President Donald Trump announced at the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning that the United States would be &#8220;rededicated as one nation under God&#8221; as he touted his administration&#8217;s defense of religious values.
Trump discussed religious freedom and Christianity and announced that Americans are invited to &#8220;come together on our National Mall to pray, to give thanks,&#8221; on May 17.
&#8220;We are going to do something that everyone said, &#8216;That&#8217;s tough.&#8217; We&#8217;re going to rededicate America as one nation under God,&#8221; Trump said, adding, &#8220;I&#8217;ve always said, you just can&#8217;t have a great country if you don&#8217;t have religion. You have to believe in something. You have to believe that what we&#8217;re doing, there&#8217;s a reason for it.&#8221;
Throughout his speech, the president also sprinkled in criticism of his political opponents, specifically calling former President Joe Biden &#8220;the worst president we&#8217;ve ever had&#8221; and former President Barack Obama &#8220;a terrible divider of our country.&#8221;
&#8220;He was a divider, and believe it or not, we&#8217;re bringing the country together. You know what&#8217;s bringing it together, tremendous success. We&#8217;re having tremendous success,&#8221; Trump said.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I really don&#8217;t, and I know we have some here today, and I don&#8217;t know why they&#8217;re here. They certainly don&#8217;t give us their vote.&#8221;
As he often does, Trump drifted from his prepared remarks for most of the speech and even commented on how he had been ignoring the teleprompter.
&#8220;At some point, I&#8217;m going to get right back onto the teleprompter and you&#8217;re going to say that was a wonderful speech,&#8221; he said before looking back into his prepared remarks.
&#8220;On that momentous day in 1776, history changed forever when our founders proclaimed the immortal truths that echoed around the world and down all the way through time. They declared that all of us are made free and equal by the hand of our creator. A lot of presidents refuse to say that,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Some major politicians refuse to say the word &#8216;God.&#8217; They don&#8217;t want to say it. I say it.&#8221;
&#8220;We are endowed with our sacred rights to life and liberty, not by government but by God Almighty himself,&#8221; he added.
Throughout his second term, Trump has focused on addressing &#8220;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/eradicating-anti-christian-bias/">anti-Christian bias</a>&#8221; in the United States as well as the persecution of Christians in Africa and the Middle East. Last February, Trump established a task force to look into attacks on Christians, condemning the Biden administration for &#8220;targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.&#8221;
&#8220;My Administration will not tolerate anti-Christian weaponization of government or unlawful conduct targeting Christians,&#8221; Trump stated in his order on February 6, 2025.
In the past year, Trump has also called out attacks on Christians in foreign countries, such as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-next-peace-push-focuses-on-nigeria-and-sudan-where-christians-are-killed-by-the-thousands?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+Next+Peace+Push+Focuses+On+Nigeria+And+Sudan%2C+Where+Christians+Are+Killed+By+The+Thousands">Nigeria</a>. The president designated Nigeria as a &#8220;Country of Particular Concern&#8221; in October, saying that “Christianity is facing an existential threat.”
During his speech on Thursday, the president spent a considerable amount of time talking about how he targeted ISIS terrorists in the Middle East during his first term and then slammed the Biden administration&#8217;s failure to keep the region stable after he left office.
&#8220;The election was rigged and I wasn&#8217;t there, and for four years, ISIS rebuilt, rebuilt, rebuilt, and they have a little bit of ISIS now again,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And we knocked the hell out of them the other day in Nigeria because they were killing Christians. I said, &#8216;You can&#8217;t do that.'&#8221;

Donald Trump

Trump Vows To Rededicate America As One Nation Under God

Christianity

Christians

Executive

Freedom of Religion

Politics

Prayer

Religion

A task force created by President Donald Trump has revealed countless examples of apparent government weaponization against Christians and other faithful Americans during the Biden administration years.
The Task Force to Eradicate Anti‑Christian Bias &#8212; which was created through an executive order and is chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi &#8212; concluded in a preliminary report that during the Biden era, there were &#8220;numerous instances of anti-Christian bias.&#8221;
The report details the incidents, which came from a number of government entities, as <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-task-force-finds-numerous-instances-anti-christian-government-bias-under-biden">outlined</a> by Fox News.
The Department of Defense, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Department of Labor, for example, mishandled or denied requests for religious exemptions to the Biden COVID shot mandate. Notably, the Biden administration stood by the mandate until it was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court following a Daily Wire legal challenge.
Biden&#8217;s Department of Education also seemed to target Christian colleges, like Liberty University and Grand Canyon University, with outlandish multimillion-dollar fines. The report also noted Biden&#8217;s Department of Treasury de-banking many pro-Christian groups.
Other well known acts of anti-Christian bias were addressed in the report, such as the Biden administration&#8217;s clear weaponization of the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act against pro-life Christians. As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doj-rolls-back-bidens-aggressive-prosecution-of-pro-lifers">The Daily Wire</a>, Biden was able to lock up nearly a dozen peaceful pro-life protesters by, in part, using the FACE Act. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/cna/2023-witnessed-continued-attacks-on-pro-life-pregnancy-centers-churches">dozens</a> of pro-life pregnancy centers and dozens of churches were vandalized or even set ablaze &#8212; with few delayed repercussions. &#8220;[The Biden] DOJ refused to apply the FACE Act to protect places of worship and crisis pregnancy centers,&#8221; the report asserts.
Another well-known example highlighted in the report is the Biden FBI memo targeting &#8220;radical-traditionalist&#8221; Catholics as &#8220;domestic terrorism threats.&#8221;
The report&#8217;s &#8220;conclusion&#8221; says that numerous investigations &#8220;remain in their early stages,&#8221; however, &#8220;the evidence uncovered is unmistakable: during the Biden Administration, people of faith, particularly Christians, were repeatedly subjected to anti-religious bias at the hands of their own government.&#8221;
&#8220;Attorney General Bondi and the Task Force are resolved to end that pattern once and for all,&#8221; it continues. &#8220;Over the next twenty months, the Task Force will pursue its mandate with vigor, conducting robust investigations, enforcing the rule of law, and ensuring that the Trump Administration’s commitment to equal treatment of all faiths is fully realized.&#8221;
&#8220;By eradicating anti-Christian bias in the federal government, the Task Force is reaffirming a principle older than the Republic itself, that freedom of religion is not granted by government but guaranteed against it,&#8221; the report adds. &#8220;America must remain One Nation Under God if she is to remain Indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for All. The Task Force will never permit the federal government to be used as a weapon against faith.&#8221;
&#8220;The days of anti-Christian bias in the federal government are over. Faith is not a liability in America—it is a liberty,&#8221; the report says.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doj-rolls-back-bidens-aggressive-prosecution-of-pro-lifers">Trump DOJ Rolls Back Biden’s Aggressive Prosecution Of Pro-Lifers</a>

Pam Bondi

Bombshell DOJ Report Details Biden-Era Anti-Christian Attacks, Vows To End Weaponization

Abortion

Biden Administration

Department of Justice

Pro-Life Movement

U.S.

