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Trump also took aim at the faith of two political rivals: “I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong,” he said in reference to Mitt Romney, who cited his Mormon faith as the reason he felt obligated to vote to convict the President. “Nor do I like people who say ‘I pray for you’ when they know that that’s not so,” in reference to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Romney and Pelosi aren’t the only people’s faith Trump is casting aside. He rejects the authentic faith and prayers of any and all religious Americans who don’t share his narrow definition of conservative, white evangelicalism. He then defines “religious liberty” as the imposition of this flawed “Christian” ideology upon Americans of all faiths and no faith.
During Tuesday’s State of the Union, he declared “we don’t tear down crosses” and “we don’t muzzle preachers and pastors.” He said, “My administration is also defending religious liberty, and that includes the constitutional right to pray in public schools.” It wasn’t a coincidence that Trump didn’t mention Buddhist meditation in schools or the right to build mosques in America.
The President’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast and State of the Union fell flat for millions of religious Americans who are suffering under his administration’s policies, including those who are religious minorities, LGBTQ, poor and migrants.
These are the prayers President Trump isn’t hearing. White, straight, rich, evangelical men are the only people whose prayers the Trump-Pence administration hears. We see them in the White House and at the National Prayer Breakfast. But there are many more prayers being offered up in America. At least God, I believe, is hearing them all.
And, finally, Trump refuses to hear the prayers of immigrants and refugees. In addition to the Muslim ban, his administration has attempted to ban pregnant women, asylum seekers and working-class immigrants. Religious groups across the political and theological spectrum have spoken out in favor of welcoming the stranger. One case stands out in particular.
Vice President Mike Pence also addressed the National Prayer Breakfast this morning. “Since the founding of this nation, the American people have relied on prayer,” he said.
I don’t have a problem with the President, vice president and other leaders praying. To the contrary, I believe it’s right and good for political leaders to authentically practice their faith in the public square. Many Americans of all political beliefs rely on prayer. My problem is that the President and vice president are only listening to the prayers of a very small subset of religious Americans.
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