Rising 'hostility' towards Christians in America over past decade, finds survey

Washington, Aug 25 (ANI): More and more Christians are being treated with 'hostility' in the United States over the last ten years, a new report by US' Family Research Council and the Liberty Institute has revealed.

The 140-page "Survey of Religious Hostility in America," prepared by the Liberty Institute and the Family Research Council, which claimed that there has been a rising pattern of hostility toward Christians, highlighted more than 600 examples illustrating what it characterized as 'religious animosity' shown by judges, government bureaucrats, schools and secular groups.

"It's a conflict of world views. These groups want people to check their faith at the door of the public square," Fox News quoted Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, as saying.

According to the report, among the examples listed in the survey, include an instance in which a cross was removed from a veterans' memorial in San Diego, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit held that the memorial was unconstitutional.

In another instance, Matthew Reynolds, valedictorian for HLV Junior-Senior High School in Victor, Iowa, was told that he had to give a 'secular' speech after he wished to attribute his success to his faith in Jesus Christ during his graduation speech.

Kelly Shackelford, President of Plano, a Texas-based Liberty Institute claimed that the goal of the report is to raise awareness of these incidents to promote the appointment of judges "who are sensitive to the Constitution." (ANI)