Family Research Council’s Center for Religious Liberty has released an updated edition of its report, “Free to Believe? The Intensifying Intolerance Toward Christians in the West.” The report documents 168 incidents of religious freedom violations against Christian individuals, organizations, and churches between January 2020 and December 2023 across 16 countries. These findings were compiled through analysis of open-source documents, reports, and media from a total of 34 countries.
The documented incidents include arrests or fines for preaching or praying in public spaces, penalties for expressing biblically informed beliefs publicly, and cases where pastors faced fines or imprisonment due to non-compliance with COVID-19 restrictions. According to the report, these restrictions were sometimes stricter on houses of worship than on secular institutions and businesses.
While the report does not claim to cover all instances of government-sanctioned hostility toward Christians in Western nations, it suggests that there is a growing trend toward intolerance as societies become more secular.
Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council and former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), commented: “During my time as chair and commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, I saw a marked rise in violations of religious freedom against Christians. This occurred not only in longstanding persecution hotspots such as China, Pakistan, and India but also across the West. It is shocking to see Western countries–the same ones we think of as free and open societies–take authoritarian measures against Christians simply trying to live out their faith. Hostility toward Bible-believing Christians is clearly and steadily rising in the West. The report details numerous infringements, including those related to restrictions on speech and public prayer. These abuses are alarming for anyone who understands that the historic understanding of religious freedom is the ability to live your life according to your faith in every aspect of your life.”
Arielle Del Turco, author of the report and Director of FRC’s Center for Religious Liberty, stated: “These stories are alarming and show the diverse ways Western governments–which ought to be the standard bearers for upholding freedom of religion and expression–are undermining the fundamental human right to religious freedom. This report serves as a warning about how basic freedoms can erode even in Western democracies. Religious freedom must be protected at home so that we may also defend religious freedom across the globe and stand up for the persecuted.”
The full report can be accessed at frc.org/westernintolerance.
