OPINION:
When searching for the best recipe for economic prosperity, especially in the United States, our history reveals numerous examples that show that economic breakthroughs were seeded in the fertile soul of religious liberty. While the relationship is complex rather than automatic, in case after case, it is undeniable.
The United States offers several historical examples where religious freedom helped create conditions for economic prosperity.
Pennsylvania (after 1681)
The religious freedom Pennsylvania was founded upon attracted human capital, entrepreneurship and investment. Pennsylvania was established as a colony with unusually broad religious tolerance for its time. Quakers, Lutherans, Mennonites, Amish, Presbyterians, Jews and other immigrant groups settled there, bringing in highly skilled farming techniques, trades, banking practices and commerce. The Keystone State’s Philadelphia became one of the wealthiest cities in colonial America.
Roger Williams founded Rhode Island after being expelled from Massachusetts because of his strongly held religious beliefs. In welcoming people from many faith backgrounds, it became a center for trade, shipping and manufacturing. The religious diversity fostered in Rhode Island led to commercial relationships and economic prosperity while spurning the religious conformity of the old world.
As it turned out, Roger Williams’ grand experiment taught the world that religious liberty was very attractive to merchants and innovators in the colonies and to those who would visit our shores.
Nineteenth-century immigration
During the 1800s, it was religious freedom that attracted the talent that fueled industrial expansion. Suddenly, millions of Catholics, Jews, Lutherans, Orthodox Christians and others immigrated to America and founded businesses, banks, factories and farms at breathtaking pace. Cities such as New York, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis grew rapidly, and major American companies were established by immigrants who came to America seeking both economic opportunity and religious liberty.
PostWorld War II America
After World War II, the United States experienced extraordinary economic growth while maintaining strong constitutional protections for religious liberty. It was faith-based organizations that established and expanded hospitals, schools, universities, charities and disaster relief. These institutions contributed to education, workforce development and community stability. This era taught us that in a civil society religious institutions and organizations could complement government and markets in supporting economic development.
American history is replete with powerful examples of religious freedom helping create an environment where diverse people from a variety of faith backgrounds could contribute their talents, build institutions and successfully pursue economic opportunity.
Religious freedom, from the very beginning, was an important part of the broader framework of liberty that enabled the nation’s remarkable economic growth because religious freedom, at its core, always encourages and nourishes economic prosperity. Here are the five most obvious ways:
1. Religious freedom protects individual liberty, regardless the religious affiliation.
When people are free to follow their conscience, they are generally also freer to start businesses, innovate and pursue opportunities without fear of government interference.
2. Religious freedom strengthens the rule of law and stands for justice for all.
Countries that protect religious freedom often also protect property rights, contracts and freedom of association all foundations of a healthy economy.
3. Religious freedom builds trust and social capital in the lives of everyone affected.
Faith communities often create networks of trust, volunteerism, unparalleled charitable giving and mutual support that can reduce poverty and encourage entrepreneurship.
4. Religious freedom has always attracted investment and talent.
Businesses tend to prefer societies that are stable, predictable and respectful of human rights. Religious persecution often signals broader political instability.
5. Religious freedom unleashes human potential and opens doors of opportunity.
When the people are free to worship, work, educate their children and participate fully in society, the economy benefits from the talents of the entire population rather than only favored groups.
All of the five items listed above are strong empirical reasons for the link between religious freedom and economic prosperity.
But the primary reason the link is so strong is a sixth element:
6. Religious liberty invites and elicits God’s hand of provision and protection.
Where religious liberty is celebrated and codified, it attracts the blessing, favor and guiding hand of our Creator.
The damning link between a government dictating what people may believe or how they may worship can undermine innovation and economic growth. And while religious freedom does not guarantee prosperity, it does invoke the very hand of God on your behalf.
Religious freedom and economic prosperity reinforce one another. They always have because freedom is God-given, inalienable and inherent.
The freedom of religion is a critical part of what it means to be human. While religious liberty alone does not create wealth, it is a battle cry of the free and an anchor to stable societies in which prosperity is most likely to flourish.
• Richard Rogers, Ph.D., serves the American First Policy Institute as vice-chairman of the Center for American Values, which seeks to champion the core values that strengthen American communities and families. Dr. Rich is from Flowery Branch, Georgia, and earned his doctorate from Pepperdine University, where he has also served as a professor for more than 20 years. Dr. Rich is currently on Free Chapel College’s executive team and has served as the president for the last five years. He is the father of four girls and was married to his wife Theresa for over 30 years before she passed in 2022 after an eight-year battle with breast cancer.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.