all, either that it protects, or that it punishes. All the citizens being equal in its eyes are also acceptable by all dignitaries, in all places and in all measure of public employment, according to their capacity and without other distinction than that of their virtues and their talents. Article 7 No man can be indicted, be arrested or detained [in custody] except under those circumstances determined by the law, and according to its forms which are prescribed. Those which solicit, dispatch, carry out or make others carry out arbitrary commands must be punished; but any citizen summoned or seized under the terms of the law must obey immediately: he makes himself guilty by resistance. Article 8 The law should establish only such strict penalties as are obviously necessary; and, no person can be punished except under the terms of a law established and promulgated before the offence, and which is legally applicable. Article 9 Every man is supposed innocent until having been declared guilty; {but,} if it be considered essential to arrest, any action, which is not necessary to secure the person, must be severely repressed at law. Article 10 No person should fear for expressing opinions, even religious ones, provided that the manifestation of their opinion [advocacy] does not disturb the established law and order. Article 11 The free communication of thought and the opinion is one of the most invaluable rights of the man: any citizen can thus speak, write, print freely, except that he must answer for his abuse this freedom in such cases determined by the law. Article 12 The guarantee of human rights and of the citizen requires a police force: this force is thus instituted for the advantage of all, and not just for the particular utility of those {officials} to which it is entrusted. Article 13 For the maintenance of the police force, and for the expenditure of administration, a common contribution{tax} is essential: it must be also distributed between all the citizens, respective of their faculties {to pay such taxes}. Article 14 All citizens have the right to vote, by themselves or through their representatives, for the need for the public contribution, to agree to it voluntarily, to allow implementation of it, and to determine its appropriation, the {amount of} assessment, its collection and its duration. Article 15 Society has the right to require an account by any public agent of their administration. Article 16 Any society in which the guarantee of {human} rights is not assured, nor the separation of powers set forth, has no {legal} constitution. Article 17 Property {rights} being inviolable and sacred, one cannot lose the private use of property, if there is no public necessity, legally noted, required obviously, and under the condition of a just reimbursment as a predicate {to the taking}. | 
England: The Magna Charta 
 
