By 21 Wilberforce
In his floor speech, Senator James Lankford (R-OK), who sponsored the amendment, noted, “We believe every person should have the protection of the government to live their faith, not the compulsion of government to practice any one faith or to be forced to reject all faith altogether.” He continued, “It is the task of government to protect the rights of every person to live their faith, and to guard those who choose not to have any faith at all.”
Senator Lankford is right to consider religious freedom alongside economic concerns, and socio-economic research defends his position. Indeed, religious freedom and economic wellbeing are intimately connected. In 2014 Brian Grim, Greg Clark and Robert Snyder published a groundbreaking study in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion that utilized empirical evidence to effectively conclude there is a positive relationship between religious freedom and ten of the twelve pillars of global competitiveness as measured by the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness index.
Grim, Clark, and Snyder conclude that when religious freedom is put into practice, it reduces corruption, generates peace, produces less harmful regulation, minimizes liabilities, and enhances diversity and growth.
The report shows that countries with lower religious restrictions and hostilities are twice as likely to have innovative strength, in part because “the active participation of religious minorities in society often boosts economic innovation.” The study found that the world’s 12 most religiously diverse countries each outpaced the world’s economic growth between 2008 and 2012.
Religious freedom positively contributes to the economic dividends reaped by businesses, and when instituted across a culture, helps develop a healthier economic climate that positively benefits all individuals.
If religion is not a factor in trade negotiations, U.S. trade partners who benefit the most are countries such as China, Iran and Vietnam – all countries the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom says should be designated as countries of particular concern due to their systematic oppression of religious minorities. The amendment adopted by the Senate is a bipartisan, common sense approach, and a great first step. It must now head to the House of Representatives, where its future is uncertain.
