United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to end “anti-Christian bias” within the federal government.
Trump disclosed this on Thursday February 6 during the National Prayer Breakfast at the US Capitol, Washington.
The president also appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead a taskforce at the Justice Department to spearhead the effort.
He said the team would fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism and move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.
“You’ve never had that before, but this is a very powerful document I am signing. You got it now – first time you’ve had it. If we don’t have religious liberty, then we don’t have a free country. We probably don’t have a country.
“The mission of this taskforce will be to immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible, the IRS, the FBI and other agencies,”
Trump said.
The order will reverse what it calls an “egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offences” under former President Joe Biden. It cited the convictions of anti-abortion demonstrators for blocking access to aborting clinics.
Trump also announced plans to convene a new presidential commission or religious liberty, describing it as “a very big deal.”
The president, who was inaugurated for a second term of four years in office on January 20, also hinted of a plan to put in place a new faith office in the White House headed by a televangelist and long-time spiritual adviser, Rev. Paula White.
Meanwhile, the initiative is seen in some quarters as a veiled move to bestow privilege on evangelical Christianity over other religious minorities.
Critics say Trump has turned religious freedom on its head for singling out one faith – Christianity.
