The First Amendment declares religious freedom to the people of the United States allows people to live, speak and act in congruence with their beliefs at home or in public. It prevents the cultural majority from using their power to impose their beliefs onto others. This protects both religious people and non-religious people alike from having to hide what they believe or act against their beliefs. Because all men are covered equally under this amendment, it preserves diversity of thought, faith and worldviews and gives us a stronger country.

The majority of Americans identify themselves as Christian, with 70% of the population identifying as so. Non-religious individuals made up 23% of the population, while Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist people each took 1% of the U.S. population in 2020. Approximately .05% of the population identified as Hindu. This shows how diverse the population is in their thoughts and beliefs. Even the 70% of Christians in the U.S. are divided into 200 different denominations that lead to further diversity of thought.

At the turn of the 21st century, religious hostilities began increasing throughout the globe. In 2012, 45% of people lived in countries with high levels of religious hostility, and by 2019, that number had increased to 74%. That is a 64% increase in the amount of people living in such circumstances. Not only that, but there has been a rise in governmental restrictions on religious freedom in those same 5 years in the countries that have high levels of religious hostility. “Research shows a robust and consistent connection between the lack of government respect for religious freedom and higher levels of social hostilities involving religion” This research suggests that as religious freedom was restricted, negative outcomes (such as violence) increased in those countries.

The protection of religious freedom creates common ground for all beliefs to coexist. “Allowing the free expression of different views – religious, political, ideological, or otherwise – and protecting the right to free expression is not only foundational to a healthy democracy, it is a path to greater stability. By providing those with deeply held views the assurance that their views will be protected – not because their beliefs are aligned with whomever is in power, but because religious freedom is fundamental to a healthy democracy – we reduce insecurity and create common ground.”

When Pornhub shared its annual statistics in 2019, it showed that it received 80,000 visits per minute. This means, they had 5 million visits an hour, 115 million visits a day and 42 billion visits during the year. For perspective, in 1953, Playboy magazine sold 54,000 copies the month it was first released. Pornhub gets more views per minute than Playboy magazine sold in its debut month. The digital age has given humanity unlimited access to pornography.