America “Moderately” Restrictive Of Religion, Pew Finds

Although freedom of religion is addressed in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a recent survey released by the Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life Project says the country places a “moderate” level of restriction on religious practice compared to foreign countries. About 130 other countries were found to have less harsh restrictions than the U.S. – including Serbia, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – though some say that may illustrate more about those countries’ relative lack of any regulatory framework in comparison to the United States, rather than affirmative religious tolerance.  The study shows that hostility toward religion in America spiked in 2009 and has remained steady since.