President Donald Trump shared a historical view of prayer in the United States — dating back to before there even was a United States — in his remarks commemorating the National Day of Prayer on Thursday morning.
&#8220;We&#8217;re bringing back religion in our country and we&#8217;re bringing it back quickly and strongly — because for America to be a great nation, we must always be One Nation Under God,&#8221; Trump began, sounding vaguely reminiscent of the late Ronald Reagan when he warned, &#8220;If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;We&#8217;re bringing back religion in our country and we&#8217;re bringing it back quickly and strongly — because for America to be a great nation, we must always be One Nation Under God.&#8221; 🙏 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/qBOweUo8FZ">pic.twitter.com/qBOweUo8FZ</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917974950151098376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump then went further back to a day of &#8220;fasting and prayer&#8221; that took place in the Continental Congress over a year before the Declaration of Independence was even written, as the men who would ultimately found the Unites States prayed for the men fighting for their liberation from British rule.
&#8220;As the American people turn to God in prayer, we continue a tradition older than our independence itself. Nearly 250 years ago on June 12, 1775, the Continental Congress appointed a day of fasting and prayer so that Americans fighting for their liberty could seek the help of the Almighty,&#8221; Trump said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;As the American people turn to God in prayer, we continue a tradition older than our independence itself. Nearly 250 years ago on June 12, 1775, the Continental Congress appointed a day of fasting and prayer so that Americans fighting for their liberty could seek the… <a href="https://t.co/TG48CPRAdK">pic.twitter.com/TG48CPRAdK</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917978293808115957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The president went on to reference a letter written by second President John Adams to his wife Abigail about his first National Day of Prayer, adding, &#8220;In a letter to wife Abigail, John Adams wrote, of his first National Day of Prayer, &#8216;Millions will be upon their knees at once before their great Creator, imploring his forgiveness and blessing and asking for his favor on the American cause.&#8217; Today &#8230; in the heart of a free and proud America, we rejoice that God answered those prayers.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;In a letter to wife Abigail, John Adams wrote, of his first National Day of Prayer, &#8216;Millions will be upon their knees at once before their great Creator, imploring his forgiveness and blessing and asking for his favor on the American cause.&#8217; Today&#8230; in the heart of a… <a href="https://t.co/KATSPovKrE">pic.twitter.com/KATSPovKrE</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917979348616778100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In addition to President Trump, speakers at the Rose Garden event included Dr. Phil McGraw, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX), and the parents of Eden Alexander, the last living American hostage still being held by Hamas terrorists.
&#8220;As we defend religious freedom in America, we are also standing up against religious persecution around the world,&#8221; Trump said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> welcomes the parents of Eden Alexander, the last living American being held hostage by Hamas: &#8220;As we defend religious freedom in America, we are also standing up against religious persecution around the world.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/NVVTC757Hc">pic.twitter.com/NVVTC757Hc</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917983742716489838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;As we bow our heads on this beautiful day, once again we have to trust our God because our God knows exactly where we&#8217;re going &#8230; and may He continue to hear our prayers, to guide our steps, and build up our beloved nation to even greater heights,&#8221; Trump added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;As we bow our heads on this beautiful day, once again we have to trust our God because our God knows exactly where we&#8217;re going&#8230; and may He continue to hear our prayers, to guide our steps, and build up our beloved nation to even greater heights.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/n7WqrjksH4">pic.twitter.com/n7WqrjksH4</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917986435816112406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-RELIGION-TRUMP

‘God Answered Those Prayers’: Trump Invokes Founding Father In National Day Of Prayer Remarks

'God Answered Those Prayers': Trump Invokes Founding Father In National Day Of Prayer Remarks

