Religious freedom defenders say hostility toward Christianity is getting stronger in Europe.

The U.S. Helsinki Commission hosted a briefing, titled "State-Sanctioned Marginalization of Christians in Western Europe."

The commission heard from several experts, including Oxford University professor Roger Trigg and Georgetown professor Thomas Farr.

"Human rights are pitted against religion, and freedom of religion is itself being marginalized as a right," Trigg said.

Farr added that marginalization is also growing in the United States, where current trends undermine the foundational premise that "God has given us free will, and we are all equal in God's sight."