He also underlined the difficulties of Seventh-day Adventists in the workplace, and the difficulties Buddhists, Hindus, and Jehovah's Witnesses have in obtaining permits for places of worship. These are minor problems if we compare them to the rest of the world. But it is enough to say that religious freedom is always fragile, even if the government defends it. Intolerance can grow as a wave and change harmony and respect, bringing tension and oppression. Defending religious freedom in the U.S.A. is important and useful not only for those who are living there, but because it has an influence on the whole world.
Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must at that moment become the center of the universe. Freedom and religious freedom are gifts of God for all of us.