John Adams

Norman Rockwell would roll over in his grave if he learned what passes for freedom in the Democratic Party, seen in the Presidential ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Rockwell painted four scenes <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/norman-rockwells-four-freedoms-brought-ideals-america-life-180968033/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the midst of World War II</a> that captured the longing of the nation <a href="https://www.mfah.org/blogs/inside-mfah/norman-rockwells-four-freedoms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for foundational freedoms</a>: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. However, Harris and Walz offer a dystopian view that empowers government, not ordinary citizens. Those freedoms are replaced with one, new category: <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/29/kamala-harris-abortion-restoring-roe-00171657" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“freedom” for unlimited abortion.</a>
Consider the violations of basic freedoms from both Harris and Walz, when in power.
On Freedom of Speech: Attorney Jonathan Turley <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/4820490-harris-walz-administration-free-speech/">notes</a>: “In her failed 2020 presidential bid, Harris <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/442261-harris-says-her-administration-would-hold-social-media-platforms/">ran on censorship</a>,” something he both <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/3115414/harris-walz-threat-to-first-amendment/">practiced and preached</a>. As California’s Attorney General, Harris didn’t support the rights of citizen journalist David Daleiden, exposing <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/02/us-news/kamala-harris-accused-of-weaponizing-calif-ags-office-against-activist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">her campaign donor, Planned Parenthood</a>, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/08/us-news/undercover-video-allegedly-shows-planned-parenthood-scandal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and used</a> the power of her office to raid his apartment, suppressing information about the alleged trafficking in human remains harvested from late-term abortions.
Immediately after taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/wall-street-journal-hammers-supreme-court-giving-biden-administration-license-social-media-censorship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressured</a> social media companies to block those who disagreed with their handling of the COVID pandemic, allegedly taking <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/09/08/biden-officials-likely-violated-first-amendment-over-covid-court/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">direct steps</a> against opponents. A recent lawsuit notes accusations that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) engaged in <a href="https://aflegal.org/america-first-legal-lawsuit-exposes-the-fbi-implemented-extensive-nationwide-social-media-monitoring-ahead-of-the-2022-midterms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“extensive” monitoring</a> of citizens during the 2022 election season.
She’s found a kindred spirit in Walz, who <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/08/16/whos_for_the_first_amendment_--_and_whos_against_151458.html">told MSNBC in 2022, </a>&#8220;There&#8217;s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy.”
That’s not exactly his story in stump speeches. Recently Walz said the &#8220;golden rule&#8221; in America is to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/08/07/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-and-governor-tim-walz-at-a-campaign-event-eau-clarie-wi/">“mind your own damn business.”</a> Yet, during COVID he set up a snitch line, so that neighbors could inform on neighbors who didn’t tow his line. Harris and Walz abuse of weaponized governmental agencies signals trouble ahead.
On Freedom of Worship: <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2020/09/22/catholic-abortion-vote-biden-trump-ruth-bader-ginsburg-2020-column/5853831002/">Harris was so offended</a> by a faithful Catholic up for a job as judge, that she said <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/kamala-harriss-anti-catholic-bigotry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a Senate hearing</a> that his involvement in a Catholic charity disqualified him to serve. Repeatedly, <a href="https://firstliberty.org/news/kamala-harris-supported-legislation-that-threatened-religious-freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she sponsored legislation</a> that gutted the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which protects people of faith from being forced to act against their conscience rights. As lead sponsor of the Do No Harm Act and the benignly named Equality Act, Harris targeted Americans with faith if they did not comply with her social engineering.
And consider her <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/05/11/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-after-the-senate-vote-on-the-womens-health-protection-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passion project</a>, the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) that goes radically far beyond Roe v. Wade.
In a letter to U.S. Representatives, the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops <a href="https://www.usccb.org/resources/WHPA%20opposition%20letter%20House%20and%20fact%20sheet%20July%202022%20clean.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>: “WHPA plainly seeks to force religious health professionals and religious hospitals to perform abortions against their beliefs. If it did not, there would be no reasons for the WHPA to specifically state that it overrides the longstanding, bipartisan … RFRA– something no bill passed by Congress has ever done.” And the measure blocks states’ rights as well.
On Freedom from Want: The economically inept Biden-Harris Administration forced forward a crippling measure in which Harris was the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kamalaharris/p/C-vT5dMs4FJ/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">smug, tie-breaking vote</a> for <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/harris-deciding-vote-inflation-reduction-131528874.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAF10_SlQjcjqicCtrBhH8qhDBZ-IQNABZLvd_sIdL7cVZdQXGWF9lbyjGdFDCkpJCaOmiDgTUPlDMEuQQq05qhHmb0G9VeuN9X9aP5NT4KaXYu06MCqSK0Ix7H1I8ufCO9FzFA8af-qGKanRmgNPKDqC4YSmFFvdYhPuhIxZ0vRt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Inflation Reduction Act</a>. When former President Donald Trump <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/15/opinion/economic-choice-in-election-is-stark-bigger-opportunity-or-a-bigger-state/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">left office</a>, the inflation rate was 1.4%, but inflation during the Biden-Harris years topped out at 9.1% and <a href="https://x.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1824614960737013763">isn’t in great shape today</a>.
While it’s reported that <a href="https://www.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/commentary/biden-pretends-rising-food-prices-are-not-problem">“average weekly paychecks”</a> are up 14.1% in the three years of the Biden-Harris Administration, prices have risen more than 19.3%. That’s an average, consider reporting that <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/how-started-how-going-inflation-down-june-prices-still" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rent is up 21.9% and food up 21.5%</a>, while energy costs up <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/12/us-news/electricity-costs-soar-under-biden-administrationenergy-prices-soar-under-biden-administration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are up almost 30%.</a>
Are we to believe that the candidate <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-attack-kamala-harris-jewelry-1935083" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly wearing a $62,000 necklace</a> to her political events has insight into the crippling cost of bread … and what she did to make it so expensive?
Freedom from Fear: Much has been written about <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2024-08-07%20The%20Consequences%20of%20the%20Biden-Harris%20Administration%27s%20Open-Borders%20Policies%20The%20Case%20of%20an%20Illegal%20Alien%20Gang%20Member%20Terrorizing%20New%20York%20City_Redacted.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the rising crime rate</a>, ushered in by the Biden-Harris Administration’s <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/3124664/a-story-everyone-should-know-harris-biden-and-gianfranco-torres-navarro/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open border policy</a>, with Kamala on deck as Border Czar. But as California’s Attorney General, her soft-on-crime policies left a tragic wake in her home state. Bizarrely, <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/07/31/after-raising-bail-for-rioters-now-kamala-harris-claims-shes-tough-on-crime/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she promoted a fund to bail out Black Lives Matter rioters</a> in Walz’s home state, that “(a)mong those <a href="https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-nonprofit-with-35m-bails-out-those-accused-of-violent-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bailed out</a> was a convicted rapist facing charges of sexual assault and kidnapping.”
Meanwhile, Walz’s wife enjoyed the scent of burning tires, and Walz gloated while <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/i-watched-as-gov-tim-walz-let-my-home-state-of-minnesota-burn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his city burned around him</a>, sending forces into neighborhoods to frighten citizens indoors.
But in <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/12/politics/harris-arizona-abortion/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the name of “freedom</a>,” Harris flacks for the Planned Parenthood abortion business model.
This isn’t the <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/29/kamala-harris-abortion-restoring-roe-00171657" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soft freedom of “choice”</a> as that doesn’t go far enough for Harris’ who pledges to “restore reproductive freedom.” And it’s not what Roe and Doe together mutated into U.S. law – abortion without limit, for any reason, and sometimes paid for by taxpayers. She wants more.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/29/kamala-harris-abortion-restoring-roe-00171657" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico reports:</a> “”I don’t think there’s a real debate about whether we want to go beyond Roe,” said Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All who has frequently campaigned for and with Harris.” Ironically, the organization, formerly the <a href="https://library.unh.edu/find/archives/collections/national-abortion-rights-action-league#:~:text=National%20Abortion%20Rights%20Action%20League,-National%20Abortion%20Rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Abortion Rights Action League,</a> also hides abortion behind the fig leaf of “Freedom.”
A cold-hearted Harris-Walz Administration seems poised to ignore the basic freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights, with fealty to the one thing NOT in the U.S. Constitution – Abortion. Given their thuggish abuse of power when opposed, no one will be free who doesn’t agree with them.
* * *
Kristan Hawkins is CEO of Pro-Life Generation as well as president of Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action, with nearly 1,500 groups on middle &amp; high school, college &amp; university, medical &amp; law school campuses in all 50 states. Follow her @KristanHawkins <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCGcOhAEUUBhBVxhavGYtxFG4P7NGh4mE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">or subscribe to her podcast, Explicitly Pro-Life.</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

