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Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Pressure People to Change Religions?Frequently Asked Questions About Jehovah’s Witnesses
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Does a person have the right to change religions?
The prophet Abraham left the religion of his relatives
Yes, the Bible shows that people have the right to change their religion. It records many who chose not to follow the form of religion practiced by their relatives and who, of their own free will, decided to worship the true God. Abraham, Ruth, some of the people of Athens, and the apostle Paul are just a few examples. (Joshua 24:2; Ruth 1:14-16; Acts 17:22, 30-34; Galatians 1:14, 23) In addition, the Bible even acknowledges a person’s right to make the unwise decision to abandon the worship approved by God.—1 John 2:19.
The right to change religions is supported by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the United Nations has called “the foundation of international human rights law.” That document states that everyone has the “freedom to change his religion or belief” and “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas,” including religious ideas.c Of course, these rights carry with them the obligation to respect the rights of others both to maintain their beliefs and to reject ideas that they disagree with.
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Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Pressure People to Change Religions?Frequently Asked Questions About Jehovah’s Witnesses
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c Similar rights are included in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the 2004 Arab Charter on Human Rights, the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Human Rights Declaration, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, even nations that claim to provide such rights vary in their actual commitment to provide those rights.
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