Laïcité and Freedom of Expression
France is one of the most secular countries in the world; the French place a high value on laïcité, also known as secularism or the separation of Church and State. With a history of abuse of power by the Catholic Church, the French are afraid of having too close of ties between religion and politics.
Did you see the 2017 Pray for France Prayer Guide? As I read the guide for Saturday April 1 about Freedom of Expression I found myself nodding along. This is a key issue that I see in the French culture - including the Church.
In the United States, teachers do not have the right to impose their beliefs on their students, however, if a student asks, for example, why the teacher is wearing a cross necklace, she can share what she believes. In France, teachers, employees of the State, are not allowed to wear religious symbols. Christians cannot wear a cross; Muslims cannot wear their head scarves. I've even heard of teachers not being able to publicly share their faith outside of school hours (for example, when participating in a church BBQ, a teacher did not feel comfortable being interviewed by the local news station for fear of losing his job).
But we do have a right to share our faith in France. We do have a right to communicate the Gospel to co-workers and neighbors. Laïcité is meant to be a freedom, not a barrier. It's meant to prevent politicians from telling the people what to believe or practice and to prevent religious leaders from imposing religious laws on the land.
As the Pray For France Guide said, we can be reassured because [in France] we have more rights than we think, but it is our responsibility to know our rights and to exercise and defend them.
Pray for France! Pray for Christians to boldly speaking the Gospel in love, to live their lives in such a way that people are drawn to them {us}, ask questions, and ultimately meet Jesus.
Did you see the 2017 Pray for France Prayer Guide? As I read the guide for Saturday April 1 about Freedom of Expression I found myself nodding along. This is a key issue that I see in the French culture - including the Church.
"A crucial prayer point...is the ability to share the Gospel publicly.... At the present in France, public opinion tends to minimize the rights of believers in circumstances of freedom of expression, while the elected tend to maximize the necessity of religious neutrality in public...."I have noticed this among the people of our church. They are fearful of sharing their faith - not simply because it can be uncomfortable, but because they believe it's illegal. Laïcité.
In the United States, teachers do not have the right to impose their beliefs on their students, however, if a student asks, for example, why the teacher is wearing a cross necklace, she can share what she believes. In France, teachers, employees of the State, are not allowed to wear religious symbols. Christians cannot wear a cross; Muslims cannot wear their head scarves. I've even heard of teachers not being able to publicly share their faith outside of school hours (for example, when participating in a church BBQ, a teacher did not feel comfortable being interviewed by the local news station for fear of losing his job).
But we do have a right to share our faith in France. We do have a right to communicate the Gospel to co-workers and neighbors. Laïcité is meant to be a freedom, not a barrier. It's meant to prevent politicians from telling the people what to believe or practice and to prevent religious leaders from imposing religious laws on the land.
As the Pray For France Guide said, we can be reassured because [in France] we have more rights than we think, but it is our responsibility to know our rights and to exercise and defend them.
Pray for France! Pray for Christians to boldly speaking the Gospel in love, to live their lives in such a way that people are drawn to them {us}, ask questions, and ultimately meet Jesus.
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