Americans United for Separation of Church and State’s President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump announcing the creation of a federal task force on fighting anti-Christian bias during the National Prayer Breakfast Gathering today:
“Americans United believes that all people, including Christians, should be able to live as themselves and believe as they choose so long as they don’t harm others. But rather than protecting religious beliefs, this task force will misuse religious freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination, and the subversion of our civil rights laws. We’ve seen Christian Nationalists do this already, turning the sacred concept of religious freedom on its head and into a license to harm others.
“If Trump really cared about religious freedom and ending religious persecution, he’d be addressing antisemitism in his inner circle, anti-Muslim bigotry, hate crimes against people of color and other religious minorities, but instead, he’s abolishing federal programs and protections that address those wrongs. This task force is not a response to Christian persecution; it’s an attempt to make America into an ultra-conservative Christian Nationalist nation.
“This is part of the Christian Nationalist crusade to remake our country. Not on our watch. Americans United and our hundreds of thousands of supporters across the country will not stop fighting for church-state separation until this nation lives up to its promise of freedom without favor and equality without exception.”
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has been preparing for this announcement since the idea first surfaced in the Republican Party Platform: “To protect Religious Liberty, Republicans support a new Federal Task Force on Fighting Anti-Christian Bias that will investigate all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment, and persecution against Christians in America.” Just days before the election, Trump declared this ominous task force to be a priority: “I will create a new federal task force on fighting anti-Christian bias. That’ll be done immediately.”
Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
Liz Hayes
Associate Vice President of Communications
[email protected]