| John, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of 
      Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, to the archbishops, bishops, 
      abbots, earls, barons, justiciars, foresters, sheriffs, stewards, 
      servants, and to all his bailiffs and liege subjects, greeting. Know that, having regard to God and for the salvation of our soul, and those of all our ancestors and heirs, and unto the honor of God and the advancement of holy church, and for the reform of our realm, by advice of our venerable fathers, Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and cardinal of the holy Roman Church, Henry archbishop of Dublin, William of London, Peter of Winchester, Jocelyn of Bath and Glastonbury, Hugh of Lincoln, Walter of Worcester, William of Coventry, Benedict of Rochester, bishops; of master Pandulf, subdeacon and member of the household of our lord the Pope, of brother Aymeric (master of the Knights of the Temple in England), and of the illustrious men William Marshall earl of Pembroke, William earl of Salisbury, William earl of Warenne, William earl of Arundel, Alan of Galloway (constable of Scotland), Waren Fitz Gerald, Peter Fits Herbert, Hubert de Burgh (seneschal of Poitou), Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz Herbert, Thomas Basset, Alan Basset, Philip d'Aubigny, Robert of Roppesley, John Marshall, John Fitz Hugh, and others, our liegemen. | 
| 1. In the first place we have granted to God, and by this our present 
      charter confirmed for us and our heirs for ever that the English church 
      shall be free, and shall have her rights entire, and her liberties 
      inviolate; and we will that it be thus observed; which is apparent from 
      this that the freedom of elections, which is reckoned most important and 
      very essential to the English church, we, of our pure and unconstrained 
      will, did grant, and did by our charter confirm and did obtain the 
      ratification of the same from our lord, Pope Innocent III., before the 
      quarrel arose between us and our barons: and this we will observe, and our 
      will is that it be observed in good faith by our heirs for ever. We have 
      also granted to all freemen of our kingdom, for us and our heirs for ever, 
      all the underwritten liberties, to be had and held by them and their 
      heirs, of us and our heirs for ever. 2. If any of our earls or barons, or others holding of us in chief by military service shall have died, and at the time of his death his heir shall be of full age and owe "relief" he shall have his inheritance on payment of the ancient relief, namely the heir or heirs of an earl, 100 pounds for a whole earl's barony; the heir or heirs of a baron, 100 pounds for a whole barony; the heir or heirs of a knight, 100 shillings at most for a whole knight's fee; and whoever owes less let him give less, according to the ancient custom of fiefs. 3. If, however, the heir of any of the previously said has been under age and in wardship, let him have his inheritance without relief and without fine when he comes of age. 4. The guardian of the land of an heir who is thus under age, shall take from the land of the heir nothing but reasonably produce, reasonable customs, and reasonable services, and that without destruction or waste of men or goods; and if we have committed the wardship of the lands of any such minor to the sheriff, or to any other who is responsible to us for its issues, and he has made destruction or waste of what he holds in wardship, we will take of him amends, and the land shall be committed to two lawful and discreet men of that fee, who shall be responsible for the issues to us or to him to whom we shall assign them; and if we have given or sold the wardship of any such land to anyone and he has therein made destruction or waste, he shall lose that wardship, and it shall be transferred to two lawful and discreet men of that fief, who shall be responsible to us in like manner as previously said. 5. The guardian, moreover, so long as he has the wardship of the land, shall keep up the houses, parks, fish ponds, stanks, mills, and other things pertaining to the land, out of the issues of the same land; and he shall restore to the heir, when he has come to full age, all his land, stocked with ploughs and "waynage, " according as the season of husbandry shall require, and the issues of the land can reasonably bear. 6. Heirs shall be married without disparagement, yet so that before the marriage takes place the nearest in blood to that heir shall have notice. 7. A widow, after the death of her husband, shall immediately and without difficulty have her marriage portion and inheritance; nor shall she give anything for her dower, or for her marriage portion, or for the inheritance which her husband and she held on the day of the death of that husband; and she may remain in the house of her husband for forty days after his death, within which time her dower shall be assigned to her. 8. No widow shall be compelled to marry, so long as she prefers to live without a husband; provided always that she gives security not to marry without our consent, if she holds of us, or without the consent of the lord of whom she holds, if she holds of another. 9. Neither we nor our bailiffs shall seize any land or rent for any debt, so long as the chattels of the debtor are sufficient to repay the debt; nor shall the sureties of the debtor be distrained so long as the principal debtor is able to satisfy the debt; and if the principal debtor shall fail to pay the debt, having nothing with which to pay it, then the sureties shall answer for the debt; and let them have the lands and rents of the debtor, if they desire them, until they are indemnified for the debt which they have paid for him, unless the principal debtor can show proof that he is discharged thereof as against the said sureties. 10. If one who has borrowed from the Jews any sum, great or small, die before that loan can be repaid, the debt shall not bear interest while the heir sunder age, of whoever he may hold; and if the debt fall into our hands, we will not take anything except the principal sum contained in the bond. 11. And if any one die indebted to the Jews, his wife shall have her dower and pay nothing of that debt; and if any children of the deceased are left underage, necessaries shall be provided for them in keeping with the holding of the deceased; and out of the residue the debt shall be paid, reserving, however, service due to feudal lords; in like manner let it be done touching debts due to others than Jews. 12. No scutage nor aid shall be imposed on our kingdom, unless by common counsel of our kingdom, except for ransoming our person, for making our eldest son a knight, and for once marrying our eldest daughter; and for these there shall not be levied more than a reasonable aid. In like manner it shall be done concerning aids from the city of London. 13. And the city of London shall have all its ancient liberties and free customs, as well by land as by water; furthermore, we decree and grant that all other cities, boroughs, towns, and ports shall have all their liberties and free customs. 14. And for obtaining the common counsel of the kingdom anent the assessing of an aid (except in the three cases previously said) or of a scutage, we will cause to be summoned the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, and greater barons, severally by our letters; and we will moreover cause to be summoned generally, through our sheriffs and bailiffs, all others who hold of us in chief, for a fixed date, namely, after the expiry of at least forty days, and at a fixed place; and in all letters of such summons we will specify the reason of the summons. And when the summons has thus been made, the business shall proceed on the day appointed, according to the counsel of such as are present, although not all who were summoned have come. 15. We will not for the future grant to any one license to take an aid from his own free tenants, except to ransom his body, to make his eldest son a knight, and once to marry his eldest daughter; and on each of these occasions there shall be levied only a reasonable aid. 16. No one shall be distrained for performance of greater service for a knight's fee, or for any other free tenement, than is due therefrom. 17. Common pleas shall not follow our court, but shall be held in some fixed place. 18. Inquests of novel disseisin, of mort d'ancester, and of darrein presentment, shall not be held elsewhere than in their own county courts and that in manner following, -- We, or, if we should be out of the realm, our chief justiciar, will send two justiciars through every county four times a year, who shall, along with four knights of the county chosen by the county, hold the said assize in the county court, on the day and in the place of meeting of that court. 19. And if any of the said assizes cannot be taken on the day of the county court, let there remain of the knights and freeholders, who were present at the county court on that day, as many as may be required for the efficient making of judgments, according as the business be more or less. 20. A freeman shall not be amerced for a slight offense, except in accordance with the degree of the offense; and for a grave offense he shall be amerced in accordance with the gravity of the offense, yet saving always his "contenement;" and a merchant in the same way, saving his "merchandise;" and a villein shall be amerced in the same way, saving his "wainage" -- if they have fallen into our mercy: and none of the previously said amercements shall be imposed except by the oath of honest men of the neighborhood. 21. Earls and barons shall not be amerced except through their peers, and only in accordance with the degree of the offense. 22. A clerk shall not be amerced in respect of his lay holding except after the manner of the others previously said; further, he shall not be amerced in accordance with the extent of his ecclesiastical benefice. 23. No village or individual shall be compelled to make bridges at river-banks, except those who from of old were legally bound to do so. 24. No sheriff, constable, coroners, or others of our bailiffs, shall hold pleas of our Crown. 25. All counties, hundreds, wapentakes, and trithings (except our demesne manors) shall remain at old rents, and without any additional payment. 26. If any one holding of us a lay fief shall die, and our sheriff or bailiff shall exhibit our letters patent of summons for a debt which the deceased owe to us, it shall be lawful for our sheriff or bailiff to attach and catalogue chattels of the deceased, found upon the lay fief, to the value of that debt, at the sight of law worthy men, provided always that nothing whatever be thence removed until the debt which is evident shall be fully paid to us; and the residue shall be left to the executors to fulfil the will of the deceased; and if there be nothing due from him to us, all the chattels shall go to the deceased, saving to his wife and children their reasonable shares. 27. If any freeman shall die intestate, his chattels shall be distributed by the hands of his nearest kinsfolk and friends, under supervision of the church, saving to everyone the debts which the deceased owed to him. 28. No constable or other bailiff of ours shall take corn or other provisions from any one without immediately tendering money therefore, unless he can have postponement thereof by permission of the seller. 29. No constable shall compel any knight to give money in lieu of castle-guard, when he is willing to perform it in his own person, or (if he cannot do it from any reasonable cause) then by another responsible man. Further, if we have led or sent him upon military service, he shall be relieved from guard in proportion to the time during which he has been on service because of us. 30. No sheriff or bailiff of ours, or other person, shall take the horses or carts of any freeman for transport duty, against the will of the said freeman. 31. Neither we nor our bailiffs shall take, for our castles or for any other work of ours, wood which is not ours, against the will of the owner of that wood. 32. We will not retain beyond one year and one day, the lands of those who have been convicted of felony, and the lands shall thereafter be handed over to the lords of the fiefs. 33. All kiddles for the future shall be removed altogether from Thames and Medway, and throughout all England, except upon the seashore. 34. The writ which is called praecipe shall not for the future be issued to any one, regarding any tenement whereby a freeman may lose his court. 35. Let there be one measure of wine throughout our whole realm; and one measure of ale; and one measure of corn, to wit, "the London quarter;" and one width of cloth (whether dyed, or russet, or "halberget"), to wit, two ellswithin the selvages; of weights also let it be as of measures. 36. Nothing in future shall be given or taken for a writ of inquisition of life or limbs, but freely it shall be granted, and never denied. 37. If any one holds of us by fee farm, by socage, or by burgage, and holds also land of another lord by knight's service, we will not (by reason of that fee farm, socage, or burgage) have the wardship of the heir, or of such land of his as is of the fief of that other; nor shall we have wardship of that fee farm, socage, or burgage, unless such fee farm owes knight's service. We will not by reason of any small serjeanty which any one may hold of us by the service of rendering to us knives, arrows, or the like, have wardship of his heir of of the land which he holds of another lord by knight's service. 38. No bailiff for the future shall, upon his own unsupported complaint, put any one to his "law, " without credible witnesses brought for this purpose. 