PRESIDENT TRUMP HONORS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Reverses many laws restricting religious freedom
Thursday, January 16, 2020
" . . . Proclaim liberty throughout the land!. . ." (Leviticus 25:10)
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A Presidential Proclamation:
Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day, 2020
Issued on: January 15, 2020
From its opening pages, the story of America has been rooted in the truth that all men and women are endowed with the right to follow their conscience, worship freely, and live in accordance with their convictions. On Religious Freedom Day, we honor the foundational link between freedom and faith in our country and reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding the religious liberty of all Americans.
Religious freedom in America, often referred to as our "first freedom," was a driving force behind some of the earliest defining moments of our American identity. The desire for religious freedom impelled the Pilgrims to leave their homes in Europe and journey to a distant land, and it is the reason so many others seeking to live out their faith or change their faith have made America their home.
More than 230 years ago, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which was authored and championed by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson famously expounded that "all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of Religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities." This statute served as the catalyst for the First Amendment, which enshrined in law our conviction to prevent government interference in religion. More than 200 years later, thanks to the power of that Amendment, America is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world.
Since I took office, my Administration has been committed to protecting religious liberty. In May 2017, I signed an Executive Order to advance religious freedom for individuals and institutions, and I stopped the Johnson Amendment from interfering with pastors' right to speak their minds. Over the last 3 years, the Department of Justice has obtained 14 convictions in cases involving attacks or threats against places of worship. To fight the rise of anti-Semitism in our country, I signed an Executive Order last month to ensure that Federal agencies are using nondiscrimination authorities to combat this venomous bigotry. I have also made clear that my Administration will not tolerate the violation of any American's ability to worship freely and openly and to live as his or her faith commands.
My Administration also remains cognizant of the stark realities for people seeking religious liberty abroad and has made protecting religious minorities a core pillar of my Administration's foreign policy. Repressive governments persecute religious worshipers using high-tech surveillance, mass detention, and torture, while terrorist organizations carry out barbaric violence against innocent victims on account of their religion. To cast a light on these abuses, in July 2019, I welcomed survivors of religious persecution from 16 countries into the Oval Office. These survivors included Christians, Jews, and Muslims, who all shared similar stories of persecution. At the United Nations in September, I called on global leaders to take concrete steps to prevent state and non‑state actors from attacking citizens for their beliefs and to help ensure the sanctity and safety of places of worship. And, last summer, the State Department convened its second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, where our diplomats engaged a broad range of stakeholders in government and civil society, both religious and secular, to identify concrete ways to combat religious persecution and discrimination around the world and ensure greater respect for freedom of religion and belief.
On this Religious Freedom Day, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting the precious and fundamental right of religious freedom, both at home and abroad. Our Founders entrusted the American people with a responsibility to protect religious liberty so that our Nation may stand as a bright beacon for the rest of the world. Today, we remain committed to that sacred endeavor and strive to support those around the world who still struggle under oppressive regimes that impose restrictions on freedom of religion.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2020, as Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to commemorate this day with events and activities that remind us of our shared heritage of religious liberty and that teach us how to secure this blessing both at home and around the world.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
> > > You can read the original proclamation by going here.
An Addendum
"Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one's religious convictions." - President Donald J. Trump
> > > Read below to understand the POSITIVE IMPACT that this Proclamation will now have in our nation!
1. Prayer in Public Schools
I. PROTECTING PRAYER IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
President Donald J. Trump remains committed to protecting every student's constitutional right to pray in school.
- The Trump Administration is taking action to further safeguard students' constitutionally protected right to pray in school.
- President Trump is updating Federal guidance regarding protected prayer and religious expression in public schools, which has not been issued since 2003.
> > The update will help safeguard students' rights by giving education providers and students the most current information concerning prayer in public schools.
- To receive Federal funds, local educational agencies must confirm that their policies do not prevent or interfere with the constitutionally-protected rights outlined in the guidance.
- The updated guidance will help improve individuals' ability to file a complaint if they are denied the ability to participate in protected religious expression.
- The new guidance makes clear that students can read religious texts or pray during recess and other non-instructional periods, organize prayer groups, and express their religious beliefs in their assignments.
II. Promoting Equal Treatment
II. PROMOTING EQUAL TREATMENT
The Administration is working to ensure that our nation's religious organizations are treated equally by the Federal government.
- The Administration is issuing nine proposed rules to protect religious organizations from unfair and unequal treatment by the Federal government.
> > The proposed rules would eliminate burdensome Obama-era requirements that unfairly imposed unique regulatory burdens only on religious organizations.
- The Office of Management and Budget is also releasing a memo requiring Federal agencies to ensure that the grant-making practices of state recipients of Federal funding comply with the First Amendment.
- The Trump Administration is committed to ensuring religious organizations can compete on a level playing field for funding, without discrimination.
III. Championing Religious Freedom
III. CHAMPIONING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
These actions build on President Trump's longstanding commitment to safeguarding the fundamental right to religious freedom.
- During his first year in office, President Trump signed an Executive Order upholding religious liberty and the right to engage in religious speech.
- President Trump signed an Executive Order recognizing the essential contributions of faith-based organizations and establishing the Faith and Opportunity Initiative.
- The Administration continues to unequivocally stand up for religious liberty in the courts.
- President Trump reversed the Obama-era policy that prevented the government from providing disaster relief to religious organizations.
- Last year, President Trump hosted a Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom event at the United Nations and called on the international community and business leaders to work to protect religious freedom around the world.
- The Administration has stood up for religious liberty around the world, partnering with local and faith-based organizations to provide assistance to vulnerable religious minorities.
