The Trump administration is continuing its efforts to eliminate religious discrimination in America by issuing a new guidance to federal agencies directing them to take steps to protect religious expression in the workplace.The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a government-wide memorandum on July 28 that is aimed at ensuring federal employees may express their religious beliefs at work through prayer, personal items, group gatherings, and conversations without fear of discrimination or retaliation.
“Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,” OPM Director Kupor said. “This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths. Under President Trumpʼs leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined.”
Specifically, the guidance calls for the allowance of employees to display and use items for religious purposes such as icons, bibles, artwork, jewelry, posters depicting religious messages, crosses, crucifixes and mezuzahs on their desks, their person, or in their assigned workplaces.
They must be permitted to engage in individual or communal religious expressions in both formal and informal settings alone or with fellow employees, so long as such expressions do not occur during on-duty time.
Employees must also be permitted to engage in conversations regarding religious topics with fellow employees, including attempting to persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views, provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature.
Employees may encourage their coworkers to participate in religious expressions of faith, such as prayer, to the same extent that they would be permitted to encourage coworkers to participate in other personal activities. However, unwillingness to engage in such conversations may not be the basis of workplace discipline.
Although all of the above are rights that are protected by law, hostility toward religion over the last few years, and against Christianity in particular, inspired President Donald Trump to issue an executive order in February of this year aimed at ending the anti-Christian weaponization of government.
The February order detailed a long list of egregious violations of existing constitutional protections of religious freedom by the previous administration.
These include the multi-year imprisonment of dozens of peaceful pro-life Christians for praying at abortion clinics; ignoring the violence, theft, and arson perpetrated against Catholic churches, charities and pro-life centers; the FBI memorandum asserting that “radical-traditionalist” Catholics were domestic terrorists; attempts to repeal religious liberty protections for faith-based organizations on college campuses; attempts to force Christians to affirm radical transgender ideology against their faith; attempts to drive Christians out of the foster care system for not conforming to particular beliefs on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Order also called for the establishment of a Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, reporting to the Attorney General, which was put into effect in May of this year.
“My Administration will not tolerate anti-Christian weaponization of government or unlawful conduct targeting Christians,” the order states. “The law protects the freedom of Americans and groups of Americans to practice their faith in peace, and my Administration will enforce the law and protect these freedoms. My Administration will ensure that any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated, and rectified.”
Hopefully, these steps will insure that the anti-Christian weaponization of government will never again occur in this country.
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