39. No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in anyway destroyed, nor will we go upon him nor send upon him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land. 40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice. 41. All merchants shall have safe and secure exit from England, and entry to England, with the right to tarry there and to move about as well by land as by water, for buying and selling by the ancient and right customs, quit from all evil tolls, except (in time of war) such merchants as are of the land at war with us. And if such are found in our land at the beginning of the war, they shall be detained, without injury to their bodies or goods, until information be received by us, or by our chief justiciar, how the merchants of our land found in the land at war with us are treated; and if our men are safe there, the others shall be safe in our land. 42. It shall be lawful in future for any one (excepting always those imprisoned or outlawed in accordance with the law of the kingdom, and natives of any country at war with us, and merchants, who shall be treated as is above provided) to leave our kingdom and to return, safe and secure by land and water, except for a short period in time of war, on grounds of public policy -- reserving always the allegiance due to us. 43. If any one holding of some escheat (such as the honor of Wallingford, Nottingham, Boulogne, Lancaster, or of other escheats which are in our hands and are baronies) shall die, his heir shall give no other relief, and perform no other service to us than he would have done to the baron, if that barony had been in the baron's hand; and we shall hold it in the same manner in which the baron held it. 44. Men who dwell without the forest need not henceforth come before our justiciars of the forest upon a general summons, except those who are impleaded, or who have become sureties for any person or persons attached for forest offenses. 45. We will appoint as justices, constables, sheriffs, or bailiffs only such as know the law of the realm and mean to observe it well. 46. All barons who have founded abbeys, concerning which they hold charters from the kings of England, or of which they have long-continued possession, shall have the wardship of them, when vacant, as they ought to have. 47. All forests that have been made such in our time shall immediately be disafforested; and a similar course shall be followed with regard to river banks that have been placed "in defense" by us in our time. 48. All evil customs connected with forests and warrens, foresters and warreners, sheriffs and their officers, river banks and their wardens, shall immediately be inquired into in each county by twelve sworn knights of the same county chosen by the honest men of the same county, and shall, within forty days of the said inquest, be utterly abolished, so as never to be restored, provided always that we previously have intimation thereof, or our justiciar, if we should not be in England. 49. We will immediately restore all hostages and charters delivered to us by Englishmen, as sureties of the peace or of faithful service. 50. We will entirely remove from their bailiwicks, the relations of Gerard Athee (so that in future they shall have no bailiwick in England); namely, Engelard of Cigogne, Peter, Guy, and Andrew of Chanceaux, Guy of Cigogne, Geoffrey of Martigny with his brothers, Philip Mark with his brothers and his nephew Geoffrey, and the whole brood of the same. 51. As soon as peace is restored, we will banish from the kingdom all foreign born knights, crossbow men, sergeants, and mercenary soldiers, who have come with horses and arms to the kingdom's hurt. 52. If any one has been dispossessed or removed by us, without the legal judgment of his peers, from his lands, castles, franchises, or from his right, we will immediately restore them to him; and if a dispute arise over this, then let it be decided by the twenty five barons of whom mention is made below in the clause for securing the peace. Moreover, for all those possessions, from which any one has, without the lawful judgment of his peers, been disseised or removed, by our father, King Henry, or by our brother, King Richard, and which we retain in our hand (or which are possessed by others, to whom we are bound to warrant them) we shall have respite until the usual term of crusaders; excepting those things about which a plea has been raised, or an inquest made by our order, before our taking of the cross; but as soon as we return from our expedition (or if perhaps we desist from the expedition) we will immediately grant full justice therein. 53. We shall have, moreover, the same respite and in the same manner in rendering justice concerning the disafforestation or retention of those forests which Henry our father and Richard our brother afforested, and concerning wardship of lands which are of the fief of another (namely, such wardships as we have hitherto had by reason of a fief which any one held of us by knight's service), and concerning abbeys founded on other fiefs than our own, in which the lord of the fief claims to have right; and when we have returned, or if we desist from our expedition, we will immediately grant full justice to all who complain of such things. 54. No one shall be arrested or imprisoned upon the appeal of a woman, for the death of any other than her husband. 55. All fines made with us unjustly and against the law of the land, and all amercements imposed unjustly and against the law of the land, shall be entirely remitted, or else it shall be done concerning them according to the decision of the twenty five barons of whom mention is made below in the clause for securing the peace, or according to the judgment of the majority of the same, along with the previously said Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, if he can be present, and such others as he may wish to bring with him for this purpose, and if he cannot be present the business shall nevertheless proceed without him, provided always that if any one or more of the previously said twenty five barons are in a similar suit, they shall be removed as far as concerns this particular judgment, others being substituted in their places after having been selected by the rest of the same twenty five for this purpose only, and after having been sworn. 56. If we have disseised or removed Welshmen from lands or liberties, or other things, without the legal judgment of their peers in England or in Wales, they shall be immediately restored to them; and if a dispute arise over this, then let it be decided in the marches by the judgment of their peers; for tenements in England according to the law of England, for tenements in Wales according to the law of Wales, and for tenements in the marches according to the law of the marches. Welshmen shall do the same to us and ours. 57. Further, for all those possessions from which any Welshman has, without the lawful judgment of his peers, been disseised or removed by King Henry our father or King Richard our brother, and which we retain in our hand (or which are possessed by others, to whom we are bound to warrant them) we shall have respite until the usual term of crusaders; excepting those things about which a plea has been raised or an inquest made by our order before we took the cross; but as soon as we return (or if perhaps we desist from our expedition), we will immediately grant full justice in accordance with the laws of the Welsh and in relation to the previously said regions. 58. We will immediately give up the son of Llywelyn and all the hostages of Wales, and the charters delivered to us as security for the peace. 59. We will do toward Alexander, King of Scots, concerning the return of his sisters and his hostages, and concerning his franchises, and his right, in the same manner as we shall do toward our other barons of England, unless it ought to be otherwise according to the charters which we hold from William his father, formerly King of Scots; and this shall be according to the judgment of his peers in our court. 60. Moreover, all these previously said customs and liberties, the observance of which we have granted in our kingdom as far as pertains to us toward our men, shall be observed by all of our kingdom, as well clergy as laymen, as far as pertains to them toward their men. 61. Since, moreover, for God and the amendment of our kingdom and for the better allaying of the quarrel that has arisen between us and our barons, We have granted all these concessions, desirous that they should enjoy them incomplete and firm endurance for ever, we give and grant to them the underwritten security, namely, that the barons choose twenty five barons of the kingdom, whoever they will, who shall be bound with all their might, to observe and hold, and cause to be observed, the peace and liberties we have granted and confirmed to them by this our present Charter, so that if we, or our justiciar, or our bailiffs or any one of our officers, shall in anything be at fault toward any one, or shall have broken any one of the articles of the peace or of this security, and the offense be notified to four barons of the previously said twenty five, the said four barons shall repair to us (or our justiciar, if we are out of the realm) and, laying the transgression before us, petition to have that transgression redressed without delay. And if we shall not have corrected the transgression (or, in the event of our being out of the realm, if our justiciar shall not have corrected it) within forty days, reckoning from the time it has been intimated to us (or to our justiciar, if we should be out of the realm), the four barons previously said shall refer that matter to the rest of the twenty five barons, and those twenty five barons shall, together with the community of the whole land, distrain and distress us in all possible ways, namely, by seizing our castles, lands, possessions, and in any other way they can, until redress has been obtained as they deem fit, saving harmless our own person, and the persons of our queen and children; and when redress has been obtained, they shall resume their old relations toward us. And let whoever in the country desires it, swear to obey the orders of the said twenty five barons for the execution of all the previously said matters, and along with them, to molest us to the utmost of his power; and we publicly and freely grant leave to everyone who wishes to swear, and we shall never forbid any one to swear. All those, moreover, in the land who of themselves and of their own accord are unwilling to swear to the twenty five to help them in constraining and molesting us, we shall by our command compel the same to swear to the effect previously said. And if any one of the twenty five shall have died or departed from the land, or be incapacitated in any other manner which would prevent the previously said provisions being carried out, those of the said twenty five barons who are left shall choose another in his place according to their own judgment, and he shall be sworn in the same way as the others. Further, in all matters, the execution of which is intrusted to these twenty five barons, if perhaps these twenty five are present, that which the majority of those present ordain or command shall be held as fixed and established, exactly as if the whole twenty five had concurred in this; and the said twenty five shall swear that they will faithfully observe all that is previously said, and cause it to be observed with all their might. And we shall procure nothing from any one, directly or indirectly, whereby any part of these concessions and liberties might be revoked or diminished; and if any such thing has been procured, let it be void and null, and we shall never use it personally or by another. 62. And all the ill will, hatreds, and bitterness that have arisen between us and our men, clergy and lay, from the date of the quarrel, we have completely remitted and pardoned everyone. Moreover, all trespasses occasioned by the said quarrel, from Easter in the sixteenth year of our reign till the restoration of peace, we have fully remitted to all, both clergy and laymen, and completely forgiven, as far as pertains to us. And, on this head, we have caused to be made for them letters testimonial patent of the lord Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, of the lord Henry, archbishop of Dublin, of the bishops previously said, and of Master Pandulf as touching this security and the concessions previously said. 63. Therefore it is our will, and we firmly enjoin, that the English Church be free, and that the men in our kingdom have and hold all the previously said liberties, rights, and concessions, well and peaceably, freely and quietly, fully and wholly, for themselves and their heirs, of us and our heirs, in all respects and in all places for ever, as is previously said. An oath, moreover, has been taken, as well on our part as on the part of the barons, that all these conditions previously said shall be kept in good faith and without evil intent. Given under our hand -- the above named and many others being witnesses -- in the meadow which is called Runnymede, between Windsor and Staines, on the fifteenth day of June, in the seventeenth year of our reign. | 
  Canon Law: The Laws Of The Roman Catholic Church  
These are some of the laws of the Roman Catholic church as of 2001.
Apparently, the numbering system used is not maintained when old laws are removed and new ones adopted. 
Therefore Canon law 29 might not be the same law 300 years ago.
I need to do more research on this.
| Definitions | Topic | |
|---|---|---|
| In 1998, Pope John Paul II authored "Ad Tuendam Fidem" to enforce the "common adherence of Christ's faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium" in regards to Church teachings. 
	Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly known as the Office of the Inquisition), released a commentary letter outlining specific examples. 
 | Heresy | |
| The Severity of Punishment : 
 
