Defending The Right to religious freedom has inspired countless acts of courage. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's epic history of Stalinist-era oppression, The Gulag Archipelago, gives a brief account of a Russian Orthodox woman who is repeatedly interrogated and threatened by the police. She has helped a church official escape through the underground railway, but she refuses to divulge any information. She isn't afraid of the police, even if they kill her, she says, because she would be glad to stand before God at that very moment.
Today some people still defend the right to worship with their lives. And religious oppression remains a major concern in many places around the world. Even in "free" societies, great strides need to the made toward religious tolerance. This month's Journal honors efforts everywhere to secure religious liberty. It also invites those who live in countries where religious rights are generally respected to care about and pray for our brothers and sisters of every faith who don't enjoy such freedoms.
The Starting Point essay holds up a hopeful example in the respect a mother encountered for her family's religious beliefs at the school her daughter attends. Then, contributors from Germany, India, and Indonesia tell how they dealt with state and family opposition to their religious views through steadfast trust in God's all-power and love.
