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Rejecting church and state separation is on the wish list for Trump's religious liberty commission

The panel wants a federal hotline, more school prayer and broader faith-based exemptions as it drafts recommendations for its final report.

  • The Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty, chaired by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, held its final hearing in April 2026. The commission's upcoming report is expected to officially challenge the constitutional doctrine of the separation of church and state.
  • During the commission’s final "capstone" hearing on April 13, Chairman Dan Patrick explicitly stated that "there is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in the Constitution," labeling the phrase a "lie" used by the secular left to suppress religious rights.
  • The commission, largely composed of conservative Christian leaders and advisors, has centered its work on the argument that the U.S. was founded as a Judeo-Christian nation and that the federal government should actively support religious expression in public life.
  • Witnesses at the hearings testified that existing church-state separation boundaries have been weaponized to prevent religious symbols in workplaces, stop prayer in schools, and enforce secular regulations regarding gender and healthcare that conflict with their faith.
  • In response, a coalition of progressive faith organizations has filed a lawsuit against the administration, arguing that the commission is illegally biased and excludes the perspectives of minority faiths and non-religious Americans who rely on secular protections.
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39 Articles

The Toronto StarThe Toronto Star
+4 Reposted by 4 other sources
Lean Left

Rejecting church and state separation is on the wish list for Trump’s religious liberty commission

One member calls for a Presidential Medal of Freedom for a baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

·Toronto, Canada
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Associated Press NewsAssociated Press News
+30 Reposted by 30 other sources
Lean Left

Rejecting church and state separation is on the wish list for Trump's religious liberty commission

President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission is preparing to make recommendations after more than a year of hearings.

·United States
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abc News broke the news in United States on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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