Soteria International: Spiritual Human Rights Conference 2017

Spiritual Human Rights Conference 2017

On 10th December 2017, Soteria International, is celebrating 10 years of intense work in the field of Spiritual Human Rights! We will be hosting a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on the topic of Spiritual Human Rights. We are asking for your support to help cover the costs of the event itself in order to facilitate this important conference & discussion! You can find the approximate budget below*

Since the conception of Soteria, we have hosted forums for open dialogue on topics such as: Discovering the Universal Principles of Spiritual Human Rights, The Role of Spirituality in Modern Society, Freedom of Expression & Religious Rights, and many more! Many human rights activists, spiritual practitioners, politicians, journalists, lawyers, and interested citizens attended our conferences and brought their input in order to have a more clear understanding of the issues we are facing.

This year, celebrating the first decade of Soteria International, we find it important to provide a summary of the accumulation of activities and results of this work by hosting this conference.

You are all invited to participate & for more information on the event, you can follow our Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/167714257143718/. Here you can also find some of the video recordings from our previous conferences.

*Approximate Budget:

Audio/video team: 5000kr//700 euros

Refreshments for 50 people: 2500kr//350 euros

Materials for guests (brochures, flyers & posters): 2000kr//250 euros

Total: 9,500kr//1300 euros

With your help we can make sure that Freedom of Belief is protected and upheld in Europe!

Thank you for considering this cause!

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Spiritual Human Rights: An Ongoing Battle

For 10 years, Soteria International has grown steadily in the pursuit of securing fundamental freedoms and Spiritual Human Rights for all.

We want to celebrate a decade of success, as our perspectives have been heard, shared, and spread all over Europe. Experts, politicians, and human rights activists have shared their faith in our principles and commitment!

Despite the reach of our ideas and the positive feedback that followed, we have witnessed a growing trend in society towards distrust, fear, and suspicion regarding the intrinsic value of spiritual human rights. Moreover, this trend is fuelled by mainstream media, and law-makers and governments around Europe seem more inclined to listen to fear-mongers and social media thought-police.

The risk here is that, for fearing the spontaneous and creative nature of man's spirituality, the State is inclined to trample over the individual's basic human right, and far too often this is done in the name of the 'greater good'. As such, we have witnessed a decade of increased surveillance, increased xenophobia, and an ever narrowing perspective on what is considered "normal" and acceptable within society.

So, while celebrating our success in defending the spiritual rights of people all over Europe, we must also be prepared to live up to the increased challenges that are already here. Let us prepare for a decade of effective actions, not just words. Let us explore new ways to awaken the courage needed to live life fully, as complete and free human beings.

The tenth Spiritual Human Rights conference calls on all of us to be the guardian of the fundamental rights of people around us no matter their religion and culture, and never to let fear and ignorance be the measure of our hearts and freedom of conscience.

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Who are we?

Soteria International was founded in Denmark in 2007 as a reaction to growing governmental & institutional intolerance and spiritual xenophobia towards spiritual organizations and practices, to protect the rights of all who embrace spirituality as a basis for self-understanding and life perspective.

Why did we choose the name Soteria?

Soteria (noun) [so-tay-ree'-ah]

1. Deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation:

a) deliverance from the molestation of enemies.

b) in an ethical sense, that which concludes to the soul's safety or salvation

Soteria is what we would today call the self-actualizing principle, a beneficent force that guides our development, helping us to reach the desired end of psychological salvation, integration, and happiness. Soteria wishes to bring this ultimate 'state' of spiritual being into everyone's life.

What do we do?

Soteria works mainly within the European region to promote Spiritual Human Rights. Soteria aims to protect and promote these rights by playing an active role in society at both the political and grassroots level, to promote the integration of spiritual principles in decisions for the future. Soteria also conducts research and acts within the social and political fields in cases of human rights violations related to spiritual practice.

If you have experienced institutional abuses based on your beliefs or religious practice, you can contact Soteria International at [email protected].

For more information on our organization, you can visit www.soteriainternational.org/about or www.facebook.com/SpiritualHumanRights.

If you would like to see examples of our previous events, you can access the following links:

Spiritual Human Rights Conference, 2013 “Freedom of Conscience and Belief at a Crossroads in Europe - Self-Determination and Spiritual Teachings”- http://www.soteriainternational.org/shr2013-synthe...

Spiritual Human Rights Conference, 2014 “A New Paradigm of Conflict Management Based on the Concept of Concordia, the Coherence of Hearts”- http://www.soteriainternational.org/synthesis-conf...

Spiritual Human Rights Conference, 2015 “Human Rights & Spiritual Practice”- http://www.soteriainternational.org/synthesis-conf...

Spiritual Human Rights Conference, 2016 “How Universal is the UN Declaration of Human Rights”- http://www.soteriainternational.org/synthesis-of-t...