LIBERTATEA DE CONȘTIINȚĂ: FUNDAMENT PENTRU DREPTURILE OMULUI, EDUCAȚIE ȘI PACE DURABILĂ
FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE: FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, EDUCATION, AND SUSTAINABLE PEACE

Summary/Abstract: Freedom of Conscience: Foundation for Human Rights, Education, and Sustainable Peace. This study explores the development of freedom of conscience as a foundational principle for human rights, education, and sustainable peace, with a particular focus on early modern Transylvania. The research traces the historical roots of religious tolerance from the Edict of Torda (1568), examining how legal, educational, and confessional mechanisms contributed to maintaining peace within a pluralistic and often conflictual society. The Transylvanian model, shaped by the Reformation and the coexistence of multiple confessions—Lutheran, Calvinist, Unitarian, and later Orthodox and Catholic—preceded Western European notions of Enlightenment tolerance. Central to this study are the juridical concepts of pars maior and pars minor, which regulated the coexistence of religious communities, as well as plebiscitary methods for resolving disputes over church property. The paper also investigates the establishment of confessional inspectors as mediators of religious peace, emphasizing their role in maintaining social equilibrium. Despite the imperfections and limitations of 16th–17th century absolutism, these Transylvanian experiences represent pioneering models of religious coexistence and education for peace—early precursors to modern understandings of human rights and freedom of religion.

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