Nearly 200 religious liberty leaders, scholars, and advocates from around the world met for the ninth World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, from August 21–23, 2023. The international event invited attendees to discuss “a holistic understanding of freedom of religion or belief as a pivotal human right,” organizers said. In 2023, the International Religious Liberty Association is celebrating 130 years of religious freedom and freedom of conscience advocacy. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] In his remarks on August 21, Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, welcomed attendees, reminding them of the historical focus of the denomination on the topic. “Adventist pioneers … saw in religious liberty an incontrovertible value without which our very humanity could be at risk of being diminished and impaired,” thus embracing “the priceless value of religious freedom, and the foundation of freedom itself,” Wilson said. General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson reminds participants about the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s longstanding defense of religious freedom and freedom of conscience. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] Wilson shared how Adventist pioneers fought against oppression of others, slavery, and early attempts at Sunday laws. […]
