RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: GOOD FOR WHAT AILS US?

People worldwide desire freedom to practice their religion, but religion is implicated in many of today's most urgent security problems. Multinational statistical data indicate that a bundled commodity of human freedoms, including religious freedom, augments socio-economic wellbeing. The protection of fair religious competition leads to less religious violence and energizes productive participation. Research supports the concept of a religious freedom cycle, wherein religious freedom prompts religious participation which fuels positive social and political outcomes as grievances are removed. These outcomes reinforce religion's role in a healthy society. Conversely, social and government restrictions can lead to religious violence, perpetuating those restrictions.