Ways of expressing freedom of conscience and religion - international facts

 

 

 

Galileo Galilei

 

born February 15th in Pisa, died January 8th in Arcetri near Florence, Italian mathematician, physicist and astronomer who made revolutionary discoveries in several areas of natural sciences

 

In the late Middle Ages and before, dissidents were cruelly persecuted and tortured. A not very Christian way of treating people, but medieval inquisitors did not know any mercy when the unity of faith was at stake. For over five centuries, the church punished so-called heretics (people who deviated from the official faith) not even excepting prominent scientists such as Galileo Galilei. Historians, however, are of one opinion as to inquisitors: they were an improvement to the system of justice of time.

In 1615 Galilei had become a man well-known in both Italy and the whole of Europe. He got into difficulty when he was accused of heresy by a Dominican Father while in Rome. He was told to come before the Holy Office of the Roman Catholic church's inquisition. Galilei was allowed to present and explain his theories and did not at first meet any contradiction from the inquistion authorities because the truth of his scientific results was obvious.

 

 

Sophie Scholl

 

Sophie Scholl (born in 1921) was a committed activist against the National Socialist regime. Her experiences with the NS labour and war support services first led her to resent the NS regime. She wanted to express her opinion without reserve. While studying at Munich University she got to know other opponents of the regime. In 1942 these students founded the resistance group "White Rose". They spread illegal public criticism of the government. Soon after they were persecuted by the Gestapo, the state's secret police. Nevertheless they continued printing their leaflets. Only in 1943 were they caught and put to trial.

 

 

Barack Obama

 

From 2005 to 2008 Barack Obama was one of the two US senators for Illinois.

On January 20th 2009 at 12.05 local time he was sworn in to the office of the American President by judge John Roberts. As some words had been confounded, the ceremony was repeated the following day in order to avoid legal problems.

The day after his inauguration President Obama suspended all legal orders by his predecessor Georgs W. Bush which had not yet come into force for further examination. Moreover, during the first days of his presidenca Mr. Obama suspended the on-going military trials against the inmates of Guantanamo prisoner camp for 120 days to have them reexamined. Likewise he determined a maximum income for government members and ordered the publication of government decisions which had been kept secret under the Bush administration. Furthermore he cancelled the order denying financial aid for international organisations which do not condemn abortion, and he enact an order allowing stricter laws on exhaust fumes in California and other states.

In the same year he received the Nobel peace prize for his efforts in strengthening international diplomacy and international cooperation.

 

 

Martin Luther

 

Martin Luther (born Nov. 10th 1483 in Eisleben, died there Febr. 18th 1546) was the theological originator and teacher of the reformation.

As an Augustinian monk and professor of theology he accepted only Jesus Christ as "God's word which has become flesh". By the reformation he wanted to correct some in his view problematic developments in the history of Christianity. His emphasis on God's grace, his sermons and writings, especially his bible translation, fundamentally changed the society of the late medieval, early modern ages, which had up to then been dominated by the Roman Catholic Church. His writings and opinions were used by some European princes in the 16th century to force back the central powers of the Pope and the Emperor. Because of this and against what Martin Luther wanted, the church fell apart, giving rise to Lutherean churches and several other Protestant denominations. 

 

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (son of Karl Ludwig Bonhoeffer)

 

D. Bonhoeffers main concerns are Jesus Christ and the church as His body, which is the community of his followers. For him, the church is a community which God has given the task to further world solidarity. His theory is turned inward, has mystic traits but never loses contact to practical issues. This wide spectrum invites very different interpretations of his work and makes Bonhoeffer a witness for very different religious schools and lines of thought.

 

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