2024 Democratic National Convention: Day 2

The Only ‘Freedom’ Kamala Harris And Tim Walz Support Isn’t In The Constitution

The Only 'Freedom' Kamala Harris And Tim Walz Support Isn’t In The Constitution

2024 Election

Democratic National Convention

Democrats

Freedom of Speech

Kamala Harris

Opinion

Tim Walz

A 16-year-old male gunman was stopped by parishioners and arrested by police officers after he entered a Louisiana Catholic church during Mass on Saturday. The incident occurred during a Mass celebrating a group of children’s first holy communion at St. Mary Magdalen church in Abbeville in southern Louisiana.
No one was injured during the incident.
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USA
An anti Catholic terrorist was arrested after entering a Catholic Church with a rifle, intending to massacre children and families during a First Holy Communion ceremony in Abbeville, Louisiana <a href="https://t.co/5MI36mq20t">pic.twitter.com/5MI36mq20t</a>
&mdash; Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) <a href="https://twitter.com/CatholicArena/status/1789773607897305169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This morning, our First Communion ceremony was interrupted when a suspicious person opened the back door,&#8221; St. Mary Magdalen church said in a statement, KGET <a href="https://www.kget.com/national-news/video-parishioners-stop-teen-with-gun-from-entering-louisiana-church/">reported</a>. &#8220;The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called.&#8221;
Officers with the Abbeville Police Department apprehended and arrested the teen and then checked inside the church to make sure there was no additional danger.
&#8220;This understandably caused panic. While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all,&#8221; the church said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are involved in the investigation.
The suspect was questioned at a police station with a parent present and then taken to a hospital behavioral unit to be medically evaluated, the Abbeville Police Department said.
The teen has been charged with “terrorizing” as well as with two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile, police said.
The terrifying incident was captured on a church camera that was streaming the Mass online. A man ascends the altar and whispers to the priest, who then asks the parishioners to sit down and join him in prayer and begins reciting Hail Marys. Several men walk around near the front pews, frequently looking towards the back of the church.
Moments later, parishioners can be seen panicking, screaming, and grabbing their small children as police enter the church. The priest continued to pray but was drowned out by the crowd. He and several priests duck behind the altar during the chaos, and altar boys can be seen running across the altar.
&#8220;So guys, just get ahold of your child. Go slowly. We did apprehend a young man. He is in custody. He is in the police&#8217;s custody. Calm down and just get next to your child and go slowly,&#8221; a man can be heard telling the crowd on a microphone.
The church said it will have law enforcement at all upcoming Masses as a precaution.
St. Mary Magdelen church is part of Vermilion Parish and is located about 21 miles southwest of Lafayette.

Catholic eucharistic liturgy.

Teen Gunman Stopped After Entering Louisiana Catholic Church During Mass

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Catholic Church

Catholicism

Gun Violence

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Religious Freedom

The man who destroyed a Satanic holiday display in the Iowa State Capitol on Thursday has been arrested and charged, police said.
Michael Cassidy, 35, was arrested after allegedly beheading a Baphomet statue put up last week by the Satanic Temple of Iowa, the Iowa State Police <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/satanic-display-inside-iowa-state-capitol-destroyed-man-charged-officials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> to Fox News.
He has been charged with 4th-degree criminal mischief.
Cassidy, a former Navy pilot who now works as a flight instructor and was previously a Mississippi congressional candidate, <a href="https://republicsentinel.com/articles/exclusive-christian-tears-down-and-beheads-satan-shrine-in-iowa-capitol?fbclid=IwAR3IAvn-ot35lKKtSK6UhP1YOt7PFHyjQdEWQCCzjMiB26OWyYC8y197168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> to The Republic Sentinel why he decided to destroy the Satanic display.
“I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged,” Cassidy told the outlet. “My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”
“The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment,” Cassidy added. “Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water.”
After being charged, Cassidy posted a Bible verse to social media on Thursday evening.
“1 Peter 5:8 KJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” Cassidy posted on X.
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The Satanic Temple of Iowa <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/688085943432528" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a Facebook post that the statue was &#8220;destroyed beyond repair&#8221; but that they will continue their holiday display for the next few days.
“We ask that for safety, visitors travel together and use the 7 Tenets as a reminder for empathy, in the knowledge that justice is being pursued the correct way, through legal means,” the group wrote. “Happy Holidays! Hail Satan!&#8221;
The Satanic Temple of Iowa <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SatanicIowa/posts/pfbid0WraUi8Axcy8CBaFPcc4ZUP4UCtEKtHSKWTfoj58h4qq8Z6EHt5YbkAHybZizZBVil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it obtained permission from the state for the display, which was <a href="https://republicsentinel.com/articles/exclusive-christian-tears-down-and-beheads-satan-shrine-in-iowa-capitol?fbclid=IwAR3IAvn-ot35lKKtSK6UhP1YOt7PFHyjQdEWQCCzjMiB26OWyYC8y197168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> set up near displays of the Nativity on the first floor of the Iowa Capitol. The display showed the idol Baphomet holding a pentacle surrounded by candles.
Governor Kim Reynolds (R-IA) encouraged residents to counter the &#8220;objectionable&#8221; display with more speech.
“Like many Iowans, I find the Satanic Temple’s display in the Capitol absolutely objectionable. In a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech, and I encourage all those of faith to join me today in praying over the Capitol and recognizing the nativity scene that will be on display – the true reason for the season,” Reynolds <a href="https://governor.iowa.gov/press-release/2023-12-12/gov-reynolds-statement-satanic-temple-display" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Tuesday in a statement.

