Samenvatting

The Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij (SGP), founded in 1918, initially rejected the right to religious freedom, mainly on theological grounds. According to the Bible, the government should protect true religion; idolatry is not allowed in the public domain. At the same time, the SGP defended freedom of conscience. This stance was perceived as internally contradictory, especially from the 1980s onwards. In parliament the SGP often stood up for faith-based organisations and for persecuted Christians worldwide, invoking the right to religious freedom. These practises and other developments explain why the SGP today values the fundamental right to religious freedom much more positively, although it still rejects truth relativism.