Posts
A comprehensive new study on religious liberty around the world shows that countries with Christian backgrounds generally have the highest levels of religious freedom. The study, directed by esteemed expert on religious persecution Paul Marshall, also found that officially atheist or Islamic countries tend to have the least religious freedom.
The four countries given the highest religious freedom rating of one are Hungary, Ireland, Estonia, and the United States.On the other hand, countries run by atheist government such as communist China, Vietnam, and North Korea were ranked in the bottom two tiers (ratings of six and seven).
Officially atheist countries were joined at the bottom of the religious freedom pole by countries with Islam background such as Pakistan, Palestinian areas, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Turkmenistan.
Canada was ranked in the second-highest tier. A few anomalies turned up, for example, the Muslim nations of Mali and Senegal both ranked in the second tier, above France, Germany, and Greece—all ranked in the third.
Nevertheless, as Dr Marshall points out, obvious patterns emerged.
"If we want to classify the 'worst states' or the most egregious persecutors," he says, "they tend to be either communist (North Korea, China), nationalist (Burma, Eritrea), or radical Islamist, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia."
Marshall adds the greater Middle East is the most religiously repressive part of the world. The region is increasingly threatened by a trend of growing fundamentalism. "Radical Islam is the fastest-growing threat to religious freedom in the world."
To add a note of surrealism, a commenter at Christian Post recommends Gregory S Paul’s thoroughly debunked study purporting to show that religious belief is detrimental to societal health. The same commenter even more absurdly recommends the credulous article in Skeptic touting Paul’s misguided study.
Previous related posts:
