The findings come from studies worldwide and feature case studies from France, Germany, Colombia and Mexico.
The researchers wrote: “Secular intolerance has a chilling effect on Christians, which directly affects their capacity to express their faith freely in society and is leading to various forms of self-censorship. Some people do indeed fear being subjected to legal proceedings or being criminally sanctioned on charges of discrimination, while others fear being subjected to disciplinary proceedings in their work or places.”
According to The Christian Post, the report’s authors stressed that while some of the incidents cited in the report may seem insignificant, when compounded, they can ultimately cause believers to feel uncomfortable living out their faith.
The report explained – “A few cuts do not kill you and barely hurt. But continuous small strikes eventually have an impact. Indeed, Western Christians experience a ‘chilling effect’ resulting from perceived pressures in their cultural environment, related to widely mediatized court cases.”
The report noted that self-censorship not only limits people from expressing their religious beliefs “but also that these violations to the right to religious freedom can cause the disappearance of religion in a given context.”
In response to self-censorship, the authors stressed there must be “an urgent need to educate policymakers, public servants (including the police) and judges about religion to increase their religious literacy.”