On May 1st the occupant signed an executive order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission. Calling on evangelical allies, high profile Catholic clergy and conservative faith leaders, the task of the Commission is to create a report on the “foundations of religious liberty in America” and the impact of religious liberty on American culture. It is also intended to detail “current threats to religious liberty” and create programs to celebrate religious pluralism. The occupant also ordered the Department of Justice to start a task force on anti-Christian bias.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. On the agenda is exploration of the report on First Amendment rights of religious leaders and houses of worship, religious rights, vaccine mandates, parental rights in education and “permitting time for voluntary prayer and religious instruction at public schools.”
This is code language for giving preferential treatment to his primary voting block–white evangelical Christians. Two-thirds of white evangelicals feel that Christians in America face discrimination, according to polling by the Public Religion Research Institute.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. The Rev. Shannon Fleck, executive director of Faithful America, criticized the new commission, calling it an attempt to “tear down the wall between church and state.” The wall has been growing increasingly thin in recent years. Posting the Ten Commandments, buying bibles for public school students and several recent rulings by the Supreme Court attest to this truth. In the Court’s ruling in Carson v. Makin, the Court ruled that a state MUST fund religious activity as part of an educational aid program. This “religious activity” is white evangelical Christianity. If religious activity were defined as the faith of Islam, no doubt a lot of people would lose their shit.
In Kennedy v. Bremmerton, the Court ruled in favor of a Christian public school football coach who prayed with his players while on duty. Long standing precedent prohibits school officials from participating in prayer with students.
According to the ACLU, “With this month’s decisions, the court has now required that government funds be diverted from a secular education program to support religious education and indoctrination and has allowed school officials to impose religion on public school students. The ruling in Kennedy v. Bremmerton is particularly disturbing because, until now, the court has repeatedly recognized that students are impressionable, much more vulnerable to religious coercion, and thus deserving of the highest levels of constitutional protection. Instead, the court subverted students’ religious liberty to the religious demands of school staff.”
The Supreme Court six-justice majority abandons long-standing doctrines that have supported the principles of no establishment to ensure the government stays neutral when it comes to religion. And do not be mistaken, the Christianity that is being slipped into the government is conservative white evangelical Christianity. According to the Court, state funding of religious indoctrination is not only permissible, but now required in some circumstances. This means taxpayer dollars are used to fund religious education. This is a direct violation of the First Amendment which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
This comes at a time when white Christian nationalism is on the rise. This is a political ideology that tries to link the identities of Americans and Christians. The message is that only conservative, white Christians are “true Americans.” This is a threat to all faith expressions, both within and outside of Christianity. If the only “Christians” who have freedom are white evangelicals, then there is no true religious freedom for anyone.
The mandate of the Religious Liberty Commission will most likely confirm the narrative that Pilgrims came to the new world to escape religious persecution. Then it isn’t a large leap to get to history repeating itself in the oppression of “Christians” in our time. The narrative will be predictable.
The sign of the times is that religious freedom and the separation of church and state are in grave danger. This trend began some time ago. Recent rulings of the Supreme Court allow for almost exclusively Christian prayers at government meetings. In addition, the Court has sided with individuals who, on the basis of “religious” conviction deny providing services to the LGBTQI community. Discrimination for recipients of government-funded social services is also included in this ruling.
If you enjoy practicing your religion without interference from the government or if you enjoy practicing no religion at all, know that your fundamental right to both is in grave jeopardy. Write to the Supreme Court. Their address is Supreme Court of the United States, 1 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20543. Or you can leave a message at 202-479-3472. Write to the occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500. Support the ACLU, write editorials for your local newspaper. Religious freedom is built into the bedrock of our country. Don’t let a bunch of half-baked Christian wannabes take it away
The Irreverent Reverend 
You are spot on, my friend. These assaults on separation of church are cause to be, as you say, afraid, very afraid. We need to push back and keep pushing back!
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