 | Punishment | |
| Canon | Section | Topic | 
| Canon 331 | The office uniquely committed by the Lord to Peter, the first of the Apostles, and to be transmitted to his successors, abides in the Bishop of the Church of Rome. He is the head of the College of Bishops, the Vicar of Christ, and the Pastor of the universal Church here on earth. Consequently, by virtue of his office, he has supreme, full, immediate and universal ordinary power in the Church, and he can always freely exercise this power. | Legitimacy of the election of the Pope | 
| Canon 349 | The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church constitute a special College, whose prerogative it is to elect the Roman Pontiff in accordance with the norms of a special law. The Cardinals are also available to the Roman Pontiff, either acting collegially, when they are summoned together to deal with questions of major importance, or acting individually, that is, in the offices which they hold in assisting the Roman Pontiff especially in the daily care of the universal Church. | Legitimacy of the election of the Pope | 
| Canon 747 | 
 | Global Evangelism | 
| Canon 749 | 
 | Infallibility | 
| Canon 750 | Those things are to be believed by divine and Catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal magisterium, which is manifested by the common adherence of Christ's faithful under the guidance of the sacred magisterium. All are therefore bound to shun any contrary doctrines. | Tradition and the word of God | 
| Canon 751 | Heresy is the obstinate denial or doubt, after baptism, of a truth which must be believed by divine and Catholic faith. Apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith. Schism is the withdrawal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or from communion with the members of the Church subject to him. | Heresy, apostasy, schism | 
| Canon 752 | While the assent of faith is not required, a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic magisterium, declare upon a matter of faith or morals, even though they do not intend to proclaim that doctrine by definitive act. Christ's faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine. | Submission to doctrine declared by the bishops | 
| Canon 753 | Whether they teach individually, or in Episcopal Conferences, or gathered together in particular councils, Bishops in communion with the head and the members of the College, while not infallible in their teaching, are the authentic instructors and teachers of the faith for Christ's faithful entrusted to their care. The faithful are bound to adhere, with a religious submission of mind, to this authentic magisterium of their Bishops. | Bishops are the only authentic teachers | 
| Canon 755 | 
 | Ecumenical movement | 
| Canon 793 | 
 | Education | 
| Canon 794 | 
 | Education | 
| Canon 797 | Parents must have a real freedom in their choice of schools. For this reason Christ's faithful must be watchful that the civil society acknowledges this freedom of parents and, in accordance with the requirements of distributive justice, even provides them with assistance. | Education | 
| Canon 798 | Parents are to send their children to those schools which will provide for their Catholic education. If they cannot do this, they are bound to ensure the proper Catholic education of their children outside the school. | Education | 
| Canon 799 | Christ's faithful are to strive to secure that in the civil society the laws which regulate the formation of the young, also provide a religious and moral education in the schools that is in accord with the conscience of the parents. | All public education must be Catholic | 
| Canon 1311 | The Church has its own inherent right to constrain with penal sanctions Christ's faithful who commit offences. | Disobedience | 
| Canon 1314 | A penalty is for the most part ferendae sententiae, that is, not binding upon the offender until it has been imposed. It is, however, latae sententiae, so that it is incurred automatically upon the commission of an offence, if a law or precept expressly lays this down. | Penalties | 
| Canon 1366 | Parents, and those taking the place of parents, who hand over their children to be baptized or brought up in a non-Catholic religion, are to be punished with a censure or other just penalty. | Non-Catholic education or conversion | 
| Canon 1370 | 
 | Use of physical force against a priest | 
| Canon 1371 | The following are to be punished with a just penalty: 
 | Disobedience must be punished | 
| Canon 1372 | A person who appeals from an act of the Roman Pontiff to an Ecumenical Council or to the College of Bishops, is to be punished with a censure. | Punished for appealing | 
| Canon 1373 | A person who publicly incites his or her subjects to hatred or animosity against the Apostolic See or the Ordinary because of some act of ecclesiastical authority or ministry, or who provokes the subjects to disobedience against them, is to be punished by interdict or other just penalties. | Punish those who incite hatred or disobedience against the church | 
| Canon 1374 | A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty - one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict. | Anti-Catholic organizations | 
| Canon 1375 | Those who hinder the freedom of the ministry or of an election or of the exercise of ecclesiastical power, or the lawful use of sacred or other ecclesiastical goods, or who intimidate either an elector or one who is elected or one who exercises ecclesiastical power or ministry, may be punished with a just penalty. | Interfering with the ministry | 
| Canon 1376 | A person who profanes a sacred object, moveable or immovable, is to be punished with a just penalty. | Desecrating idols | 
| Canon 1377 | A person who without the prescribed permission alienates ecclesiastical goods, is to be punished with a just penalty. | ?? | 
| Canon 1364 | 
 | Heretic, apostate or schismatic | 
| Canon 1365 | One who is guilty of prohibited participation in religious rites is to be punished with a just penalty. | Disobedience | 
| Canon 1367 | One who throws away the consecrated species or, for a sacrilegious purpose, takes them away or keeps them, incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; a cleric, moreover, may be punished with some other penalty, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state. | Defiling the communion bread | 
| Canon 1368 | A person who, in asserting or promising something before an ecclesiastical authority, commits perjury, is to be punished with a just penalty. | Lying to the church | 
| Canon 1369 | A person is to be punished with a just penalty, who, at a public event or assembly, or in a published writing, or by otherwise using the means of social communication, utters blasphemy, or gravely harms public morals, or rails at or excites hatred of or contempt for religion or the Church. | Blasphemy or contempt for the church in public or in writing | 
| Canon 1390 | 
 | Anti-Catholicism - Personal attacks | 
| Canon 1391 | The following can be punished with a just penalty, according to the gravity of the offence: 
 | Anti-Catholicism - False documents or false statements. | 
| Canon 1393 | A person who violates obligations imposed by a penalty, can be punished with a just penalty. | Disobedience | 
| Canon 1401 | The Church has its own and exclusive right to judge: 
 | Exclusive right to judge all religious and moral matters | 
| Canon 1404 | The First See is judged by no one | The pope cannot be judged | 
| Canon 1405 | 
 | Right to judge all civil matters without criticism | 
United Nations Resolution 181
 
