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posted by on Thursday April 20 2017, @01:08PM   Printer-friendly
from the natural-enemies dept.

Government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion increased in 2015 for the first time in three years, according to Pew Research Center's latest annual study on global restrictions on religion.

The share of countries with "high" or "very high" levels of government restrictions – i.e., laws, policies and actions that restrict religious beliefs and practices – ticked up from 24% in 2014 to 25% in 2015. Meanwhile, the percentage of countries with high or very high levels of social hostilities – i.e., acts of religious hostility by private individuals, organizations or groups in society – increased in 2015, from 23% to 27%. Both of these increases follow two years of declines in the percentage of countries with high levels of restrictions on religion by these measures.

Among the world's 25 most populous countries, Russia, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Nigeria had the highest overall levels of government restrictions and social hostilities involving religion. Egypt had the highest levels of government restrictions in 2015, while Nigeria had the highest levels of social hostilities.

Global Restrictions on Religion Rise Modestly

Does this reflect your personal experience ?


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  • (Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Thursday April 20 2017, @04:48PM (1 child)

    by AthanasiusKircher (5291) on Thursday April 20 2017, @04:48PM (#496933) Journal

    Who are these Christians who advocate circumcision on the basis of Christianity? As you rightly point out, for most of Christian history, circumcision was associated with Jews. It was frequently used by Christians who wanted to find Jews and persecute them. Paul says you don't have to do it. All Christian denominations I know of are basically neutral on the subject.

    The reason non-Jewish Americans do it has nothing to do with religion and a lot to do with suspect "hygiene" guidelines doctors came up with about a century ago. It's mostly propagated in the U.S. not because of Christianity but because there is ignorance about how unnecessary it is and because of a desire to have kids "look like daddy."

    Lots of bad stuff to blame on Christianity in history, but I'm really not sure this is one of them.

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  • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday April 21 2017, @12:12PM

    by FatPhil (863) <reversethis-{if.fdsa} {ta} {tnelyos-cp}> on Friday April 21 2017, @12:12PM (#497361) Homepage
    Circumcision was proposed as a way of discouraging masturbation, by a Quaker. No religious influence there at all, no siree.
    --
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves