the prejudice that is associated with these groups. When I first told people about my religion I lost friends that have known me for over twenty years. The stigma associated with people that are different is overwhelming. So many people blindly believe their church leaders and media heads until they no longer think critically. They do not think for themselves at all. It is discouraging to see so many peers judge others without bothering to research the information they are ignorant about.
Most of these religions are peaceful, beautiful, and harmonious. They want to be able to observe their constitutional right to worship as they please without harming anyone. They do not want to be converted and they do not try to convert anyone else. Different does not equal bad.
It was interesting to me that the religious groups sampled in this study all wanted legislative restrictions placed on the groups that were most different from them. Some churches go as far as condemning other Christian churches because they are not exactly like them. People fear what they do not understand. It seems that the best thing to do is to educate the public on the groups that they do not understand and remove the stigma. Maybe then the people of this nation would really be free to worship as they please.