Religious Freedom: May the World be Free to Worship Freely

Featured Charity: Jubilee Campaign

One of the Central Tenants to a Loving, Inclusive World is where people are free to express their religious ideology freely so long as doing so doesn’t bring tangible harm to someone else. Sadly, most of the world doesn’t share the same worldview!

According to the Pew Research Center, over 80% of the global population lives in countries with high or very high restrictions on religion, either due to government policies or social hostilities. That means 4 out of every 5 people across the world are restricted in their religious expression. (Source: Global Restrictions on Religion).

Christians Represent nearly one quarter of the world’s total population. Open Doors USA's 2023 World Watch List reports that 50 countries exhibit high levels of persecution against Christians, with North Korea, Afghanistan, and Somalia ranking as the top three. An estimated 340 million Christians experience high levels of persecution and discrimination worldwide. (Source: World Watch List 2023).

There are nearly 2 Billion Muslims Worldwide. In regions like China (Xinjiang), Myanmar, and India, Muslims face significant persecution. Over 1 million Uyghur Muslims are detained in re-education camps in China. The Rohingya crisis in Myanmar has led to widespread violence and displacement, affecting over 700,000 people. (Source: World Watch List 2023).

Hinduism is the third most popular religion worldwide. In countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, Hindus face significant persecution. Similarly, Buddhists in regions like Tibet face religious suppression by the Chinese government. (Source: World Watch List 2023).

Anti-Semitism is on the rise globally. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a 12% increase in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide in 2020, including harassment, vandalism, and physical assaults. (Source: World Watch List 2023).

While Atheism itself isn’t a religion, atheists are among the top 4 held beliefs in relation to whether or not there is a God worldwide. Yet in 35 countries across the world it is illegal to be an Atheist; leading to imprisonment in 22 countries and the death penalty in 13 others. (Source: International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) Freedom of Thought Report 2020

A World this hostile to one another’s beliefs cannot possibly coexist. One of the leading causes of War, Death, Social Ostracizing, and Overall Division must be stopped as of many yesterdays ago.

Solution 1: The Leaders of the world must embrace a world which expresses freedom of religious Expression. While America has freedom of Speech & Religious Expression within the 1st Amendment of its constitution, many Countries & Regions of the world do not. Such Leadership includes the United Nations, China, India, the United States, Russia, Pakistan, Indonesia and Brazil alike. If Countries with the most people allow for religious expression and the UN not only declares religious freedom as a human right but expressly, consistently promotes it then the rest of the world will face significant social pressure to follow suit.

Solution 2: Education from an early age to not discriminate based on religious affiliation is paramount in ending the generational global stigma against other religious world views. This must start on the first day of school and last consistently throughout the entirety of childhood education worldwide! Generations of children learning to see people for their character and not their religious identity is among the greatest social goals for this world to achieve.

Solution 3: Just as education from an early age on anti-discrimination policies are an A-Priority, so too should the notion that one can keep the entirety of their current religious affiliation without losing an ounce of who they are, their connection to the God of their choosing, or any of the central tenants of their religion without persecuting others for having an identity different from their own. You can keep the same God, the Same Prayers, go to the same heaven, and continue all of the same religious traditions of your faith without having to hate someone with a worldview different from your own. Such teachings must be taught from day one in unison with anti-religious sentiments. You can take your faith to its furthest extent possible without causing an ounce of harm to another person with another religious worldview!

A Christian, a Muslim, an Atheist, a Hindu, a Buddhist, and a Jew all sat together at a dinner table. They ate, talked, laughed, listened, and enjoyed each others company, living together as one!

Featured Charity for Christians: International Christian Concern

Featured Charity for Muslims: Muslim Aid

Featured Charity for Hindus: Sewa International

Featured Charity for Atheists & Secular Humanism: IHEU

Featured Charity for Buddhists: Buddhist Global Relief

Featured Charity for Jews: Anti-Defamation League

This post was Researched with and Assisted by ChatGPT