US-religion-SATAN

Man Charged For Beheading Satanic Display In Iowa State Capitol

Man Charged Who Beheaded Satanic Display In Iowa State Capitol

Iowa

Kim Reynolds

satanic

A casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that times have never been worse for religious liberty in America. Over the last few years, headlines have blared alarmist rhetoric such as “<a href="https://spectator.org/religious-liberty-under-threat-at-home-and-abroad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Religious Liberty Under Threat, at Home and Abroad</a>” or “<a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/dec/2/freedom-of-religion-is-as-threatened-today-as-it-w/#:~:text=Recent%20events%20have%20demonstrated%20that%20the%20free%20exercise,personal%20liberty%20in%20the%20name%20of%20public%20safety." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Freedom of religion is as threatened today as it was in 1791.</a>” Anyone who has donated a dollar to a conservative cause is likely to have received a flood of fundraising emails suggesting that religious freedom will disappear if they do not donate to one organization or another. 
It is easy to understand why someone may think religious liberty is headed in the wrong direction without doing further research. Fortunately, there is much more to the story. While there is still improvement to be made, and it remains worthwhile to support legitimate religious liberty organizations, we are closer to entering a golden age of religious liberty law than we are to seeing that right extinguished. Establishment Clause jurisprudence is a worthy case study. 
One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, and a sour decision on Lemon v. Kurtzman spoiled establishment clause cases for half a century, until Kennedy v. Bremerton brought a fair return to Establishment Clause jurisprudence.
In <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1970/89" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lemon v. Kurtzman</a>, the Supreme Court held that issuing financial relief to religious schools constituted an impermissible “establishment” of religion.
For the next 50 years, the Lemon test was the law of the land. Under that test, a law must 1) have a secular purpose 2) not advance nor inhibit religion 3) not cause excessive entanglement of government and religion. A corollary to this rule was that any action which seemed to “endorse” religion was also unconstitutional. Lemon was so ambiguous that some government entities were deterred from offering any benefits — including those available to every other citizen — to religious people. Lemon also empowered anti-religious zealots to threaten or even sue any government that so much as allowed a Rabbi to <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1988/87-2050" target="_blank" rel="noopener">light a Menorah in a public park</a>, or <a href="https://www.becketlaw.org/case/gagliardi/#:~:text=The%20lawsuit%20made%20the%20bizarre,was%20driven%20by%20anti%2DSemitism." target="_blank" rel="noopener">grant a zoning permit</a> to a synagogue.
The Court slowly but surely endeavored to ameliorate the harm of Lemon. Over the last few decades, the Supreme Court has repeatedly declined to apply Lemon in many cases where it seemed to be the governing law. For example, Lemon was interpreted to not apply in cases involving <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2013/12-696" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislative prayer</a>, <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2018/17-1717" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public displays of religious objects</a>, and the use of <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/508/384/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public school facilities for religious activities</a> after school hours. Unfortunately, because the court never explicitly stated that Lemon was reversed, lower courts continued to apply its strict rule.
While religious litigants were very likely to win at the Supreme Court, the vast majority of cases never reach the Supreme Court. Religious Americans were left at the mercy of lower court judges, many of whom continued to apply Lemon in a merciless manner and fell influence to rampant, anti-religious sentiment. It is unknown how many religious Americans simply gave up when a city told them that Lemon prevented it from allowing them to exercise their religion.
Lemon was finally laid to rest in October 2021 with <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennedy v. Bremerton</a>, a landmark case that held that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/coach-fired-for-praying-at-football-game-reinstated-to-old-role-gets-nearly-2-million-settlement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">football coach</a> of a public high school did not violate the Establishment Clause by engaging in silent prayer after games. The case garnered significant media attention, with many claiming that Kennedy was somehow indoctrinating the faithful players who decided to pray with him. 
Really, in an age where young people are consistently rejecting traditional values for the instant gratification provided by our digital-driven world, the faith demonstrated by Coach Kennedy and those who chose to pray with him, should have been met with respect. Coach Kennedy’s prayers took the form of a silent kneel on the 50-yard line after the completion of a game. The players who joined him weren’t necessarily even praying to the same God, but taking time after a game to express their gratitude in a powerful display of unity and faith.
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In its decision on Kennedy v. Bremerton, the Supreme Court affirmed that Lemon’s “ahistorical, atextual” approach had long been dead, although it had not yet explicitly stated so. Nevertheless, the Court’s delay in stating the fall of Lemon, and lack of clarity from Establishment Clause cases leading up to it, caused unnecessary suffering for religious communities. Although Kennedy eventually won his case, he was initially fired from coaching the team he loved, suffered public ridicule, and had his faith questioned in front of the entire nation.
In <a href="https://www.becketlaw.org/case/gagliardi/#:~:text=The%20lawsuit%20made%20the%20bizarre,was%20driven%20by%20anti%2DSemitism." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gagliardi v. The City of Boca Raton Florida,</a> Lemon was invoked to delay Jewish residents from building a synagogue. After years of delay and deprivation from their access to worship, the synagogue finally won in Court. The decision in Kennedy ensures that anti-religious reactionaries will no longer be able to invoke Lemon to strip sincere religious communities of their rights and dignity.
In Kennedy’s wake, the Court instructed that, going forward, Establishment Clause cases would be decided by “reference to historical practices and understanding.” Although exactly what will come from the new precedent has yet to be decided, American history, from its very founding, is rooted in religious freedom and recognizing pluralism, so it will be significantly better than Lemon. Lower courts will no longer be able to force religious litigants to forgo their convictions in the name of the Lemon test.
With Lemon officially gone in Kennedy’s wake, Establishment Clause jurisprudence has gone from sour to sweet. We should continue to fight to fully protect religious freedom, but we should also celebrate and acknowledge how much progress has been made. Instead of letting headlines of standout cases drive us to hysteria, we should let them galvanize us into action.
* * *
Bella Brannon is a Junior at UCLA studying Public Affairs, Religion, and Digital Humanities. She is the Editor-In-Chief of Ha’Am, researched bias in artificial intelligence with the School of Technology Law and Policy, and spent the summer interning with the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty.
The views expressed int his piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Christians Gather At Supreme Court To Pray As Bremerton Case Is Heard

