Best viewed at minimum 600px screen width (Rotate your device to landscape orientation)
Featured Advertiser
Visit our
Christian Business Directory
Guarding Against the Quiet Erosion of Religious Freedom
Source: FORSA / Michael Swain
Date Added: 2026-07-02
Category: General News, Issues - General, Issues - Freedom of Religion,
Date Added: 2026-07-02
Category: General News, Issues - General, Issues - Freedom of Religion,
How Religious Freedom Is Quietly Eroded
Greetings Friend,
Freedom is rarely lost in a single dramatic law. It is far more often narrowed slowly, clause by clause, in ordinary laws that most people never read closely.
Over recent months, FOR SA has made submissions on very different matters: a proposed electronic death certificate before burial, draft learner pregnancy regulations, labour law changes, an online safety White Paper, and new hate speech regulations.
Each pursues a goal most people would support, and none sets out with the explicit goal of limiting religious freedom. Yet, all have opened the door to just that.
The real question is not whether the State may act, but how, and at what cost to other rights. When laws are drawn too broadly, leave key terms vague, or omit clear safeguards, freedom can quietly narrow without anyone intending it.
This is why the detail matters. While these measures are still being shaped, public participation is a genuine opportunity to help get them right. Stay informed, and engage thoughtfully where you can.
To explore the issue further:
A free society is measured not only by the laws it rejects, but by the care and restraint it brings to every law it passes.
MICHAEL SWAIN
Executive Director
Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA)
Greetings Friend,
Freedom is rarely lost in a single dramatic law. It is far more often narrowed slowly, clause by clause, in ordinary laws that most people never read closely.
Over recent months, FOR SA has made submissions on very different matters: a proposed electronic death certificate before burial, draft learner pregnancy regulations, labour law changes, an online safety White Paper, and new hate speech regulations.
Each pursues a goal most people would support, and none sets out with the explicit goal of limiting religious freedom. Yet, all have opened the door to just that.
The real question is not whether the State may act, but how, and at what cost to other rights. When laws are drawn too broadly, leave key terms vague, or omit clear safeguards, freedom can quietly narrow without anyone intending it.
This is why the detail matters. While these measures are still being shaped, public participation is a genuine opportunity to help get them right. Stay informed, and engage thoughtfully where you can.
To explore the issue further:
- Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/mhmDhTZfcK0
- Read the full op-ed here: https://www.forsa.org.za/articles/guarding-against-the-quiet-erosion-of-freedom
A free society is measured not only by the laws it rejects, but by the care and restraint it brings to every law it passes.
MICHAEL SWAIN
Executive Director
Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA)
Source: FORSA / Michael Swain
Date Added: 2026-07-02
Category: General News, Issues - General, Issues - Freedom of Religion,
Back to News IndexDate Added: 2026-07-02
Category: General News, Issues - General, Issues - Freedom of Religion,
_______________________________________________
Please read our disclaimer
This section of our site aims to keep you informed about news in the local church, and worldwide.
Please email us any items of interest.
Please email us any items of interest.
 |
| Christian News to strengthen God's people at www.gatewaynews.co.za News that is fresh, relevant, edifying and which glorifies Jesus! |
Worthy News is a website with a good selection of news articles from around the world in a number of categories, both Christian and secular. They also offer a free subsciption service to deliver daily news headlines to your email box. Click here to pay them a visit.