Two-thirds of world population live with religious restrictions

Religions have been responsible for discrimination, child abuse, violence, and killings, many of those acts being part of their official doctrine or practice. The idea that people should be able to practice their religions without restriction is untenable. Reformed Christianity happens to align fairly well with a secular state, but that is the exception, not the rule. Even Catholicism is in conflict with important values like tolerance, self-determination, and non-discrimination, and no nation permits Catholics to practice Catholicism as they did 1000 years ago.

"how government and society often prevents the free practice of religion."

It's more often that religion is forced on a populace. Believe or else!!!

Freedom to practice has to be in par with freedom from religion. Get your primitive, ignorant, superstitious nonsense out of my face. It's your own private fantasy.

The freedom to practice one's faith is definitely better in the Americas. However, the freedom to not have a faith in the Americas is about on par with the freedom to not have a faith in Iran. In both places, those without faith are marginalized. The religious right, a solid voting block of the Republican party is insistent on putting their own agenda into public law. Abortion and birth control are just two examples of their intrusion on the private lives of all Americans.

An interesting image of Christ at the head of the sculptural relief of the National Archives building where the Declaration and Constitution are kept. I bought it. I got a link to the artist and read he's selling it to raise money to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring.

Birth of Christ by Gregory Behan

All humans are on a physical and spiritual journey. Religion is an attempt by the community to help "map" the spiritual journey. Unfortunately, men have found a way to abuse the "faithful" through erroneous interpretation of the Bible and other religious documents. Fortunately, our founders realized that "some men want to be king" of a single gang, a church, a nation. And they also, were aware of the abuses that mankind suffered at the hands of monarchies, hierarchies and decided that there was no room for religious domination in a democracy that respects all peoples. As a nation, we cannot under estimate the power of religion to poison the souls of men. Just look at what it has done to health care reform?? Ben Nelson is not a man of principle, any more than those republicans who want to see this president and this nation fail.