In 1922, Israel was part of the old Turkish empire.
This resolution provided a plan for creating the state of Israel with special attention to the
problems concerning the city of Jerusalem.
It began with the Palestinian Mandate in 1922 and ended with the United Nations plan in 1948.
As part of this plan (Part III), Jerusalem would be administered as an international city for 10 years.
After this period, the residents should vote on the future of the city.
  
 Palestinian Mandate (July 25, 1922). 
The mandates for Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine were assigned by the Supreme Court of the League of Nations at its San Remo meeting in April 1920. Negotiations between Great Britain and the United States with regard to the Palestine mandate were successfully concluded in May 1922, and approved by the Council of the League of Nations in July 1922. The mandates for Palestine and Syria came into force simultaneously on September 29, 1922. In this document, the League of Nations recognized the "historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine" and the "grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country."
 Resolution 181  -
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 called for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state. 
It was approved on November 29, 1947 with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent. 
The resolution was accepted by the Jews in Palestine, yet rejected by the Arabs in Palestine and the Arab states. 
 
  
United Nations Resolution 181, Part III: The Plan for Jerusalem  - Part III of the plan describes an
independent Arab and Jewish States and the special international regime for the city of Jerusalem.
| 
 
 | 
 The Pact between Pope John Paul II And Yasser Arafat
 
The pact between the Vatican and the Palestinians is dependent upon the reinstatement of 
United Nations Resolution 181 (Part III)  which describes the special administration of Jerusalem.
In this plan, the Pope proposes that he should be set up as the sovereign ruler of Jerusalem with the United Nations providing
military protection.
On February 15, 2000 the Jerusalem Post reported that:
Chairman Yasser Arafat is to meet with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican today and sign an accord to normalize relations between the Palestinian Authority and Roman Catholic churches in Jerusalem.
... the agreement indicates a recognition by the Catholic Church of Palestinian claims to the city.
... Arafat has been lobbying for his idea of sharing undivided Jerusalem, and creating Vatican style sovereignty in the Old City ...
should Israel and the Palestinian Authority fail to reach an agreement on sharing Jerusalem, the Palestinian Authority would agree to create an international city in the Old City, as stated in UN Resolution 181
| 
      Preamble Deeply aware of the special significance of the Holy Land, which is inter alia a privileged space for inter-religious dialogue between the followers of the three monotheistic religions; Having reviewed the history and development of the relations between the Holy See and the Palestinian People, including the working contacts and the subsequent establishment - on October 26, 1994 - of official relations between the Holy See and the PLO; Recalling and confirming the establishment of the Bilateral Permanent
 Reaffirming the need to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, so that all its nations live as good neighbours and work together to achieve development and prosperity for the entire region and all its inhabitants; Calling for a peaceful solution of the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, which would realize the inalienable national legitimate rights and aspirations of the Palestinian People, to be reached through negotiation and agreement, in order to ensure peace and security for all peoples of the region on the basis of international law, relevant United Nations and its Security Council resolutions, justice and equity; Declaring that an equitable solution for the issue of Jerusalem, based on international resolutions, is fundamental for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, and that unilateral decisions and actions altering the specific character and status of Jerusalem are morally and legally unacceptable; Calling, therefore, for a special statute for Jerusalem, internationally guaranteed, which should safeguard the following: 
 