Why Establishment Clause Jurisprudence Is Moving From Sour To Sweet

Courts

Jews

Readers Pass

SCOTUS

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A Vermont Christian school that pulled out of a basketball game over a trans-identifying male player is suing the state for barring it from state tournaments as well as a state tuition program.
Mid Vermont Christian School in Hartford <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/vermont-expels-christian-school-tuition-program-sports-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> a federal lawsuit against the state in Burlington on Tuesday, alleging that the Vermont Agency of Education committed religious discrimination when it refused to designate the school as an approved independent school.
&#8220;Mid Vermont Christian and its students are being irreparably harmed by being denied participation in the Town Tuitioning and Dual Enrollment Programs and middle school and high school athletics,&#8221; the lawsuit <a href="https://adflegal-live-drupal-files-delivery.s3.amazonaws.com/2023-11/Mid-Vermont-Christian-School-v-Bouchey-2023-11-21-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>.
&#8220;This civil rights action seeks to protect a Christian school and its students and parents from unconstitutional religious discrimination and hostility,&#8221; the complaint <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/christian-school-suing-officials-barred-events-forfeiting-game-trans-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reads</a>.
Back in February, Mid Vermont Christian forfeited a girls basketball playoff game, saying a trans-identifying male player on the opposing team jeopardized “the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.”
The opposing team from Long Trail High School automatically <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/christian-school-suing-officials-barred-events-forfeiting-game-trans-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> the game.
The next month, the body that governs school sports, the executive council of the Vermont Principals’ Association, <a href="https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/11/christian-school-that-objected-to-transgender-athletes-sues-vt-after-its-banned-from-competition.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> the Christian school from future tournaments. The council ruled the school had violated the council’s policies on race, gender and disability awareness.
Meanwhile, the Vermont State Board of Education <a href="https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/11/christian-school-that-objected-to-transgender-athletes-sues-vt-after-its-banned-from-competition.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requires</a> independent schools to provide the board with a nondiscrimination statement and post the statement on their websites. If the board does not approve a school, that school may not participate in the state&#8217;s town tuition program, which funds private school tuition for students in areas without a public school.
&#8220;The State is entitled to its own views, but it is not entitled, nor is it constitutional, to force private, religious schools across the state to follow that orthodoxy as a condition to participating in Vermont&#8217;s tuitioning program and the State&#8217;s athletic association,&#8221; the school&#8217;s lawsuit says.
The school&#8217;s girls basketball coach, who has coached the team for the last 10 years, said he could not have imagined telling his daughter she could not play sports due to her religious views.
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&#8220;No one, including our student athletes, should have opportunities taken away from them because of their religious beliefs,&#8221; coach Chris Goodwin <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/christian-school-suing-officials-barred-events-forfeiting-game-trans-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News.
The lawsuit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
&#8220;Vermont has repeatedly discriminated against Christian schools and their families for following their religious beliefs,&#8221; ADF senior counsel Ryan Tucker said.
&#8220;Put simply, Mid Vermont Christian School believes that boys are boys and girls are girls. They have been punished for this belief. No school or parent should have to change their beliefs to participate in athletics or a state tuitioning program,&#8221; Tucker said.

Syracuse v Villanova

Christian School That Protested Trans-Identifying Student Sues State

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Religious Liberty

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A friend of mine and her family live near Lebanon, Connecticut, a small, rural town in the southeastern corner of the state. She recently contacted me, sharing her concern over a new club for young learners at her local elementary school. The name of the club – and this is not a belated Halloween joke – is “<a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/after-school-satan-club-lebanon-ct-18483405.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After School Satan Club</a>.” 
 
Yes, Satanists are running a club at an elementary school. In fact, they advertise it on a flyer designed with cute colored pencils. While the club is not “approved or sponsored by the school district,” the first meeting is set for December 1, 2023. 
The middle of the flyer contains this disclaimer:
<blockquote>The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religion that views Satan as a literary figure who represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny and championing the human mind and spirit. After School Satan Club does not attempt to convert children to any religion. Instead, The Satanic Temple supports children to think for themselves.</blockquote>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-655827" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/image-2-461x576.png" alt="" width="461" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/image-2-461x576.png 461w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/image-2-240x300.png 240w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/image-2.png 540w" sizes=" (max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" /></div>
Sounds like the sort of nonsense we should expect from the father of lies. A little more digging around, however, reveals that a larger organization is behind the new club, <a href="https://thesatanictemple.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Satanic Temple</a>. And while the title of the organization is foreboding, it appears to be a group dedicated to promoting a leftist agenda — unique only in that it has adopted the prince of darkness as its mascot.
Those upset with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, for example, will be pleased to know that The Satanic Temple has <a href="https://thesatanictemple.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petitioned</a> the state of Texas to allow their members to undergo voluntary abortions as part of a religious ritual. 
And since Justice Samuel Alito was the primary author of the Court’s majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, members can also send in donations to the Temple’s fundraiser for the “Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Abortion Clinic.” How nice.
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In addition to shilling for Big Abortion, The Satanic Temple is also dedicated to going after those children who&#8217;ve escaped the womb and actually succeeded in being born. They do it by targeting those schools that allow Bible study groups to meet after school.
Wherever there&#8217;s a Bible study club on school grounds, they want a Satan club.
“The After School Satan Club does not believe in introducing religion into public schools and will only open a club if other religious groups are operating on campus,” the group <a href="https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/after-school-satan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explains</a>.
So far they’ve been successful in setting up after school clubs in rural elementary schools in <a href="https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/after-school-satan-club-to-hold-1st-meeting-at-chesapeake-primary-school/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Virginia</a> and <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3981851-federal-judge-rules-pennsylvania-school-district-must-allow-after-school-satan-club/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pennsylvania</a>. The one in Virginia was even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-democrat-pushed-after-school-satan-club-and-has-a-fixation-on-the-demonic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoted by a Democrat</a> candidate for office, The Daily Wire reported last month.
Like many other schools across the country, Lebanon’s elementary school recently authorized a “<a href="https://www.cefonline.com/ministries/goodnewsclub/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Good News Club</a>” to hold after school meetings. Good News Club, a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship, is a weekly interdenominational Christian program for 5- to 12-year-old children featuring a Bible lesson, songs, memory verses, and games.
In 2001, the Supreme Court handed the organization a major victory, holding that the club was entitled to the same access as other groups to provide after-school programs promoting &#8220;moral and character development&#8221; to elementary school students in Milford, New York. In the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/pdf/99-2036P.ZO" target="_blank" rel="noopener">words</a> of Justice Clarence Thomas: “When Milford denied the Good News Club access to the school’s limited public forum on the ground that the Club was religious in nature, it discriminated against the Club because of its religious viewpoint in violation of the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.” 
 
Last weekend, the superintendent of Lebanon public schools wrote to parents explaining that “by opening its facilities to outside groups offering non-curricular activities, the District legally must allow access by various groups without regard to their religious, political, or philosophical perspectives, as long as the organizations comply with the view-point neutral criteria set forth in Board policies.” 
 
But must it? 
 
