Imagine parents too afraid to send their children to school because of threats imposed on them due to their religion. Or a mass of people actively forced to leave their home, with no other alternative, as a result of their faith. Religious oppression always seems to reveal its ugly head as a routine habit of society. Seeming to emanate from the beginning of time, history tells horrendous tales of hate crimes and genocide. Groups of people abandoned of any natural rights merely because of their faith. Due to government actions, mainstream media, and persecution, religious oppression evokes fear and hardship into societies. Religious persecution leaves a gargantuan, angry red mark on the world 's historical timeline. In accordance with The …show more content…
According to professor Roger Finke, abuse and displacement of a group occurs as a result of physical detestation emanating from other more dominant groups (Finke, 2013). Pertaining to the desire of total control, authoritarian governments of countries overflowing with persecution may feel the need to emit control over religious practice and thought as an outlet to control all “aspects of political and civic life” (Open Doors, 2018). Ridding nations of religious freedom assists governments in yielding full control over their …show more content…
Professor Roger Finke of Pennsylvania State University explains, through his research, the sociology of the effect religious restrictions place on societies. In Origins and Consequences of Religious Restrictions: A Global Overview, Finke describes the consequences overwhelming nations who inhabit religious persecution. According to his research, Finke “found that religious restrictions remain a powerful predictor of violence… The most notable being that social restrictions on religion, rather than government restrictions, now hold the most direct and powerful relationship with conflict and violence” (Finke, 2013). Due to one religious faction receiving higher privilege than the minority bodies, a perfect breeding ground for hostility and dramatic conflict creates room for itself. The progression of cruel treatment of Jewish peoples and other minorities during the Holocaust showcases a prime example. As the privilege and higher regard for other religions rose, the discrimination and prejudice towards minorities followed until it reached genocide, killing millions of