Religion
There are over ten thousand distinct religions in our world, much the same as at the end of the twentieth century. Our citizens are free to choose whatever religion they wish, or none at all.
Although most of the old religions still exist, their operations have changed in some ways. Since there is no longer any need for money, or any real need what so ever, churches no longer collect money. This is felt to be a positive spin off of the economic change in the world. Now churches cannot be accused of accumulating wealth and financial power; their leadership is uncorrupted by material greed. Church outreach missions now focus more commonly on donating labor to help build community centers and housing, teaching religion, and fellowship.
There are three primary restrictions on religious teachings in our world. First, the preaching of church doctrines cannot promote evangelistic efforts aimed at converting individuals of other denominations to their own. This is felt to be an infringement on personal spirituality and privacy rights. Similarly, it is not permissible to teach that one religion is superior to another as this leads to segregation, divisiveness, and ultimately hate. Finally, churches are not permitted to preach revolution or insurrection.
Any group of ten adults can petition for provisional recognition as a church. A statement of doctrines must be filed and approved by the Council of Religions. Then, a house of worship is designated by the Housing Authority. Transcripts of sermons are submitted to the Council of Religions for review and publishing in the Unified Public Database. If there are no complaints against the church, it may continue operation and as registered membership grows, increasing supplies and space are allocated. On site visits of all churches are periodically performed by Council members. All complaints are investigated by the Council and may result in sanctions, removal of chief officers, or complete closure of the church.