In public debate and human rights documents, the terms freedom of belief and freedom of religion are often used interchangeably. But if we distinguish between the two in the following way – that freedom of belief is the individual's right to believe what they want , while freedom of religion is the right to shape others’ beliefs into rules and rituals – then an interesting discussion opens up about a potential conflict between the individual and the collective. Norwegian text - after the English text Freedom of belief – the individual’s right to believe Freedom of belief, in this sense, concerns each person’s inner world – the right to think, believe, interpret and view the world in one’s own way. This right is absolute in human rights law. No state, organization, or religion has the right to interfere with what a person thinks, what worldview they hold, or which god they believe in – or whether they believe in any god at all. Freedom of belief protects the pers...