The Importance of Jan Hus on the Way to Freedom of Conscience and the Rights of Religious Minorities - Prague, The Czech Republic

The Importance of Jan Hus on the Way to Freedom of Conscience and the Rights of Religious Minorities Prague, The Czech Republic, 1. October 2015 On the occasion of 600th anniversary of John Hus burning at the stake, the Czech branch of the Universal Peace Federation in cooperation with the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague have organized the International Conference titled “The Importance of Jan Hus on the Way to Freedom of Conscience and the Rights of Religious Minorities”, which took place in the framework of the project The National and Cultural Identity. Guests from abroad also appeared in the second panel of the Conference.

By Juraj Lajda September 1415) and released the Hussite In the first panel, three talks were given

I n the introduction, Dr. Juraj movement as inadequate response to the by representatives of three Protestant Lajda, Secretary General of UPF in then circumstances. It should be stressed churches: Slovak Evangelical Church of the Czech Republic, reminded that that the Hussite revolution has not been the Augsburg Confession, the the aim of the conference is to highlight planned by Jan Hus and it was not his Czechoslovak Hussite Church and the the personality of Jan Hus, his life and path of efforts at the Church reformation. Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. work in the context of the liberation of Jan Hus wanted in particular to reform the human conscience and seeking of the the Church which, according to him, as religious freedom and its boundaries. Jan the second pillar of the government Hus, therefore, stands at the beginning of alongside of the secular power was in a this path. The baton have taken over state of decline and diverged from the many next runners on this track, whether truth of Christ’s teachings. it is Martin Luther, Gándhí or Martin In the 1990 ‘s years, Pope John Paul II Luther King and others. asked in publicly for forgiveness because Jan Hus was burned at the stake in 1415. of Jan Hus burning. But the fact remains This action sparked an outrage in the that Jan Hus wasn’t rehabilitated and Radim Pačmár, M.A., Slovak and Bohemia (Complaint Matters Sheet of the wasn’t accepted back into the bosom of PhD student at the Slovak Evangelical Czech and Moravian nobility from 2nd the Catholic Church. Theological Faculty, stressed the fact that Jan Hus tradition was revered for

many centuries in Slovakia, especially in Evangelical circles. The Slovak Lutherans have considered Jan Hus as to be preparer of the Reformation carried out then a hundred years later by Martin Luther. Hus did not create a sophisticated theological system but he had a love of truth and faith. He encouraged people to go back to the springs of faith. No book press printing existed at that time, the ideas couldn’t be disseminated so quickly. According to the historian Bodický, Hus was an exemplar priest. Slovak Protestants have sung Hus’s songs. Prof. Zdeněk Kučera, doctor honoris causa, theologian of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, dealt with the question of conscience freedom in the understanding Hus as a theologian. If we of conscience and the Legacy of Hus and In the second panel of the Conference have a religious motivation, we may be Luther”. As the prefatory question she appeared also guests from abroad. Dr. willing even to lay down our lives. asked, whether the theology is a timeless Aaron Rhodes, President of the FOREF Martyrdom belongs to religion. Jan Hus or time-dependent work. It is difficult to Association, talked about Jan Hus from did prove his truth to guarantee through whip out Jan Hus and Martin Luther of the perspective of human rights. Human his own life. The path paved by Hus was their era. rights are a secular concept, which bitter and hard-trodden by many saints Today, freedom of conscience and emerged as a product of the and “heretics”. religious freedom get into an open enlightenment. It is popularly said today dispute in many situations because of the that human rights are something we have Rev. Dr. Josef Hromádka dwelled on secularization and privatization of the inherited from the various religious inquiry of Hus’s legacy remaining in the European spirituality. For Jan Hus, the traditions. Most of the world’s religions present. The truth requires a courage and freedom of conscience with reference to had led the people to understand the an open heart. People should follow the the freedom of human in Christ was an value and dignity of human beings, i.e., truth – the truth should not be absolute value. So much as law, political what needs to be protected by human manipulated by people. In history, or social customs and establishings rights. They did not provide, however, however, the criterion of the good contradicted the teachings of Jesus Christ some political or legal mechanism that changed so that the measure of all the and freedom in Him, Hus demanded would put the human rights into reality. values and things became the human. Our conscience is not only a product of their removal and redress of conditions. In the traditional Islam, no concept of chemical reactions and processes. Dr. Unlike Hus, theology of Martin Luther human rights exists. Islamic law ordered Hromádka mentioned Hus’s appeal to entered into a different time and the monarch to treat his people fairly and Christ, when he had no another choice, situation, so it encountered a real political compassionately but it has nothing to do how to defend his truth. support and didn’t gotten a widely with such an arrangement, when the accepted stigma of heresy. The particular power of the ruler is legal restricted and The second panel was opened by German states are, in principle, arranged the people can require their ruler to Kateřina Děkanovská, M.A., PhD. by his thesis – cuius regio, eius religio. respect the human rights and liberties. with her speech on the topic of “Freedom Similarly, no concept of human rights was applied in the ancient Jewish kingdoms. Jan Hus exhorted the medieval Christianity to return to its commitment to freedom and equality and to the roots of Judeo-Christian tradition. Afterwards, the executive director of FOREF association Peter Zoehrer held his speech and pointed out some specific examples of human rights violations in particular countries. In many countries, even in the schools the students are being taught biased about other religious groups than traditional religions. Among others, he mentioned also Austria, where some organizations supported by the State campaign against so called sects, even if they have no conclusive evidence.

It is neither religion nor atheism but a minority problem arose during kind of conscience dictate in us. But Reformation. Minorities often respond how we can recognize that our to the specific problems and since the conscience is true? The conscience may Hussite wars in Bohemia, the situation become a hostage to political couldn’t be stabilized. The only correctness. Cardinal Beran alluded to exception was brought by reign of freedom of conscience. George of Poděbrady, when Calixtins (Utraquists) and Catholics lived in peace. In 1471, the Utraquists promoted Vladislav for Czech king, even though he was a Catholic. The Consent of Kutná Hora featured a sample of the rules, how to deal with religious conflicts.

Doc. Dr. iur. Harald Christian Well-founded contributions were heard Scheu, Mag. phil., PhD. opened the by more than 30 people present third, final panel of the Conference listeners. A lively debate has shown The closing contribution was read by that the given topic has aroused a with his contribution on “Legal Status Dr. Radim Petráš on “So-called considerable interest among the of Religious Minorities”. He stressed Consent of Kutná Hora in 1485 as the audience. the importance of freedom of first solution to the legal status of conscience which dwells in each of us. religious minorities in history?”. The