National Religious Freedom Day:

National Religious Freedom Day is celebrated on January 16 of every year since 1786.

Twitter Hashtags:

#NationalReligiousFreedomDay

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Related: Other National Days Celebrated on January 16th:

National Nothing Day

National Fig Newton Day

National Without A Scalpel Day

Why National Religious Freedom Day?

This day commemorates the adoption of the landmark of Thomas Jefferson’s Statue of Virginia by the Virginia General Assembly for religious freedom for all Americans. The statute became the basis of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Religious organizations and their religious practices are responsible for every good and bad deed done by the individual. It influences an individual to be humble and kind to others, makes individuals sympathetic and empathetic towards the predicament of their fellow person.

Given the history of human beings, the personalities with similar perspectives come together and form organizations. Some folks being enthusiastic by the desire just to join, forgets about the consequences they are going to court.

The massacre of Christians in Rome, the disreputable Spanish inquisition of the witch hunt of Puritan America, and the Islamic Jihads, which are still recurring from ancient times, are some examples to indicate that how ominous the religious beliefs can get if neglected unchecked.

The religion and faith in the beliefs of the religion must be the decision of an individual, which grants freedom to the people and protection to the fellow people. Thus, the Founding Fathers of the United Nations foresaw this as a vital concern during that time and also in the coming future. The freedom of religion has become foundational in the modern world and preserves the rights of an individual to practice the beliefs and faiths of their religion without being coerced by the government.

How Can We Celebrate National Religious Freedom Day:

• You can watch the first freedom on Public Broadcasting Service, which is an American broadcaster.
• Use #NationalReligiousFreedomDay #ReligiousFreedomDay to post the story on social media.
• Learn more about religious freedom day and its importance in society. The useful resources are some of the books such as The Name of the Rose, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Quo Vadis, and The Diary of a Young Girl.
• Practice your faith and learn about the religious beliefs of other people.
• You can participate in the events such as interfaith.
• Read about people from other religions and learn about their experience in the United Nations.

Interesting facts about National Religious Freedom Day:

• There are 31% Christians, 24% Muslims, 16% Non-religious or atheists, 15% Hindus, and 6% Buddhists.
• The Christians are the largest religious group in the world, and the Muslims are the second-largest religious group.
• The smallest religious group is the Rastafari.
• Islamic and Christianity growth is predicted to occur in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Muslim religious groups have the highest fertility rate as compared to another religious groups.
• 40-45% of the countries of the world have restrictions on religions, and they restrict practicing religious beliefs.
• Wicca was a religion that was introduced in the 1950s and had origins in European cults.
• The patron saints are there in the Catholic religion, which includes Saint Ambrose, Saint Drogo, and Saint Bibiana.
• In the earlier times, the Catholics controlled the counties like Rome, France, Scotland, Spain, Mexico, Poland, and the Phillippines to practice monarchy and theocracy.
• Out of 195 countries, 109 countries harass the Christians, 125 countries harass the Muslims, and 70 countries harass the Jews.
• Muslims and Hindus tend to have few years of schooling, whereas the Jews are considered to highly educated religious group around the World.

History of National Religious Freedom Day:

After the United Nations became a sovereign nation, The landmark of Thomas Jefferson’s landmark called the Statue of Virginia was affirmed by the Virginia General Assembly as the mark of religious freedom on January 16, 1786. The Statue of Virginia became the foundation of the first amendment of the United Nations Constitution, which affirms religious freedom to all the people in the country irrespective of their devotion.

Since 1786, every year, on January 16, the United Nations president officially proclaims religious freedom day.

The first Freedom Center in Richmond, which is located in Virginia, memorializes this day by enduring an annual ceremony. The statue is a sign of freedom, equality, and the right to practice their faith without the fear of being harassed or killed.

The individual can likewise convert their religion on the aforementioned day without retaliation. However, religious restrictions continue to increase globally. The countries with the law of equality show changes in the policy for certain religious groups.