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United States (MNN) — Do you think of religious freedom as a life-or-death issue? According to a new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), sometimes it literally is. 

In March, USCIRF released its 2025 recommendations of which countries the U.S. should watch regarding the freedom of religious belief. Their list of recommended countries correlates strongly with another list: The Early Warning Project’s ranking of nations where mass killings are most likely to occur.

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Stock photo courtesy of Johnnathan Tshibangu via Unsplash)

“More than half of the top 30 countries most at risk of mass killings are identified in USCIRF’s Annual Report for poor religious freedom conditions,” the release said. They suggest that promoting religious freedom is “a vital atrocity prevention tool.”

When Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA saw USCIRF’s report, he thought of a July attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dozens of Christians were killed by ISIS allies while at a prayer vigil. Another attack on September 8 left more than 70 Christians dead.

“Then to see a report that, ‘Wait a minute, genocide and mass killing seems to be more likely in places where religious freedom is not respected, where religious freedom is not protected…’ When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense,” Nettleton says. 

The Early Warning Project ranks Chad as the number one country most likely to have a mass killing outbreak. Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa are active there. This highlights another dynamic in USCIRF’s and The Early Warning Project’s lists. 

Nettleton explains, “It’s not necessarily a government action that is putting the risk of mass killing, the risk of genocide, in place. It is actually terrorist activity.” 

All this underscores the gravity of the U.S. State Department’s future 2025 International Religious Freedom report. The upcoming report will show how this new U.S. administration will apply its influence through international policies about other nations and entities. 

Find your place in the story

Religious freedom is not a given. Jesus said to His disciples, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). But that doesn’t mean Christians should do nothing about religious freedom issues.

Nettleton says the first response to these matters should be prayer for the persecuted Church. Use the list from USCIRF or even The Early Warning Project to launch your prayer for Christians.

(Photo courtesy of Aaron Burden/Unsplash)

“Religious freedom really underlies so many other freedoms,” Nettleton says. “From a spiritual perspective, as a Christian, my brothers and sisters are impacted by these situations. So I want my brothers and sisters to be able to worship in safety. I want them to be able to evangelize and have other people come to know Christ without the threat of violence, without government interference.”

Nettleton also calls for civic advocacy on behalf of the persecuted.

“We want to understand this information so that we can pray with more knowledge, with more specificity. We want to let our government authorities know that this is something we pay attention to. This is something we care about,” says Nettleton.

 

Header photo: Monument in Lippepark, located in Hamm, Germany (Photo courtesy of Sven Piper via Unsplash)