The Lebanon School Board <a href="https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/494208/1007_-_Use_of_School_Facilities.pdf">policy</a>, consistent with Connecticut <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/2020/title-10/chapter-170/section-10-239/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a>, permits “the use of any school facility for nonprofit educational or community purposes.” There is nothing “educational” about the Satanic Temple&#8217;s farce of an after school club. It is tailor-made to mock the principles of the First Amendment by targeting schools where religious clubs have been established. This is a strong reason to deny use of school facilities, but don’t bet on the school board doing so. They are certainly aware that when a school board in Pennsylvania denied the club access, they were hauled into court by the ACLU, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and Dechert LLP on behalf of the Temple.
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Of the 336 pre-K to 4th grade students attending Lebanon Elementary School, the parents of <a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/after-school-satan-club-lebanon-ct-18483405.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nine</a> children have given them permission to join the after school club for its inaugural meeting on December 1. That&#8217;s a very small proportion, but let&#8217;s be clear about what is happening here.
Those nine children face the prospect of indoctrination by pro-abortion, gender ideology fanatics who, despite their invocation of the ultimate symbol of evil, enjoy the support of powerful lobbyists friendly with the current administration. Which is headed by someone who tells us he is a devout Catholic. The Satanic Temple may not be Devil-worshipers, but make no mistake about it: their beliefs, which on key issues align closely with those of progressives claiming to be Christians, are truly diabolical.
Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is director of the <a href="https://conscience-project.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conscience Project.</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Empty Black Board in Classroom

Why School Boards Should Reject ‘Satan Clubs’ In Elementary Schools

Connecticut

Education

School Boards

Schools

House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) called the separation of church and state a &#8220;misnomer&#8221; when CNBC co-anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin attempted to corner him about kneeling and praying on the floor of Congress earlier this year.
&#8220;The separation of church and state is a misnomer —people misunderstand it,&#8221; Johnson said during an interview on &#8220;Squawk Box.&#8221;
&#8220;Of course, it comes from a phrase that was in a letter that [Thomas] Jefferson wrote — it&#8217;s not in the Constitution,&#8221; he added.
Johnson referred to Thomas Jefferson&#8217;s 1802 <a href="https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut when Jefferson served as the third President of the United States.
&#8220;What he was explaining is they did not want the government to encroach upon the church, not that they didn&#8217;t want principles of faith to have influence on our public life is exactly the opposite,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;It&#8217;s exactly the opposite.&#8221;
He then referenced <a href="https://virginiahistory.org/learn/george-washingtons-farewell-address#:~:text=%E2%80%9COf%20all%20the%20dispositions%20and,men%20and%20citizens...." target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Washington&#8217;s Farewell Address</a>, delivered in 1796, which stated, &#8220;Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.&#8221;
Johnson also mentioned John Adams&#8217; <a href="https://www.johnadamsacademy.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2003858&amp;type=d&amp;pREC_ID=2094472#_ftn1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to the Massachusetts Militia in 1798, which read, &#8220;Our constitution is made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.&#8221;
&#8220;They knew that it would be important to maintain our system,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s why I think we need more of that &#8212; not an establishment of any national religion, but we need everybody&#8217;s vibrant expression of faith because it&#8217;s such an important part of who we are as a nation.&#8221;
Johnson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-make-no-apologies-new-house-speaker-says-the-bible-is-his-worldview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received</a> unanimous Republican support after three weeks of chaos — and three other nominees for the position — and was elected on October 25 to replace ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), becoming second in line to the presidency.
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During his first speech as speaker, Johnson told every other member of Congress that he believed God had called them all to use their gifts to serve the American people.
But just before the newly minted House Speaker secured the gavel, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) posted a photo of Johnson with a small cadre of House members praying for the Speaker&#8217;s race back in January.
In the CNBC interview, Johnson pointed to the First Amendment when asked about expressing his faith on the House floor after being sworn in.
&#8220;Faith — our deep religious heritage and tradition is a big part of what it means to be an American,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;When the founders set the system up, they wanted a vibrant expression of faith in the public square because they believed that a general moral consensus and virtue was necessary to maintain this grand experiment and self-governance.&#8221;
&#8220;So we created a government of, by, and for the people,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have a king in charge, we don&#8217;t have a middleman — so we&#8217;ve got to keep morality amongst us so that we have accountability.&#8221;
Johnson worked as a senior lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, focusing on religious freedom issues in schools, government, and other public spaces before he entered Congress.
His faith plays a significant role in his political decision-making — so much so that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/01/opinion/mike-johnson-christian-nationalism-speaker.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> seethed over him becoming the first speaker of the House &#8220;who can be fairly described as a Christian nationalist.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Lots of misleading headlines. Take a look at what I actually said here: <a href="https://t.co/Vw3AHzoRvT">pic.twitter.com/Vw3AHzoRvT</a>
&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1724809472529633434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Virginia Kruta contributed to this report.

House Elects Mike Johnson Of Louisiana As Speaker

CNBC Anchor Tries To Corner Mike Johnson On Church And State, Gets A History Lesson Instead

