SUPPORT FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IS RESURGENT IN AMERICA

JAYSON CASPER|

JANUARY 19, 2024 09:00 AM, azulox / Getty / Edits by CT

The fifth annual index by a leading law firm finds that friendship is key to maintaining gains amid polarization and the shifting emphasis of Gen Z.

America's passion for religious freedom is growing.

The Beckett Religious Freedom Index recorded record highs in 2023 in its annual monitoring of "freedom first" resilience in the United States after rising from COVID-19 lows in 2020. The right of individuals to live according to their beliefs remains strong amid widespread political polarization.

Becket president and CEO Mark Rienzi said, "Despite several attempts to turn religion into a scapegoat for our nation's problems, most Americans believe that religion—and religious freedom—is the key to solving them." As we celebrate Religious Freedom Day, we must remember that religious freedom remains the cornerstone of our efforts to forge a more perfect union."

The results were issued on January 16, marking the passage of Virginia's Religious Freedom Act of 1786. This is the clause on which the First Amendment is based. Originally led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the day has been celebrated in the United States since he became president in 1993.

The report concluded that the "narrative that fell from the sky about American culture" should not exist three centuries or thirty years later.

The annual index measures views on the First Amendment with 21 questions in six categories. In the fifth year of the report, Becket surveyed a national sample of 1,000 Americans in October, rating their opinions from 0 (total opposition) to 100 (strong support).

The combined score was 69—up one point from the previous year and up three points from 2019.

According to Becket's report, religious impulses are natural to humans, and therefore religious expression is natural to human culture. The group defends religious rights through its law firm. Becket used his index to find out if Americans agreed.

Each year, questions are repeated to evaluate suitability across detailed applications:

On a 100-point scale, support for "religious pluralism" reached 84 points. This category measures people's support for holding beliefs about God, professing a religion, and applying religious principles in everyday life, which has increased by 7 points since 2020.

As measured, support for" sharing religion" was 72. This second-highest category looks at how freely people can share their religious beliefs with others, but shows a clear distinction between religious people and non-religious people.

Support for the "religion and policy" category scored 66, which is the only category that has never received the highest score; the category studied the freedom to practice their beliefs outside the confines of a home or place of worship, and the "religion in action" category scored 68, with a statistically significant increase since 2019.

The analysis of support for "religion and society" reached 65. This category assesses the contribution of religion and the faithful to the formation of a healthy community, up 3 points from the previous year. Support for "church and state" measured 59 points. In addition to an increase of three points from the previous year, the most controversial category looks at how the relationship between government and religion interacts.

The index measures opinions on religious freedom on three additional subjects, which test the overall level of support, in addition to questions that fill these categories. Two show a rejection of liberal morality.

First, the law on the restoration of religious freedom is still respected, although it was passed thirty years ago, in 1993. The level of protection is "almost appropriate," according to about two-thirds of Americans (63%), and this community is even more likely to agree (65%) despite some claims that state-level versions of the law are undermining LGBT rights. Only 12% of survey participants thought that the law went too far to protect the right to freedom of religion, while 26% thought that the law did not adequately protect the right to freedom of religion.

Second, it holds that the belief that schools shouldn't teach kids about gender and sexuality is what drives parental rights. Nearly three-quarters (seventy-four percent) agreed, with four times more strong agreement than strong disagreement. Meanwhile, 58% of Americans oppose education policies that require preferred pronouns to be used in schools, an increase of 12 points from 2021.

Renzi stated, "American parents want schools to teach their children math and science, not force them to embrace controversial gender ideologies."

Third, Americans prefer religious freedom to financial gain. Becket asked specifically about the disputed copper mine case in the Supreme Court in light of last year's finding of 90 percent support for Native American sacred land rights. Despite being told that the excavations would open up jobs and produce electric vehicles, 73% remained in favor of the sanctity of Indigenous Peoples.

In addition, the belief rate of 59 percent of Americans that religion is "part of the solution" to national problems increased 9 points from the previous year.

However, many Americans believe in religious freedom, although many support it. Believers declared only 50% that they were accepted into society, down 5 points from the previous year, largely because non-Catholic Christians encouraged it. Non-Christians even feel less welcome at 38%.

Perception can be improved through polarization. In the religion and policy section, Democrats scored 57 and Republicans scored 76. However, racial breakdown is incompatible with conventional political associations. White Americans obtained a score of 66, which is comparable to the national average. However, at age 72, black Americans are showing stronger support for religious freedom.

For believers, some survey results are unpleasant. The number of respondents in favor of the "absolutely essential" right to preach religious doctrines fell by 5 points to 35%. In addition, the right to share religion decreased significantly among non-religious people: the difference of 12 points at the age of 65 years or more increased to 22 points at the age of 35–44 years.

This is the result of a lack of religious attachment. Two-thirds of Americans (67%) say they are at least somewhat religious, a 3-point drop from 2019. Two in five (41%) said they were deeply religious, a 6-point drop from 2021.

In addition, Gen Z people do not protect religious freedom like everyone else.

Above the national average of 66, its index score of 59 is not comparable to that of all other generations. However, Becket suggested that Gen Z distract themselves from showing a rejection of religiosity.

Only 36% supported the right to preach, while 48% supported the right to share religion. In addition, 66% of Gen Z support the right to choose a religion, 8 points lower than the national average, and 63% support the right to religious practice different from the majority, 12 points higher than the national average.

According to Becket, Generation Z is less supportive of company policies that match the faith of their owners. However, they surpass all generations in favor of religious clothing in the workplace (58%) and leave work if it violates their religious beliefs (49%).

However, 87% of nonreligious people accept tolerance and respect for various ideas and beliefs about God, even if society continues to disagree about their beliefs.

How should Christians strive to maintain these positive numbers? Friend.

While 53 percent of society considers believers to be very good, non-believers lose 39 points if they do not have believers in their social circle, while unbelievers with religious friends receive a religious pluralism score of 84, while non-believers lose 11 points.

Overall, Becket showed optimism.

The report concludes, "Americans have a better appreciation of what religious people need when they are united as a nation, rather than divided." Our nation values religion and people of faith, approves strong protections for religious freedom, and supports a healthy, diverse, and pluralistic society in which Americans of all faiths (or none) can live together in harmony."

News Sources : https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2024/january/becket-religious-freedom-index-america-liberty-forb.html