 Recognizing that Palestinians, irrespective of their religious affiliation, are equal members of Palestinian society; Concluding that the achievements of the aforementioned Bilateral Permanent
 Working Commission now amount to appropriate matter for a first and
 Basic Agreement, which should provide a solid and lasting foundation
for
 the continued development of their present and future relations, and
for the
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      Articles   
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Prisoners Of War And Unlawful Combatants
The status of the captured taliban fighters in the terrorist war against Osama Bin Ladin 
hinges on the definition of words.
The United States calls them "unlawful combatants" and the United Nations calls them
"prisoners of war". What are the differences and how does this affect their international rights?
Unlawful Combatants and Detainees  are generally defined as 
soldiers out of uniform, medics, clerics and civilians.
They are also defined by the United States as:
 
... an individual who is not authorized to take a direct part in hostilities but does. ... Unlawful combatants are a proper object of attack while engaging as combatants. ... If captured, they may be tried and punished.
International law gives prisoners the right to:
Prisoners of War are defined by the third Geneva Convention as:
The Legal Status of Persecuted Saints - I will speculate on the status of the persecuted saints in the end.
Clearly, any persecuting force can delay justice with this redefinition of words. Until action in your favor
can be exercised, a long period would have passed.
In addition, the Geneva Convention and the International Laws against torture are clearly not adhered to in the new
United States Patriot Act of 2001. So what could happen to persecuted saints?
First, they will not be violent will not have weapons, therefore they cannot be taken as Prisoners of War. The Geneva Convention does not apply.
However, our views on prophecy and expressing the warnings God has given us will get us into trouble.
Already, democratic countries such as Canada, France, Singapore and others have passed laws to punish religious expression
as a threat to public harmony.
Second, they cannot be classified as unlawful combatants since they will not be armed.
However, lying and redefining words and actions could place us into any of these categories.
Claims such as "disturbing the peace" just by expressing our religious views.
We could also be charged with denying the welfare of the majority and it could easily place us in a category of
being "against the government". Such a status could make us subject to military or police action.
Finally, we could just be classified as common criminals, subject to normal civil and criminal laws.
We could even be given up to mob rule, where the government can deny responsibility for our fate.
In any situation, the International laws on the treatment of prisoners should apply, however, the Patriot Act of 2001 says otherwise.
 The End Of Freedom 
 
Our belief is that we are headed to a one world control of governments by the Catholic Church using the military and political power of the United States.
This church will attach itself to any government that will make it the only religious power in the state.
Consequently, the church was not against communism until it realized that it could not be controlled by the church.
Furthermore, communism actively promoted atheism.
The church has a plan to take over democratic states.
Right To Persecute
The Encyclical of Pope Pius X, issued in 1864, asserted:
- the right to require the State not to leave any man free to profess his own religion;
- the right to employ force;
- the right to claim dominion in temporal things;
- the right to have the entire control of public schools;
- the right to hold princes and kings in subjection;
- the right to treat all marriages as invalid which are not solemnized according to the forms of the Council of Trent;
- the right to prevent the State granting to immigrants the public exercise of their own worship;
- the right to require the State not to permit free expression of opinion
"The Catholic Church has persecuted ... when she thinks it is good to use physical force she will use it... Will the Catholic Church give bond that she will not persecute?... The Catholic Church gives no bonds for her good behaviour." -Western Watchman, December 24, 1908
"The church may by Divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their persons, and condemn them to the flames." -Vatican II
Mr. Raywood Frazier, in the booklet "Catholic Words and Actions," presents documentary proof of the intensive persecution of Protestants and those who are not Catholics in Columbia, South America, between 1949 and 1953. The Catholic Church had the support of the Columbian government in the destruction of many churches, and the liquidation of more than 1,000 documented cases -- some of whom were shot, drowned, or emasculated. He says there is evidence of over 60,000 killed. Pope Pius XII awarded the President of Columbia with one of the highest awards which the Church bestows, and praised Columbia for its example of the Catholic faith." (Pages 59,60)
The defense of Roman Catholics to this presentation is as follows: "Communists destroy churches because they are God's enemies; Catholic's destroy churches because they are God's friends ... Against such men - founded churches ... Catholics in Latin America should arise and wipe them out with fire." - John J. Oberlander, in The Voice of Freedom, 1954, page 20.
The rector of the Catholic Institute of Paris, H.M.A. Baudrillart, revealed the attitude of the church and her leaders toward persecution. "When confronted with heresy," he said, "she does not content herself with persuasion, arguments of an intellectual and moral order appear to her insufficient, and she has recourse to force, to corporal punishment, to torture." The Catholic Church, The Renaissance, and Protestantism, pages 182-183
Religious Liberty In Danger
"Religious liberty is merely endured until the opposite can be carried into effect without peril to the Catholic Church." -Bishop O'Conner of Pittsburg.
"Democracy is a mischievous dream where the Catholic Church does not predominate." - Brownson's Review.
"If Catholics ever gain sufficient numerical majority in this country, religious freedom is at an end. So our enemies say; so we believe" -The Shephard of the Valley, journal of the late bishop of St. Louis.
"There is one, and only one, sure democracy, the Catholicism of the Popes" -The Catholic World, October, 1937.
"Some dwell on the vastly increased tolerance shown in this country now to Catholics and Catholic thugs... It betokens a decay of Protestantism." - Catholic World, October 1935, page 66
"It no longer can be said today that the U.S. is a Protestant country." -Cardinal Strich of Chicago, quoted in Time Magazine, August 5, 1955 "
The old Protestant culture is about at the end of its rope ... Why can't we make the U.S. Catholic in legislation, Catholic in justice, aims and ideals?" -Father F. X. Talbot, editor of America, official jesuit magazine for the U.S. statement in New York Globe December 14, 1930
In the book Confusion Twice Confounded, Monsignor Joseph H. Brady states that the U.S. Supreme Court is wrong in decisions regarding "separation of Church and State." He says: "A sound view of the Constitution in its relation to religion probably awaits a change in personnel in our highest tribunal." -The Register, January 23, 1955.
"But Constitutions can be changed, and non-Catholic sects may decline to such a point that the political proscription [ban] of them may become feasible and expedient. What protection would they have against a Catholic state?" -The State and the Church, pages 38,39, by Miller and Ryan, imprimatur of Cardinal Hayes.
"The Catholic Church in this nation must live on to accomplish her work, even though our Republican form of government disappears." -The Catholic World, April, 1935, page 12. "
They [Catholics] must penetrate wherever possible in the administration of civil affairs... all Catholics should do all in their power to cause the constitution of states, and legislation to be modeled on the principles of the true Church." -Encyclical of Leo XIII.
On September 7, 1947, Pope Pius XII declared that "the time for reflection and planning is past in religious and moral fields and the time for action has arrived." He said that "the battle in religious and moral fields hinged on five points: Religious culture, the sanctifying of Sunday, the saving of the Christian family, social justice and loyalty and truthfulness in dealings." -Evening Star (Washington D.C.), September 8, 1947
Every man and woman shall repair in the morning to the divine service and sermons preached upon the Sabbath (Sunday), and in the afternoon to divine service, and catechizing, upon pain for the first fault to lose their provision and the allowance for the whole week following; for the second, to lose the said allowance and also be whipped; and for the third to suffer death."!!! Laws, and Orders, Divine, Politique, and Martial For the Colony in Virginia: first established by Sir Thomas Gates, Knight, Lieutenant - General, the May 24, 1610
Recent statements by the Polish Episcopate have fueled apprehension. In late April the bishops urged that the new constitution exclude any provision for the separation of church and state. Instead, they suggested, "exceptional emphasis should be laid on the need for cooperation between the state and the Catholic Church." TIME May 20, 1991 "Five Who Could Be Vice President" Page 40 "Power to The Pulpit"
  
