News From The Week Of September 23 - 27, 2019

Friend:

This week, we saw President Trump’s hypocritical embrace of what he likes to call “religious freedom” on full display at the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump announced the formation of a “coalition of U.S. businesses for the protection of religious freedom” in the workplace just weeks after his own Department of Labor proposed a new rule that would allow government contractors to fire anyone who doesn’t meet their religious litmus test.

Religious freedom is not the right to harm others. It is a shield to protect, not a sword to do harm. It’s so important that we make that principle clear – not just to Trump, but to decision-makers throughout the country.

In less than two weeks, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in three cases that will determine whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ people from discrimination at work. Our fundamental constitutional commitment to religious freedom means that religion should never be used to harm others. Yet sadly, religion often motivates discrimination against LGBTQ people. The consequences of the Supreme Court’s decisions in these cases will therefore be monumental for the millions of Americans who are constantly under siege from religiously motivated discrimination.

I will be on the steps of the Supreme Court on the morning of the arguments, Tuesday, Oct. 8, to rally for the Title VII protections that allow LGBTQ people to live and work as equals under the law. If you want to join us from afar, please follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/americansunited), Twitter (www.twitter.com/americansunited), and Instagram ([link removed]). If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area, please come be with us in person!

With hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

Americans Have Rejected Trump’s Version Of ‘Religious Freedom.’ The Rest Of The World Should Too:
There’s no doubt that worldwide religious persecution is an ongoing problem. But Trump has no moral authority to lead the fight against it.
READ MORE » [link removed]

How Christian Nationalists Are Driving Americans Away From Houses Of Worship:
The results of several studies would seem to indicate that the reckless mixture of partisan politics with religion – something Americans United has always stood against – isn’t in the best long-term interest of the religious community.
READ MORE » [link removed]

The Supreme Court Got The Bladensburg Cross Wrong. These High School Students Didn’t:
High school students in Maryland reviewed the Bladensburg Cross case and came to a very different conclusion than the U.S. Supreme Court on whether the government display of a religious symbol violates religious freedom. That young people can instinctively grasp something that eluded a majority of the Supreme Court is telling – and a reason for hope.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Follow Us On Twitter: www.twitter.com/americansunited

Follow us On Instagram: [link removed]

Like Us On Facebook: www.facebook.com/americansunited

Copyright © 2019
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
1310 L Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC xxxxxx
www.au.org

unsubscribe: [link removed]
Update your information: [link removed]
Privacy policy: www.au.org/about/privacy-policy
Donate: [link removed]