A Resource for Educators
A Resource for Educators:
Department of Education Publishes New Guidelines
The Department of Education's Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools can be found HERE.
We welcome you to share these guidelines with students and teachers in your communities.
> > > See also this statement released by Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Announces Proposed Rule Regarding Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Education Institutions, Provides Updated School Prayer Guidance
A Statement by HHS
HHS Announces Proposed Rule Regarding Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations in HHS-Supported Social Service Programs
Today, January 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing a rule - PDF exit disclaimer icon that implements President Trump's Executive Order No. 13831 (May 3, 2018), removes regulatory burdens on religious organizations, and ensures that religious and non-religious organizations are treated equally in HHS-supported programs. The proposed rule ensures that HHS-supported social service programs are implemented in a manner consistent with the Constitution and other applicable federal law.
"President Trump's administration is taking historic action to protect religious social service providers from discrimination in federal regulations," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "Americans of faith play an essential role in providing healthcare and human services to so many vulnerable people and communities, and President Trump is dedicated to removing every unfair barrier that stands in the way of this important work. Americans from every walk of life deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Our Constitution and civil rights laws ensure equal treatment and today's action makes clear that the federal government cannot discriminate against people and institutions based on how they live out the dictates of their faith."
> > > You can read the entire statement by going here.
To Summarize
Trump announces school prayer guidance;
9 agencies draft religious freedom rules
On National Religious Freedom Day Thursday, the White House announced several new rules and memos designed to roll back "discriminatory" federal regulations as well as promote teachers' and students' right to pray in public schools.
President Donald Trump was joined in the Oval Office by Christian, Jewish and Muslim students who have suffered some form of discrimination as he introduced new regulations and guidance promoting religious freedom.
Among them is the announcement that the U.S. Education Department will send out memos to secretaries and administrators in all 50 states stressing that they can't prevent teachers or students from praying in public schools.
The goal is to "further safeguard students' constitutionally protected right to pray in school" and to let public school administrators know that they can lose federal funding if they violate students' religious freedom.
Additionally, the administration is set to publish draft rules issued by nine federal agencies that ensure less regulation on religious organizations and social service providers.
The administration said the rules would "eliminate burdensome Obama-era requirements that unfairly imposed unique regulatory burdens only on religious organizations."
Trump said during a news conference that he doesn't think there is anything more important than "the right to pray."
"In public schools around the country, authorities are stopping students and teachers from praying, sharing their faith or following their religious beliefs. It is totally unacceptable. You see it on the football field, you see it so many times where they are stopped from praying. We are doing something to stop that."
Trump stressed that "there is a cultural war" and called out a "totalitarian impulse on the far-left that seeks to punish, restrict and even prohibit religious expression."
"You have a side that believes so strongly in prayer and it is being restricted and it's getting worse and worse," he said. "And I think we have made a big impact. We have loosened it up a lot and I want to loosen it up totally." (Christian Post) Read more.
A Statement by FRC
A Great Religious Freedom Day: Pres. Trump Stands Up for Students' Freedom to Pray, Religious Expression
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Family Research Council applauds President Trump's announcement today that his administration will protect religious organizations and reinforce the freedom of public school students across the country to pray and express their religious beliefs. Local education agencies receiving federal education funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) must certify in writing to its state educational agency that "it has no policy that prevents, or otherwise denies participation in, constitutionally protected prayer in public schools as detailed in this updated guidance." The administration also issued nine proposed rules that protect religious organizations from being discriminated against by the federal government.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement:
"President Trump and his administration are taking on the bullies that have been intimidating school officials and bullying students with their often baseless lawsuits. No longer will students have to stand alone in their defense of their religious freedom as these anti-faith organizations seek to rob students in public schools of any form of religious expression. He is also stepping up to protect religious organizations from government discrimination. This is a president who is putting freedom back in Religious Freedom Day.
"For years, we've watched secularists pressure school administrators into telling students that they can't pray, read their Bibles, or talk about their faith in class. Some school officials are willing participants in the secularists' intimidation campaign while others fear the lack of funding to fight threatened lawsuits. Now the tables are turned. The onus is now on states to certify that they are compliant with U.S. Department of Education guidelines which protect students' religious freedom. If schools fail to protect religious freedom, they now run the risk of losing federal funding.
"With this and his other announced rules, President Trump is continuing the drumbeat of religious freedom and the long march toward restoring religious freedom in the public square. No doubt, his announcement today will further galvanize both the attention and support of people of faith," concluded Perkins.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
Father God, on this historic day, we thank You for giving us Donald John Trump. We thank You for giving us a President who holds our foundational principles so near to his heart. We thank You for the Proclamation that he has released today, correcting many past wrongs committed by our federal government that have restricted our Constitutional right to freedom of speech in our land.
Father God, we thank You and we praise You for giving us Donald John Trump as our President, and we ask His protection and care in the days ahead. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
" . . . Proclaim liberty throughout the land!. . ." (Leviticus 25:10)
About CHPP
About Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
Our Mission Statement
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners (CHPP) is a ministry which is positioned on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., helping members of the Body of Christ to "pray for those in authority over us" in our federal government. Our primary purpose is to offer intercession on site for the members of Congress and their staffs each day that the Senate and the House of Representatives are in session; and our chief prayer focus is that "God's will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." [Matthew 6:10].
Because Jesus Christ has shed His blood for all, we, too, pray for ALL, in a nonpartisan manner. Also, because the scriptures indicate that "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 4:17), we are confident that fervent prayer, offered in the halls of the highest chambers of government in our land, can avail much for America. Capitol Hill Prayer Partners welcomes those who feel called to join us, engaging in this strategic work of intercession for our nation: "For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God." [Romans 13:1]
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