“Rejecting separation of church and state is on the wish list of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission”

According to a report by Associated Press, some members of former President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission have proposed ideas that challenge the traditional U.S. principle of separation between church and state.

During recent commission meetings, several proposals were discussed, including:

A suggestion to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple

Calls for the Department of Justice to intervene in cases involving Amish parents opposing New York’s vaccine requirements and Catholic nuns challenging gender-related healthcare policies

A proposal from the commission chair to create a federal hotline with the message: “There is no separation of church and state.”

Broader Vision of the Commission

Most members of the commission are aligned with conservative Christian supporters of Trump. Their broader policy preferences include:

Expanding religious expression in public schools

Increasing government funding opportunities for faith-based organizations

Allowing broader religious exemptions in labor laws, education, and healthcare mandates

Criticism

Critics argue that:

The commission reflects a narrow, one-sided ideological perspective

It undermines the long-standing constitutional principle of separation of church and state in the United States

It lacks diversity in viewpoints and representation

A legal challenge has also been filed, claiming the commission does not meet federal requirements for balanced advisory panels.