December 19, 2018 - I just received a message that the parliament is going to vote on a revised bill regulating religious groups – here is what our Bulgarian friends are saying:
Here’s what we strongly disagree:
- An unfair one-percent population threshold discriminating against small religions
- Misuse of Voluntary Census Data 2011
- Denouncing a terrorist threat from all denominations below one-percent of the population
- Work by the Directorate of Religions to monitor for terrorism
- Blocking of theological education in Bulgaria for smaller churches
- Disregard of academic degrees awarded abroad
- Control of the content of sermons
- Prohibition of disseminating spiritual literature
- Restrictions on clergy from abroad to serve in Bulgaria
- Required License and Spiritual Employee Certificates
- Filtering of international donations through the state directorate
- Granting lands and buildings under the statute of limitations of religious groups
- Prohibition of worship outside designated religious buildings
- Imposition of a minimum number of 3,000 people for registration of a denomination
Here are links to several articles written explaining the proposed law and its impact.
This is a revised or compromised law but it is still not good for us and our work in Bulgaria – Join us in praying that God would intervene and this would not pass. If it does pray that we will have wisdom on how to proceed in Bulgaria.