Hostility to Religion in America Is ‘Undeniable’

A new report released this week by the First Liberty Institute listed more than 1200 government-initiated attacks on religion in 2016. “Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America,” presents incontrovertible proof that secular society in general, including government at all levels is increasingly hostile to religion. The report divides this hostility into four areas – the public arena, the schoolhouse, churches and ministries and the military. From the report's preface, First Liberty president Kelly Shackelford writes:

Hostility to religion in America is rising like floodwaters, as proven by the increased numbers of cases and attacks documented in this report. This flood is engulfing ordinary citizens who simply try to live normal lives according to their faith and conscience. It is eroding the bedrock on which stand vital American institutions such as government, education, the military, business, houses of worship, and charity. It has the potential to wash away the ground that supports our other rights, including freedom of speech, press, assembly, and government by consent of the people.

According to the Newsbusters blog, many in the secular media go out of their way to ignore the persecution of Christians. There are numerous examples of the fourth estate stridently condemning Christian beliefs in addition to subjecting individual Christians to unjust public ridicule. "Yet, even amidst their own trials, American Christians should not lose sight of the ever greater war on Christianity abroad. Currently, 100 million Christians live under persecution, while 7,000 are murdered annually for their faith. In the Middle East, Christianity is under threat of extinction as ISIS wages war against believers. But shamefully, the media has been reticent to call it what it is – a genocide." (To help visit Christians at Risk.)

Despite the deteriorating environment for religion and public expressions thereof, the report’s executive summary concludes on a word of hope. "While … attacks on religious liberty are dramatically increasing in the United States both in the frequency and in the severity of the attacks, this survey also shows that those persons and organizations who stand up for religious liberty win when they fight."