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STAATKUNDIG GEREFORMEERDE PARTIJ v. THE NETHERLANDS DECISION
(“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr R.A.A. Böcker, of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2. The facts of the case, as submitted by the parties, may be summarised
as follows.
A. The applicant political party
3. The SGP was founded in 1918 and has, since 1922, consistently held
one to three seats in the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) of the Netherlands
Parliament.
4. The SGP is a confessional political party firmly rooted in historical
Dutch Reformed Protestantism. Both the SGP’s Statement of Principles
(Program van Beginselen) and its articles of association (statuten) state that
the party bases itself directly on the infallible Word of God as revealed in
the Bible. In addition to the Bible, the SGP acknowledges the Three Forms
of Unity (Drie Formulieren van Enigheid) accepted by churches of the
Dutch Reformed tradition, namely the Belgic Confession (Nederlandse
Geloofsbelijdenis), the Heidelberg Catechism (Heidelbergse Catechismus)
and the Canons of Dort (Dordtse Leerregels)1.
5. With its strong emphasis on religion as the inspiration of its politics,
the SGP draws its membership from among Reformed Protestant believers
of a traditional inclination but it has no formal links with any particular
church.
6. It is a basic tenet of the SGP that Government should govern as God’s
servant according to the Word of God. Government derives its authority not
from the people, but from God Himself. This view is derived from scripture
(Romans 13:1 and 13:4)2.
7. The SGP does not aim, in the first place, to win the majority of votes
of the electorate, but rather it strives to promote and implement its
principles. It uses Parliament as its arena to express those principles.
The “Three Forms of Unity” were adopted as statements of doctrine by the Synod of
Dordrecht in 1618-19. The Belgic Confession was originally written in 1561 and
summarises the Reformed Protestant faith in terms of the teachings of the reformer John
Calvin (1509-1564). The Heidelberg Catechism, which dates from 1563, is a Reformed
Protestant catechism in question-and-answer form. The Canons of Dort (or Dordrecht) are a
five-point statement of dogma laid down by the Synod itself in response to Arminian, or
Remonstrant, teaching which is dismissed as heretical. All three remain to this day
reference documents of churches of the Dutch Reformed tradition, in the Netherlands and
elsewhere (e.g. in Germany, North America, South Africa).
2 Romans 13:1: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power
but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” Romans 13:4: “For he [i.e. the ruler]
is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he
beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath
upon him that doeth evil.” (KJV)
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