Vietnam respects freedom of religion, belief: official

The Vietnamese Government always respects and protects the right to freedom of religion and belief of all citizens, but does not allow abuse of those freedoms or exploitation of a belief or religion to violate the law, said Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Vu Chien Thang.

Regarding reports on activities that run counter to moral standards with close connections to some religious groups called “Hoi thanh Duc Chua Troi” in Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Thai Nguyen, Thang said that the reports need to be verify in order to differentiate between those groups and other Protestants groups with similar names.

Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Vu Chien Thang. Photo: VOV

The committee and relevant authorities have paid special attention to the case and will mete out strict punishment to any inpidual using religious activities to infringe social order and safety, harm other persons’ health, bodies, lives and assets, and offend other people’s honor and human dignity.

Thang affirmed that after some newspapers reported on the violations, the committee has ordered cities and provinces to enhance communication work to raise public awareness and keep vigilance against false propaganda on apocalypse and seeking the god’s salvation through donations of cash and abandoning of work and family.

Recently, many religious dignitaries have raised their voice to strongly object to those negative activities, he said, adding that this has made contributions to helping the public have proper understanding of such activities./.

( VNF/VNA )