Protestants Agree On Enforcing Sunday
Protestant leaders now join with the Catholics in the common goal of restoring morality.
They believe that one sure way to accomplish this is through control of education and restoring the
sacredness of Sunday.
What they fail to see is that they will be absorbed in the process and they will no longer have the luxury
of maintaining their own beliefs, just as they themselves are guilty of taking away people's choice not to believe.
This organization proposes in every possible way to aid in preserving Sunday as a civil institution. Our national security requires the active support of all good citizens in the maintenance of our American Sabbath. Sunday laws must be enforced." -Quoted as "principles contained in the Constitution" of the original organization (then called the American Sabbath Union), cited in The Lord's Day Alliance, Twenty fifth Report (1913), page 6
The mission of the Christian Coalition is simple. It is "to mobilize Christians one percent at a time, one community at a time, until once again we are the head and not the tail, and at the top rather than the bottom of our political system... the Christian Coalition will be the most powerful political force in America by the end of this decade." And, "We have enough votes to run this country... and when the people say, 'we've had enough,' we're going to take over!" -Pat Robertson,
The Papal Mandate
The "Holy Office" is the new name for the Office of Inquisition that exterminated heretics.
This power will be used against anyone who blocks the Pope's effort to create a global church-state run by the Roman Catholic Church.
	
The thought of a revived Holy Office of the Inquisition would pacify some and offend others. Nevertheless, the "Holy Office" still exists. Only it's name has been changed. Pope John Paul II has been instrumental in its revival. One may argue that this Ratzinger run agency is merely an attempt by the Catholic Church to root out communism or backslidden priests and their practices. However, with John Paul II's objective to implement "God's mandate" by creating a global church-state which will administer from traditional Roman Catholic theology, is enough cause for alarm.
Malachi Martin has already stated in his book, "The Keys of this Blood," that the pope will not tolerate any belief systems that oppose his, not on a civil or church level. In John Paul II the world will behold a tyrant who will coldly execute direct orders against those whom he deems are heretics or immoral. Moreover, like his papal predecessors, John Paul II will carry out his "Godly mandate" in the name of Christ, or perhaps Mary.
May God help us all. - By Kathleen R. Hayes February 1991, NRI Trumpet Page 3
You will find these ideas in the original book on pages 137, 287, 345, 492, 493
Arguments Against Sabbath Keepers
 
A time will come when the following arguments will be used to silence by law or social pressure
the interpretation of prophecy and the keeping of Sabbath.
The first step in doing this is to abandon the authority of the Bible.
If the Bible cannot be trusted, then the prophecies are worthless.
	
		Vatican City (AP)-- A new Vatican document on how to interpret the Bible condemns the fundamentalist approach of word for word literalism as distorting, dangerous and possibly leading to racism. --Associated Press
	
	Spreading the faith is now labeled as a hate crime. Main line religions no longer care because they have
	agreed not to engage in "sheep stealing" (converting each other's members). They have resorted to an ecumenical union
	in which they share clergy and other administrative functions.
	
The FCC issued a ruling discouraging noncommercial educational TV stations from offering "programming primarily devoted to religious exhortation, proselytizing, or statements of personally held religious views and beliefs
	
	But, the Catholic church denounces conversions based on this argument - that it divides families.
	
