Religiously motivated laws are trying to creep into public policymaking. They are not “sharia” based on the Koran. They are Christian policies and they are coming from the White House, which wants to make it easier for conservative Christians to impose their beliefs and practices on the nation, says an opinion article in the Washington Post.
Mr. Trump declared his intention to help blur the line between church and state by repealing the Johnson Amendment to the IRS code, which dates back to 1954 and restricts tax-exempt churches and organizations from engaging in political activity. The problem is that conservative Christians (particularly evangelicals) do not want to be restricted in pouring tax-exempt funds from their supporters into the political process.
While the president needs Congress to support the removal of the Johnson Amendment, he will likely get it, since his own party, the Republicans, control both houses. Also, the most recent Republican platform included a commitment to repeal the Johnson Amendment.
Furthermore, the Trump administration is considering an executive order that would require federal agencies to look the other way when private organizations discriminate based on religious beliefs – again, primarily conservative Christian beliefs. The effect of the order might be to create wholesale exemptions to anti-discrimination law for people, nonprofits and closely held for-profit corporations that claim religious objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion and transgender identity, among other things.
While President Obama established anti-discrimination policies on the basis of equality, Trump is moving to undo the effect of these policies in the name of preserving religious freedom. Opponents see this as allowing some people to practice religious freedom by denying jobs, services and potentially public accommodation to those with differing beliefs. They say it privileges some religious beliefs over others. While Obama’s viewpoint was fundamentally secular in framing his agenda, Trump’s is Christian in restricting it.
Moreover, Trump has also chosen personnel who seem keen on muddying the distinction between church and state, like Betsy DeVos who believes federal money should be channeled to religious schools, Jeff Sessions, who believes the separation of church and state is to be undone, and others.
In a poll released by the Pew Research Center, about a third of American respondents (32%) said that to be considered “truly American” it was “very important” to be Christian.
Many conservative Christians have expressed fear about the influence of Muslim religious fanatics on the body politic. But, perhaps in dealing with these concerns, as well as their objections to leftist policies and laws, like same-sex marriage and objectionable health care provisions, etc., conservative Christians will tip the balance of liberty back from the left beyond center and make extreme religious laws of their own.
The Bible predicts that at the end of time there would be religiously motivated laws with severe penalties imposed on society from a Christian government. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:15-17.