>Suppose a group wanted to revive the worship of Moloch and the associated practice of child sacrifice, no society would tolerate that today
A short time later when the Council of Europe drafted what ultimately became the European Convention on Human Rights, it proceeded in a similar fashion. Piggybacking on the work of the UN Commission, the principal draftsman explained that the rights protected represented, quote, the common denominator of our political institutions. And on that basis, the Commission included Article Nine, which protects religious liberty, and is worded similarly to article 18 of the Universal Declaration. But this of course, is still positive law and positive law can always be changed and perhaps more important, it has to be interpreted. And any judge who wants to shrink religious liberty will not find it very difficult to do so. No constitution or international agreement provides unqualified protection for religious liberty, nor should it suppose a group wanted to revive the worship of Moloch and the associated practice of child sacrifice.
No society would tolerate that today. So religious liberty must have its limits. And all constitutions and charters and the case law of various countries impose limits on religious liberty. Here’s an example the European Convention provides that religious liberty is subject to quote such limitations as are prescribed by law, and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. What sort of judge could not take language like that. And my point is not to criticize that particular language, but what sort of judge cannot take a limitation like that, and shrink religious liberty as much as that judge wants?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uci4uni608E