Religious Repression And Its Effects On Religion

Today, about thirty-three percent of countries in our world do not have religious freedom. Approximately five and a half billion people are not free to choose their religious opinions . While many countries do not have religious freedom, it is beneficial to analyze the countries that do. The United States of America, Canada, and Latin America have the fewest laws restricting their citizen’s religious beliefs. These countries are often recognized as some of the most civil cultures in our world. This reason for that may be religious freedom. When citizens are able to experience religious freedoms, their minds will be stimulated, their will be less religious persecution, and it strengthens the principles of our world.

Religious discrimination is presented in all shapes and sizes in society. Throughout the prehistoric to eighteenth century, nineteenth century, and twentieth/twenty-first century, religious discrimination is continuously occurring with each generation that passes.

On the other more extreme side of things, religious persecution can be extremely fatal, leading to loss of life over differing beliefs and attitudes. Just look at today’s political climate. ISIS, an extremist radical group known for being religiously charged, takes credit for virtually every act of mass violence across the world. This has caused people all over the world to be afraid of Muslims even though their religion really has nothing to do with these acts of violence. People have made the religion out to be the problem when that isn’t the issue.

From verbal attacks to hostile feelings, attitudes and actions, Christians experience religious persecution in areas with severe religious restrictions. On average, there are 322 people killed, 214 churches or religious buildings destroyed, and 772 other forms of violence performed against Christians each month. According to The Pew Research Center, over 75% of the world's population lives in areas with severe religious restrictions. Additionally, according to the United States Department of State, people in more than sixty countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their

The most common, (one of the most common) yet the most horrifying, displays of social injustices upon religions are genocides. During the 20th century, there have been many mass murders of people groups. Most were motivated to a significant degree by religious beliefs. A genocide that had a global effect was Adolf Hitler and the Nazi’s organized extermination of about 11 million people including 6 million

Today, religious tolerance is considered a social norm. However, it hasn’t always been this way, and some groups were certainly more persecuted than others. In the early 1960s people of America connected with their religious roots, exercising a freedom that was under threat by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Two decades later in the mid-eighties, certain groups, conservative followers of Reagan and the moral majority in particular, rushed forth the ideas of a wholesome modest family, contrasting from the changing social climate. More recently in the 2000’s people have begun to relinquish and get away from their religious roots, which some could attribute to the increasingly immoral behavior. It seems the pattern history takes with religion

These examples show that there is in fact a real threat to Christians worldwide. Some countries and parts of the world are not safe for Christians. Some countries ban Christianity as a whole, other countries ban religion in general. In both situations, Christians are open to persecution and therefore are always facing the possibility of persecution, which in some cases can be bodily harm or even

In “The Worldwide Attack on Christians,” David Aikman highlighted the different forms of religious persecution suffered by Christians throughout the world. The forms of persecution ranged from political oppression to gruesome murders. Additionally, Aikman provided a list of culprits that included familiar Islamic nations but also less familiar non-Muslim regimes. Further, he examined several factors undermining the U.S. State Department’s and President Barack Obama’s obligation to thwart religious persecution happening abroad.

Religious Intolerance is a growing problem in the United States. It is a problem that has harmed many emotionally and physically. It is also a problem that has led me to

As we go about our daily life, remaining naïve to religious diversity will only set us back. Clearly, the diversity of religions of the world floods American history (Gross, n.d.). In addition, it has also brought about a strong tendency to display hostility toward different religious positions (Gross, n.d.).

Since the early 13th century Missionaries have been traveling to foreign lands proclaiming the name of Jesus, but Persecution wasn’t activated immediately, “It wasn't until the 14th century that they began to be persecuted for their faith”, (Macevitt, 2015, p.5). The persecution many of them faced developed them into martyrs (one who dies in relation to their religious beliefs). The lack of protection offered to Missionaries, people who want to share the divine love of Jesus Christ, has gradually became a pressing issue over the duration of many years. “The correlation between religious persecution and national security threats is not just a 21st century phenomenon” (Inboden, 2012, p. 55).The persecution of Christians has been sustained by

While Americans are protected under the First Amendment to practice religion freely, hundreds of countries are not protected by their government and instead harassed for their beliefs (11 Facts). In 2006 - 2010 study conducted that Christians are the most discriminated against religious group, experiencing harassment by the government and society in 168 countries (Brandon Gaille). Christians are forced to hide their faith completely from government authorities, neighbors and often, even their own spouses and children in North Korea (Brandon Gaille). In North Korea worship of the ruling Kim family is mandated, and if you do not worship them then you are arrested, imprisoned, tortured or even killed. Many Christian families are arrested together and taking to hard labor camps where thousands die every year because of starvation, torture,

Based on the latest report of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the latest wave of anti-Christian crackdown has seen at least 1,400 churches seized and demolished. Religious leaders’ personal properties have also been confiscated.

With the rise of ISIS and other radical groups who force their beliefs on others, the question of when and why do people force others to believe a different belief arises. Though historians cannot know for sure the exact time in history when persecution started, they can see forced conversions from Christianity and Judaism have existed for an extensive amount time. Also, the majority of the motives behind the rulers, who force their belief on people, remain a mystery. If one looks back in history, he or she notices that the consequences of not converting to the religion being forced includes death, torture, loss of property, or no government funds. Nonetheless, the most common result was death. Historically, leaders of countries or powerful

Religious Fundamentalism is not a modern phenomenon, although, there has received a rise in the late twentieth century. It occurs differently in different parts of the world but arises in societies that are deeply troubled or going through a crisis (Heywood, 2012, p. 282). The rise in Religious Fundamentalism can be linked to the secularization thesis which implies that victory of reason over religion follows modernization. Also, the moral protest of faiths such as Islam and Christianity can be linked to the rise of Religious Fundamentalism, as they protest the influence of corruption and pretence that infiltrate their beliefs from the spread of secularization (Heywood, 2012, p. 283). Religious Fundamentalists have followed a traditional