IARF: International Association for Religious Freedom

Home
United Kingdom
London
IARF: International Association for Religious Freedom

Bringing together liberal religious communities and individuals since 1900.

The International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF, http://iarf.net/) is a broadly interfaith religious community. Its central aim is to network and cooperate globally for freedom and diversity of religion and belief, for mutual respect and brotherhood, benevolence, charity... and peace. It's history spanning over a century, the IARF has almost 100 affiliated member groups in over 30 countries, representing a wide range of faith traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Shintoism and Sikhism, among others. The association, the world's first truly interfaith organization, holds NGO "consultative status" with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

08/10/2026

Activism isn't just for the headlines—it's the daily work of defending human dignity. From free speech to freedom of belief (and the right not to believe), every right we enjoy exists because someone fought for it. Silence lets injustice grow. Speak up. Show up. Stand for human rights—every single one.

07/10/2026

Interfaith dialogue isn't just about tolerance—it's about embracing our shared humanity. A liberal approach reminds us that diversity of belief enriches rather than threatens us. When we listen deeply across faith traditions, we discover common values: compassion, justice, human dignity. These conversations build bridges where walls once stood.

06/10/2026

Join a Global Movement for Religious Freedom

For over 120 years, the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) has united people across traditions in the pursuit of liberty, dignity, and mutual understanding.

Rooted in liberal religious values, IARF connects individuals, communities, and organizations worldwide — advocating for freedom of religion or belief, human rights, and open interfaith engagement.

Why join?
• Be part of a global network spanning Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East
• Participate in international events, webinars, and encounters
• Support advocacy for religious freedom at the UN and beyond
• Connect with diverse traditions through open inquiry and cooperation
• Receive the IARF News Digest and updates from the field

Open to all — participation is not tied to any single tradition. Whether you're part of a faith community, a humanist group, or simply committed to religious liberty, there's a place for you.

Become a member today: iarf.net/become-a-member

03/10/2026

On the October 2nd — International Day of Non-Violence. Marked on Gandhi's birthday.

Non-violence isn't passivity. It's the most demanding discipline: confronting injustice without mirroring it. Absorbing violence without returning it. Breaking the cycle.

"The first principle of non-violent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating." — Gandhi

Today, in a world of escalating conflicts, the principle remains radical. And necessary.

02/10/2026

"The church doesn't like for people to grow up, because you can't control grown-ups." — Bishop John Shelby Spong (1931–2021)

Spong's most incendiary claim: Hell is a human invention. Not divine revelation. A tool forged by institutional Christianity to enforce compliance through fear of eternal torture.

- The historical trail he traced: • Augustine (4th/5th c.) — codified eternal conscious torment as orthodoxy • Dante (14th c.) — Inferno gave hell its lurid architecture; pop culture did the rest • Medieval church — wielded "hell" to extract obedience, tithes, political loyalty • Reformation & revivalism — doubled down: fear as evangelistic engine

- Spong's books on this: • "Why Christianity Must Change or Die" (1998) — "The view of the cross as sacrifice for sin is a barbarian idea" • "The Sins of Scripture" (2005) — Exposes "terror texts" as human projections • "Eternal Life: A New Vision" (2009) — Replaces afterlife anxiety with "living fully, loving wastefully, being all you can be"

His challenge: A religion that needs hell to be good isn't good. A God who requires eternal torture isn't God — it's a cosmic protection racket.

He paid the price: death threats, bulletproof vests, punched at his wife's funeral. Never recanted.

"The task of religion is not to turn us into proper believers; it is to deepen the personal within us, to embrace the power of life, to expand our consciousness."

01/10/2026

Liberal religiosity isn't one tradition's story. It's a parallel evolution across faiths — each responding to modernity, science, and conscience in its own idiom.

- Unitarian/Universalist — 1568 Edict of Torda (Transylvania): first state decree of religious freedom. 19th c. Transcendentalists: revelation is ongoing, not sealed. 1961 merger: creedless covenant.

- Reform Judaism — 1810s Hamburg Temple: liturgy in vernacular, organ, mixed seating. 1885 Pittsburgh Platform: Judaism as progressive revelation. 1999 "Statement of Principles": autonomy and commandedness.

- Liberal Christianity — Schleiermacher (1799): religion = feeling, not doctrine. Social Gospel (late 19th c.): theology serves justice. UCC/Disciples/UUA: LGBTQ+ ordination, marriage equality, climate witness.

- Liberal/Progressive Islam — 19th c. modernists (Abduh, Khan): ijtihad revived, reason + revelation. 20th c. Fazlur Rahman: normative Islam as ethical trajectory. 21st c. Musawah, MPV, Inclusive Mosque Initiative: gender-just hermeneutics, queer-affirming spaces.

- Bektashi/Alevi — 13th c. Haji Bektash Veli: "Whatever you seek, seek in yourself." 1826 persecution, 1925 ban, 1991 revival. Today: World Bektashi HQ (Tirana) hosts interfaith dialogue, women in ritual leadership, "humanity before creed."

- Shared cosmology, different vocabularies. Progressive Jews, Christians, Muslims, UUs, Bektashis — more in common with each other than with reactionaries in their own houses.

Read the UU World piece: "The future of liberal religion is multifaith" → uuworld.org

30/09/2026

The Free Religion Institute’s autumn programme is live. A glimpse:

🗓 11 Oct — Free Religion in the Age of Modernity (late 19th c. tensions: science vs. spirituality) 🗓 18 Oct — Buddhism & Free Religion: The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (Part 1) 🗓 23 Oct — Free-Religion Colloquium: Beginning the Quest (open inquiry, creative beginnings) 🗓 8 Nov — Surviving the Storm: Free Religion in the 20th Century 🗓 14 Nov — Christian Nationalism: The Rise of Religious Bigotry in the US — Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer 🗓 21–22 Nov — The Bektashi Spiritual Path: Muhammad, Ali & Hajji Bektash Veli 🗓 17 Dec — Rabbi Abraham Isaac K*k: Mysticism, Kabbalah & Transparency of Existence

Online. Free. Global.

Full calendar & registration: iarf.net/events

*k

29/09/2026

What if “freedom of religion or belief” wasn’t just a principle — but a community you could belong to?

At IARF, we’re a global network of people and groups working for that freedom, together. No dogma. No pressure. Just shared purpose, mutual learning, and space to contribute as you are.

If that sounds like something you’ve been looking for — you’re welcome here.

Learn more & join: iarf.net

25/09/2026

IARF co-signed a petition presented to the Dutch House of Representatives' Committee for Asylum and Migration on 22 September 2026, calling for a reassessment of protection for Yezidis facing return to Iraq.

6,015 signatories delivered the petition, which highlights: • Continuing insecurity and displacement • Absence of effective protection in return areas • Inadequate living conditions and services • The ongoing consequences of the 2014 ISIS genocide

This follows IARF's June appeal supporting young Yezidis in the Netherlands. IARF representatives attended the parliamentary presentation.

Presenting a petition is a campaign milestone—not a policy change—but it brings urgent attention to the specific vulnerabilities of Yezidi asylum seekers.

Address

Essex Hall 1-6 Essex Street
London
WC2R3HY

Telephone

+31641744951

Website

https://iarf.net/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when IARF: International Association for Religious Freedom posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to IARF: International Association for Religious Freedom:

Featured

British DJ & MC Academy
The grangeway
Hephzibar Foundation