Trump’s ‘anti-Christian bias’ taskforce reveals its propagandistic agenda in first meeting
Even though Christians are the dominant religious group in the country, Trump and his allies are desperate to portray persecution where there is none
By Alix Breeden, Daily Kos
President Donald Trump’s self-appointed task force to protect religious liberty and eradicate “anti-Christian bias” met for the first time this week to yap over the lack of morality and Christianity in modern-day U.S. culture. And where else would they meet but at the Museum of the Bible, in Washington, D.C.
But it was Attorney General Pam Bondi who kicked off the two-hour meeting of the Religious Liberty Commission with baseless claims that Christians had “come under attack.”
“The federal government became complicit in sheltering these threats, becoming the greatest threat itself,” she added, pointing fingers at the Biden administration.
The group of 14 politicians, TV stars, religious figures, and other folks the president chose, at times amplified Bondi’s message.
Daytime talk show host—and apparent part-time ICE agent—Dr. Phil McGraw seemed to echo this sentiment as well.
“We are in a cultural war, and not one among us can afford to be a non-combatant as we fight for the soul and sanity of these United States,” he said. “We have to all pay attention to this because if this one goes, if the ideologues are able to pull the rug out of religious liberty, everything else comes tumbling down.”
To be fair, Dr. Phil did, at one point during the meeting, say that it would be “kind of scary” for the U.S. government to promote religion. But other members of the Religious Liberty Commission made some truly head-scratching comments in an attempt to fan the rhetoric that Christianity, specifically, is under attack.
“The Declaration of Independence is consistent with the Bible, and the Bible is consistent with the Declaration of Independence,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the committee’s chair, said.
Even Ben Carson, former head of Housing and Urban Development under Trump’s first administration, seemed to agree with this concept.
“Imagine trying to live in a society with no moral code,” Carson said. “This commission promotes freedom of beliefs and that spiritual aspect of our existence that advances civilization. We will strive to facilitate the maintenance of our nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
While the commission pays lip service to religious freedom for all, the overall diversity of the group seems limited—and there did not appear to be much mention of religions outside of those attached to the Christian or Jewish faiths.
Then again, looking at the reason this group was established in the first place, that’s not much of a surprise. Trump signed an executive order decrying so-called anti-Christian bias in February, and a hotline was created in April to encourage State Department workers to call in and snitch on their colleagues who might be acting with any kind of “anti-Christian bias.” The Religious Liberty Commission was established via another executive order on May 1 during a flashy White House event.
Trump has even established his own Christian “faith” office in the White House, seemingly further blurring the division between church and state.
And now, as the appointed men and women meet to discuss how freedom of religion should be handled in the U.S., it’s curious how much room will be given for those outside of Christianity.
“We want to let America know, you have a great inheritance of religious liberty and this commission over this time will free you to be free to pray where and when you want,” Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick said.
For now, only time will tell. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for September.
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