Liberty By Countries 
 
It is useless to look at the official constitutions to see if a country has religious freedom.
You must examine what really happens in practice.
Often, countries find a reason to exterminate minority religions by requiring religions to register -
yet making it impossible to do so. Consequently, any meetings for prayer, service to the homeless can and does
result in arrest for operating illegally.
 Laws Are Meaningless. 
For example, in Turkmenistan religious minorities are being persecuted although Article 11 of the Constitution of Turkmenistan says:
"Everyone has the right independently to determine her or his own religious preference, to practice any religion alone or in association with others, to practice no religion, to express and disseminate beliefs related to religious preference, and to participate in the performance of religious cults, rituals, and ceremonies."
Targeting Religious Minority. Loop holes used to drive away religious minorities are the following:
| Country | Religion | Freedom | 
|---|---|---|
| Sudan | Muslim | Christian genocide, mutilation, rape, slavery. The Muslim is following a strategy of total war | 
| Myannmar | Muslim | No freedom | 
| Canada | Catholic | Hate crime law against "inciting religious hatred" | 
| Singapore | Buddhism | 1992 Religious harmony Act. It does not allow criticism of any other religion | 
| United Kingdom | Anglican | Language outlawing incitement to religious hatred was taken out of an Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill was defeated by 240-141 in the House of Lords. Efforts are being made to reintroduce this law. | 
| France | Catholic | A new law called the "About Picard bill" targets about 170 religious organizations (2001). Under this law creation of an offence of "mental manipulation" mentions activities that are "dangerous for the integrity of the human personality" or as "detrimental to the public order". This law is subject to any interpretation and is meant to eliminate religious minorities. | 
| Germany | Catholic, Lutheran | Laws against religious sects. | 
| Greece | Orthodox | Converting others is punishable by imprisonment, fine and supervision for up to 1 year. Otherwise, freedom of religion is allowed in Article 13, Phrase 2 of the Greek Constitution. | 
| Scotland | Anglican | The Scottish parliament is considering a new law "which would make religious hatred an aggravation of existing criminal offenses" | 
| Hungary | Christian | Creating a committee against religious sects, it is "for the co-ordination of social self-defense against spiritual influences endangering fundamental freedoms." | 
| India | Hindu | A wave of Hindu nationalism has led to violence against Christians and Muslims Attacks have ranged from the killing of priests and raping of nuns, to the physical destruction of churches, and forced conversion of Christians to Hinduism. | 
| Georgia | Orthodox | The parliament adopted a constitutional amendment giving the Orthodox Church a special role in society. Religious minorities have no legal status and are experiencing violence. | 
| Vietnam | Atheist | Outlawed Protestant churches. All religions have problems. | 
| North Korea | Atheist | About 500 underground house churches with 90,000 members, that are persecuted | 
| China | Atheist | Any kind of religious expression is persecuted | 
| Iraq | Muslim | Some discrimination | 
| Afghanistan | Muslim | Minorities must wear a mark on their forehead or sleeve | 
| Iran | Muslim | Slavery (children, forced prostitution). Apostasy, or conversion from Islam to another religion, is punishable by death. Muslims who convert to Christianity also suffer discrimination. Minority religions experience discrimination in the courts, employment, housing and education. | 
| Laos | Buddhist | Laos's constitution provides for freedom of worship but Churches are closed, church members are threatened at gunpoint, forced to sign documents to renounce their faith, and threatened with loss of land and livelihood. People are held in stocks and handcuffs, given electric shock treatments. | 
| Turkmenistan | Muslim | Religious minorities cannot meet for prayer. The only officially registered churches are Muslim and Russian Orthodox Church | 
| Egypt | Muslim | Religion is identified on a national identification card. Religious minorities are discriminated against in court and jobs. | 
| Turkey | Muslim | The Constitution guarantees religious freedom but the Interior Ministry has taken steps to launch judicial proceedings questioning the legality of designated places of worship used by some 40 small Protestant church groups across the country in an attempt to close house churches. At law specifically aimed at religious minorities makes it illegal to hold public meetings in "apartment flats, shops and detached buildings". | 
| Pakistan | Muslim | Blasphemy laws which allow the death penalty or life imprisonment for directly or indirectly defiling "the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed." | 
| Kazakhstan | Muslim, Orthodox | A draft religion law on 31 January 2002 which is expected to be passed would allow the government to ban all unregistered religious groups. It requires religious educational activity to be licensed, and all missionaries to be registered. | 
| Saudi Arabia | Muslim | Public worship by other religions is banned and places of worship other than mosques are not permitted. Although private worship is supposed to be allowed, house churches are raided if they become known or too large. | 
| Uzbekistan | Muslim | Religions must register, although this is refused. So minorities are branded as religious extremists and have their homes raided and literature confiscated. | 
| Mexico | Catholic | Religious minorities especially in states such as Chiapas and Oaxaca. | 
| Macedonia | Orthodox | Orthodox church persecuting the Muslims | 
| Chile | Catholic | 20 cults have been labeled as destructive to Chilean society | 
| Russia | Atheist | Article 27, Part 4 of the 1997 Russian law on religion, which states that all religious organisations failing to reregister by 31 December 2000 were liable to liquidation | 
| Nigeria | Muslim, Christian | Muslim Shari'ah law. Christian churches burned | 
| Ivory Coast | Muslim, Christian | Christian churches burned, homes vandalized. | 
 Internet Sites 
 
  I have been impressed to think about several methods to control messages by cutting off access to the message.
The fastest and cheapest way for any group to deliver its written messages is through the internet. 
					
Always follow the ten commandments. Do not take any short cuts. As I was impressed to think of ways to
					remove legal sites, I ran across a case involving the aggressive tactics of a church organization. 
					Just a simple (false) charge of copyright infringement, without an investigation or evaluation of the loss to the business
					was enough to cause the seizure of assets (files and computers) and the shutdown of an internet business run from a home.
					The damage caused to the raided business by untruthful allegations was immediate and costly.
					In the ensuing legal battle and delaying tactics, the offending 'church' probably  hoped to
					exhaust the other party financially and even tried to buy them out.
				
					Even if the government issued laws to protect a business from shutdown from an unsubstantiated charge,
					while the legal proceedings drag on for months, it could effectively close down the site.
					
					So, with that knowledge, I propose some tactics that can be used and what you must do to provide yourself some protection.
					Protection against the sort of malicious tactics above could not be provided.
					
					Copyright infringement. A simple threat to a hosting company that you are infringing on their copyright material or their code or their 'look and feel'
					will effectively shut you down immediately. Usually, the host company themselves are included in the threat of a lawsuit, so their best recourse is to
					shut down the site until it can be legally sorted out. And if your site is continually a problem, through no fault of your own, they can simply just stop doing business with you.
					
					As shown from the case described above, you cannot eliminate the problem. But you can minimize this problem by stopping any legitimate legal claim.
					
					
Ultimately, the defense of last resort is to run a site out of your home if you can afford the telecommunications cost. Even if you followed the guidelines above, this only eliminates the threat of untimely shutdown by a hosting company. It does not eliminate security attacks, spamming or other denial of service attacks. Neither does it eliminate legal problems of ownership caused by malicious lies or people with deeper pockets whose victory strategy is just to get you off the internet for as long as possible.
 Summary 
Around the eighteenth century, some enlightened powers from the old Roman empires created
laws that separated the church from the state.
The Western governments have largely been ruled by these laws, even though some nations have
a church that is favored by the state.
The United States was the leader in not establishing any one religion.
It was called by God to shield those who were fleeing the persecution in Europe (Revelation 12).
As we fight the battle of immorality and paganism in our schools and society, let us remember
that the rights that are being abused by such persons also guarantee our religious freedoms.
And that government by the righteous has historically been much deadlier than the excesses of the immoral.
We can combat immorality with education and strong families but we can only fight religious tyranny as martyrs.
| But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speaks, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Matthew 10: 19-20 | Time: 80 minutes Print: 24 pages | 
| Copyright    
  Updated : March 9, 2003 Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (March 2008) Credits: The information was compiled from various sources. Some old English words have been changed in the Magna Charta to help the automatic translator. Information on the status of religious freedom was obtained from the International Association for Religious Freedom Information on heresy obtained from "Catholic Theological Heresy" http://www.memorare.com/liturgy/theology.html | |