CNBC

Congress

Mike Johnson

U.S. House of Representatives

Over the summer, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-sides-with-christian-graphic-designer-who-refused-to-work-on-same-sex-weddings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">landmark victory</a> for free speech in <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/303-creative-v-elenis?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">303 Creative v. Elenis</a>. The court reaffirmed the bedrock First Amendment principle that the government may not compel Americans to speak a message that violates their beliefs. That freedom protects everyone, and all views — those that we like and those that we loathe.
But it’s one thing to acknowledge these truisms, it’s another thing to apply them. That is now the responsibility of lower courts across the country. And it’s our responsibility, as citizens, to safeguard this cherished freedom.
In 303 Creative, the Supreme Court held that Colorado could not misuse a law to compel graphic designer Lorie Smith to design custom websites that celebrate a view of marriage that violates her beliefs. That decision rightly resolved a critical legal question that had been percolating in lower courts for years.
But many artists before Lorie endured a different outcome. And other artists are still waiting for courts to apply 303 Creative to prevent state or local governments from compelling their speech.
Ten years ago, the <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/nm-supreme-court-price-citizenship-compromising-your-beliefs?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Mexico Supreme Court</a> decided that a state law required photographer Elaine Huguenin to create photographs that contradicted her religious beliefs. That decision forced Elaine to close her business to avoid betraying her faith. Adding insult to injury, one New Mexico Supreme Court justice infamously told Elaine that sacrificing her beliefs was “the price of citizenship” in America.
Around that same time, cake artist Jack Phillips first drew the ire of Colorado officials. He was asked to create a custom wedding cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. Jack declined because that would have forced him to express a message about marriage he does not believe. Colorado sued him, and his case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/us-supreme-court-rules-favor-colorado-cake-artist?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> state officials for demonstrating “a clear and impermissible hostility towards” Jack’s faith.
Undeterred, just a few days later, Colorado took legal action against Jack again. But the state quickly settled after evidence revealed Colorado’s ongoing hostility against Jack. Now, he’s in the midst of his third related lawsuit, which the <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/colorado-supreme-court-takes-jack-phillips-free-speech-case?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado Supreme Court will hear next year</a> .
Throughout the country, artists whose businesses and creations are inextricably connected to and guided by their faith found themselves bearing the weight of government coercion.
<a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/floral-artist-asks-us-supreme-court-protect-her-freedom?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barronelle Stutzman</a>, a great-grandmother and custom floral artist from Washington, spent nearly 10 years standing for her constitutional rights. She eventually settled her case, which allowed her to retire with her conscience intact. Blaine Adamson, a promotional print shop owner, had to defend his freedom to design custom t-shirts consistent with his beliefs up to Kentucky’s Supreme Court. Along the way, he received vitriolic emails and calls. Large customers pulled their business, too. 
Many other artists — including <a href="https://adflegal.org/client/brush-nib-studio?__cf_chl_tk=lMuNoPKCpfzqa5op0eKt5GzOSgMMzgsYQ4HThjGUz1o-1698175632-0-gaNycGzNFCU?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calligraphers</a>, <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/telescope-media-group-v-lucero?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">videographers</a>, and <a href="https://adflegal.org/case/amy-lynn-photography-studio-v-city-madison?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">photographers</a> — also took a stand to defend their freedom to create art reflecting their deeply held beliefs.
These artists have three things in common. First, they serve all people, including those who identify as LGBT. Their decisions to accept or decline a project always depend on the message they’re being asked to express, not on the identity of the person making the request.
Second, each artist has faced severe penalties for violating the law — devastating financial costs, mandatory educational programs, and jail time for declining to say something they don’t believe.
And third, each of them simply wants the freedom to create art that is consistent with their faith. Put differently, they desire the freedom to decide for themselves what messages to express through their art.
The 303 Creative decision assures them — and all Americans — of this right. But the implications of this ruling now come front and center in <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/after-supreme-courts-landmark-free-speech-ruling-photographers-ky-ny-seek-also-create?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two separate cases</a> that are currently on appeal.
These cases involve <a href="https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/ChelseyNelsonOnePageSummary.pdf?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chelsey Nelson</a> and <a href="https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/CarpenterOnePageSummary.pdf?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emilee Carpenter</a> who create photographs and write blogs that celebrate their belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Chelsey and Emilee are challenging local laws that would compel them to promote different views of marriage.
Both have asked their respective appellate courts to apply the same First Amendment protections affirmed in 303 Creative to their cases.
Their arguments go like this. Photographs and blogs are speech; they communicate ides. Chelsey and Emilee gladly serve people of all backgrounds, including those who identify as LGBT. Like most artists, there are some messages they can’t create, regardless of who asks. And 303 Creative held that the government cannot compel an artist to say something that contradicts their beliefs. That’s a right that runs to the soul of what it means to be an American.
It’s a right so many have sacrificed so much to preserve for their fellow citizens. May our nation’s best judges recognize the worth of that sacrifice – not as “the price of citizenship,” but as its highest privilege.
Bryan Neihart is legal counsel with <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/ADFLegal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@ADFLegal</a>).
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Supreme Court of the United States 303 Creative v Elenis

After Landmark SCOTUS Ruling On Free Speech, More Artists Ask For Help In The Fight

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Free Speech

A federal district court sided with a Michigan farmer on Monday, ruling that he is free to participate in a city-run farmer&#8217;s market after he was booted over his Catholic views on marriage.
Steve Tennes, who owns Country Mill Farms, was banned in 2017 from the East Lansing farmer’s market by city officials after he posted on Facebook that he follows the Catholic Church&#8217;s teachings on marriage, which includes opposing same-sex weddings at his family&#8217;s orchard.
East Lansing officials reacted by using a &#8220;discretionary system of individual assessments&#8221; to ban Tennes and his farm from participating in the seasonal market, despite Tennes never receiving any complaints from customers, his legal team said.
Tennes and his farm sued the city of East Lansing in 2017.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/mi-farmer-free-continue-selling-apples-east-lansing-farmers-market?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that the city&#8217;s ban on Tennes &#8220;constituted a burden on plaintiffs&#8217; religious beliefs.&#8221;
Tennes and his farm “were forced to choose between following their religious beliefs and a government benefit for which they were otherwise qualified,” violating his right to exercise his religion freely, Maloney <a href="https://adflegal.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/Country-Mill-Farms-v-East-Lansing-2023-08-21-Ruling.pdf?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a>.
&#8220;The reason is simple: denying a person an equal share of the rights, benefits, and privileges enjoyed by other citizens because of her faith discourages religious activity,&#8221; the court said, quoting the 6th Circuit appeals court.
Tennes&#8217; farm is also 22 miles away from East Lansing, which his legal team noted is outside of the city&#8217;s jurisdiction.
In 2017 when Tennes first sued the city, the same judge issued a preliminary injunction, ordering the city to allow him to participate in the farmer&#8217;s market while his litigation proceeded.
He has not had any issues with his farm&#8217;s participation in the farmer&#8217;s market since then, his legal team said.
&#8220;He serves and welcomes everyone to his stand. No one is ever turned away,&#8221; attorney John Bursch <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/fruit-grower-who-opposes-same-sex-marriage-wins-ruling-over-access-to-public-market-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Tuesday.
Tennes was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal group.
“Tennes and Country Mill Farms are grateful for the court’s decision protecting religious liberty,” <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/mi-farmer-free-continue-selling-apples-east-lansing-farmers-market?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, who argued before the court for Tennes.
“At the same time, they are eager to mend fences with current city officials and get back to doing what Country Mill does best—as expressed in its mission statement: ‘glorifying God by facilitating family fun on the farm and feeding families,’” Anderson said.
Several high-profile cases dealing with business owners who opposed same-sex marriage on religious grounds have wound up at the Supreme Court in recent years.
In June, the Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law that would have punished a Christian graphic designer who declined to design a website for a same-sex wedding that violated her religious beliefs.
That case echoed another Supreme Court case that also came from Colorado.
In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled narrowly in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. In that case, the court reversed the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s decision against Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, saying the state had failed to be neutral on religion.

Denver, Colorado, farmers market

Federal Court Sides With Catholic Farmer Booted From Farmer’s Market Over Traditional Marriage Views

Federal Court Sides With Catholic Farmer Booted From Farmer's Market Over Traditional Marriage Views

Michigan

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