Religious Freedom Report Reveals How Secularism Forces Some Americans Out of Public Life

President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission released Friday a 224-page report on the threats to religious freedom, recommending policy changes.

The Religious Liberty Commission, established by executive order last May, interviewed more than 100 witnesses across seven hearings.

The hearings produced a common theme: “far too often in our national life, religion is treated not as a protected and valued contribution to public life, but as a problem or annoyance to be managed, restricted, or sidelined.”

The report highlights harrowing stories of religious persecution and issues 12 recommendations for the administration.

Attacks on Religious Freedom

The commission heard from mothers kept in the dark by schools’ pushing gender ideology on their kids, students who were bullied for their faith, and health care workers who risked losing their jobs.

The report highlights Svitlana Roman, one of the parents who challenged Montgomery County Public Schools’ LGBTQ books program, which did not allow parents to opt their children out of pro-LGBTQ lessons. The Supreme Court ultimately vindicated her rights last year. The report also mentions Jennifer Mead, the Michigan mom whose 11-year-old daughter was “transitioned” by school officials behind her back.

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The report highlights the case of Shea Encinas, a fifth grader who was forced to read a book promoting transgender identity to a kindergarten student. It recounts Lydia Booth, a student who was ordered to remove her mask reading, “Jesus loves me.”

The Religious Liberty Commission recounts the stories of Dr. Eithan Haim, who was indicted by the Justice Department under President Joe Biden for exposing Texas Children’s Hospital’s gender mutilation surgeries for minors; and Valerie Kloosterman, who sought a religious exemption from using biology-rejecting pronouns and lost her job at the University of Michigan’s health system as a result.

The commission mentions Coach Joe Kennedy, who lost his job for praying after a football game; teacher Monica Gill, who sued her school board over a pro-transgender policy forcing her to violate her beliefs; and Marisol Arroyo-Castro, who faced the prospect of losing her job because she kept a crucifix on her desk.

The commission heard from many servicemembers who lost their jobs because they sought religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Other servicemembers spoke about difficulties accessing the sacraments, abiding by kosher and Sabbath restrictions, and maintaining religious attire—such as Sikhs wearing a turban.

The commission didn’t just hear from Christians. The report highlights a Muslim doctor, Ismail Royer, and a Jewish doctor, Kenneth Prager, warning against “physician-assisted suicide,” and Dr. Akshar Patel, a representative of a Hindu temple that faced vandalism.

The report outlines antisemitism, from college presidents reportedly telling the president of Yeshiva University that they feared joining his coalition against terrorism, to students like Shabbos Kestenbaum, who were targeted simply for being Jewish.

Recommendations

The commission presents twelve recommendations for the administration.

It urges the Justice Department to issue guidance clarifying the proper understanding of the Establishment Clause and the separation of church and state—principles many Americans misunderstand. While the federal government cannot establish an official religion, the “separation of church and state” is nowhere explicitly stated as a principle in American law.

The report warns that secularism is incompatible with the First Amendment because it “excludes religious voices from the process of self-government.”

The report asks the Justice Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to release “Know Your Rights” posters to inform students, parents, school teachers, and others that they have the right to be free from anti-religious discrimination.

The report urges a policy requiring public officials who consider their employees to have improperly engaged in religious expression to provide a written explanation of the violation within 30 days of any action.

It urges government departments to create religious liberty violation reporting hotlines and to combat antisemitism, asks the Justice Department to create a religious liberty task force, and recommends repealing the Johnson Amendment. It recommends the Department of War streamline the religious accommodation process and continue efforts to restore the retirement or re-enlistment eligibility for service members harmed by COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

The report asks President Trump to nominate and confirm “federal judges with the courage to decide religious liberty cases on the merits.” It asks the administration to “protect religious Americans from government-led litigation targeting their free exercise.”

Finally, the commission asks President Trump to “honor the courage of religious liberty heroes through creating a Presidential Medal of Religious Liberty” and other awards.

The commission also urges the government to foster a culture of faith.

“Among our conclusions, we believe that safeguarding religious liberty requires more than defending legal rights after they have been violated. It requires cultivating a culture that understands why those rights exist in the first place,” the report states. It notes that religion brings many benefits to society, from forming the “conscience” to constrain government abuses, to promoting charity, to fostering strong families and community bonds, to promoting general health and happiness.