The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees religious freedom to all Americans. However, recent actions taken by the Trump administration violate these unalienable rights.
As stated by congress.gov, the First Amendment shall not allow congress to make law(s) respecting a religion or incentivize the free exercise of another religion.
The freedoms of speech and of religion have shaped America into what it is today by allowing different opinions and beliefs to be synthesized and contribute to society. However, on Feb. 6, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias,” which aims to eliminate anti-Christian bias, establishing a federal task force to “end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.”
The direct result of this executive order serves as pure rhetoric, since any “unlawful” bias against any religion is to be prosecuted by law. Currently, Christianity is by no means under threat in this nation, as 62% of Americans practice Christianity. Considering this, the order may unintentionally create religious bias in favor of Christianity in the government.
This executive order has raised eyebrows among Democrats, Republicans and Christians alike. In fact, Reverend Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, a notable Baptist minister and head of Interfaith Alliance, told CNN that federal bias against Christianity is “almost nonexistent.” Citing the abundance of Christians involved in the federal government, Raushenbush continued to denounce Christian suppression.
Just one day after Trump signed the executive order to eradicate anti-Christian bias, his administration assembled the White House Faith Office to “protect religious liberty.” The office, aimed at the ultimate goal of eliminating anti-Christian bias, allows government agencies to “end the anti-Christian weaponization of government” by allowing federal inspection of past actions taken that may suppress Christianity.
Not only does this office blur the line between church and state, it is run by underqualified leadership. For example, the task force is led by Trump-appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Faith Office is led by Pastor Paula White-Cain, who both pose threats to keeping religion separate from the American government. Bondi, a notable Trump supporter for many years, has not shown any significant background of religious liberty law, proving her choice to lead this federal task force quite questionable.
Despite the Faith Office’s executive order to crack down on religious hate overall, including anti-semitic and anti-Christian violence, Rev. White-Cain’s background of church fraud and Christian nationalist views raise concerns regarding her ability to use the Faith Office to equally protect different religions. Her extreme Christian nationalism poses the threat that the office will focus on politically supporting Christians rather than free expression for all religions.
Despite these hires and appointments, Trump himself doesn’t even represent Christian values. From sexual assault allegations to 34 counts of felony, the president has consistently shown anti-Christian actions and beliefs. Trump even sold bibles for $60 each, earning him upwards of $300,000. Because of the way Trump’s values conflict with Christian values, this seems to be a move to try and gain public support since Christians make up the largest portion of the American electorate, at this past election, 72%. This inauthenticity creates a lack of trust between the president and American people, as his willingness to change beliefs for the sake of popularity shows that he isn’t fully dedicated to the causes he claims to support.
The executive orders also raise constitutional concerns, as the Constitution was recently removed from the White House official website. The Faith Office appears to focus solely on Christianity, completely abandoning any commitment to the religious freedom in the First Amendment. If the largest religious group in the nation is under threat, we must ask why there isn’t a similar task force solely dedicated to addressing uprising anti-Islamic hate crimes or antisemitism? With Christianity being a majority in the nation, addressing it politically above all others poses dangers to religious liberty.
We’ve already seen examples of how government-backed religious initiatives can lead to exclusion rather than inclusion. According to the Pew Research Center, in the early 2000s, faith-based hiring exemptions notoriously allowed federally-funded organizations to discriminate based on religion, which denied jobs to non-Christians in taxpayer-funded programs. If this new task force implements similarly discriminatory practices, it could allow government support for huge Christian organizations while leaving religious minorities behind.
To maintain the separation of church and state, religious liberty must apply equally to all faiths — not just the one with the most political influence.
