Donald Trump embraces US flag © Chris O'meara
U.S. President Donald Trump has declared the 16. The free exercise of religion is a source of personal and national stability, and its preservation is essential for the protection of human dignity."
The president said in his proclamation Tuesday evening. The date was chosen because the Statute for Religious Freedom was passed in Virginia on that day in 1786, a White House statement continued. Faith is embedded "in the history, spirit and soul of our nation," Trump further emphasized, "On Religious Freedom Day, we celebrate the many faiths that make up our country."
At the same time, the president's decree warned against threatening religious freedom with, for example, restrictions that prohibited certain forms of free speech or sought to force believers by law to do things "that violate their fundamental religious beliefs without sufficient justification".
Literally, Trump added, "No American – whether a nun, a nurse, a baker or an entrepreneur – should be forced to choose between being a believer or being faithful to the law." In recent years, conflicts have repeatedly arisen here, for example when doctors or nurses refused to participate in abortions, or when bakers did not want to bake wedding cakes for homosexual couples.
Most important champion of religious freedom in the world
The U.S., Trump continued, is also "the most important champion of religious freedom in the world because we don't believe that rights of conscience apply only to Americans." Therefore, they said, they want to continue to "condemn and fight extremism, terrorism and violence against people of faith – including the Islamic State's genocide in Iraq and Syria against Yezidis, Christians and Shia Muslims."
Trump explicitly referred to the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom of 1786 written by Thomas Jefferson: "Our forefathers, seeking refuge from religious persecution, believed in the eternal truth that liberty is not a gift of government, but a sacred right from Almighty God."
This "groundbreaking" bill states that "all people can be free to express their opinions in religious matters and to express their opinions, and that this should in no way diminish, increase or affect their civil influence".