President Trump announced the establishment of a Religious Liberty Commission during the US’s National Prayer Day this Thursday.
The purpose of the commission is “to safeguard and promote America’s founding principle of religious freedom.” A White House fact sheet for the Commission states further:
“The Commission is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, strategies to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism, current threats to religious liberty, and strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.”
The commission will also advise the White House on religious liberty policies. The fact sheet addresses why the President felt compelled to create the commission, stemming from the prior administration:
“Recent federal and state policies have undermined this right by targeting conscience protections, preventing parents from sending their children to religious schools, threatening funding and non-profit status for faith-based entities, and excluding religious groups from government programs.”
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is Chair of the commission, with Ben Carson serving as Vice Chair. Other members of the commission include Pastor Franklin Graham, Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, television personality and author Dr. Phil, and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, among others.
Critics of the Religious Liberty Commission claim its establishment is a violation of the political principle of separating church from state. According to Politico, the President made the following statement in his speech at the Rose Garden during National Prayer Day:
“They say separation between church and state … I said, ‘All right, let’s forget about that for one time.’”
The President continued on the same subject:
“They said, really there’s separation. I don’t know. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m not sure, but whether there’s separation or not, you guys [attendees of National Prayer Day] are in the White House where you should be, and you’re representing our country, and we’re bringing religion back to our country, and it’s a big deal.”
