Under Joe Biden, the federal government was weaponized against Christians and other people of faith.
A SWAT team was dispatched to arrest a father who protested the killing of the unborn.
Traditional Catholics were described as domestic terrorists.
Law-abiding pro-life organizations were described with the same defamatory claim.
Multiple incidents of violence against pro-life organizations were ignored.
President Donald Trump, on taking office for his second term, made clear that would change. He issued pardons and established new priorities for prosecutions.
And now he’s gone further, setting up and appointing prominent faith leaders to a new Religious Liberty Commission.
Religious freedom, after all, was part of why the United States was founded.
“The principle of religious liberty was enshrined in American law with the First Amendment to the Constitution in 1791. Since that time, the Constitution has protected the fundamental right to religious liberty as Americans’ first freedom,” he noted.
He explained in the past few years, “some Federal, State, and local policies have threatened America’s unique and beautiful tradition of religious liberty. These policies attempt to infringe upon longstanding conscience protections, prevent parents from sending their children to religious schools, threaten loss of funding or denial of non-profit tax status for faith-based entities, and single out religious groups and institutions for exclusion from governmental programs. Some opponents of religious liberty would remove religion entirely from public life. Others characterize religious liberty as inconsistent with civil rights, despite religions’ vital roles in the abolition of slavery; the passage of Federal civil rights laws; and the provision of indispensable social, educational, and health services.”
He said the new commission shall report on the “foundations of religious liberty in America, the impact of religious liberty on American society, current threats to domestic religious liberty, strategies to preserve and enhance religious liberty protections for future generations, and programs to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism.”
Focal points will be “First Amendment rights of pastors, religious leaders, houses of worship, faith-based institutions, and religious speakers; attacks across America on houses of worship of many religions; debanking of religious entities; the First Amendment rights of teachers, students, military chaplains, service members, employers, and employees; conscience protections in the health care field and concerning vaccine mandates; parents’ authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children, including the right to choose a religious education; permitting time for voluntary prayer and religious instruction at public schools; Government displays with religious imagery; and the right of all Americans to freely exercise their faith without fear or Government censorship or retaliation.”
Several officials, such as the attorney general, will be ex officio members, but the chairman is Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has battled critical race theory, DEI practices and worked to place “In God We Trust” in the state senate.
Several members who have high profiles include Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York; Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse; and Ben Carson, a pediatric neurosurgeon who was secretary of Housing during the first Trump administration.
Others include Ryan T. Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Bishop Robert Barron, of Word on Fire ministry; Carrie Prejean Boller, former Miss California USA and author of “Still Standing: The Untold Story of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks;” Allyson Ho, an appellate lawyer. Phil McGraw, host of Dr. Phil; Eric Metaxas, speaker, radio host and author of many books; Kelly Shackelford of First Liberty Institute; Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, of Congregation Shearith Israel; and Paul White, founder of Paula White Ministries.