Latest news with #anti-Christian
Miami Herald
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Trump admin now lets federal workers spread religion at work. Faith groups react
New guidance from President Donald Trump's administration outlining how federal employees may engage with faith practices in the workplace garnered mixed reactions from religious groups, with some raising concern about the blurring boundary between church and state. The guidelines, announced by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in a July 28 memo, allow federal employees to display religious items, pray and attempt to spread their religion at work, so long as these practices 'are not harassing in nature.' The memo is the latest in a series of efforts by the Trump administration to bring religion to the forefront of American society. In February, Trump signed an executive order aiming to end 'anti-Christian bias' in the federal government and established a White House Faith Office, McClatchy News reported. 'President Trump is committed to reaffirming 'America's unique and beautiful tradition of religious liberty,' including by directing 'the executive branch to vigorously enforce the historic and robust protections for religious liberty enshrined in Federal law,'' Scott Kupor, director of the OPM, said in the memo. Focus on the Family, a Christian ministry dedicated to supporting families, celebrated the memo in a July 28 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. 'What an encouraging moment!' the organization said. 'As pressure mounts from every side to compromise our values, we are glad to see our country's leadership standing firm on our constitutional right to express our faith!' Other religious organizations, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, called the move 'unconstitutional,' and said the memo could make employees feel forced to participate in religious discussion when there is a power imbalance in the workplace, according to a July 28 statement. 'This is the implementation of Christian nationalism in our federal government,' Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president, said in the statement. The Rev. Karen Georgia A. Thompson, general minister and president/CEO of the United Church of Christ, said in a July 29 statement the memo unfairly prioritizes Christianity in the workplace. 'At a time when Christian nationalists are seeking to rewrite the historic narratives from a standpoint of American exceptionalism, with disregard for religious, racial/ethnic and gender minorities, the memo threatens the very freedoms it appears to be reinforcing,' Thompson said. While the guidelines mirror President Bill Clinton-era policies, that also allowed federal workers to speak about religion with each other and 'attempt to persuade fellow employees of the correctness of their religious views,' they go against a Department of Labor precedent that said workers 'who seek to proselytize in the workplace should cease doing so with respect to any individual who indicates that the communications are unwelcome.'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US to allow federal workers to promote religion in workplaces
Federal employees may discuss and promote their religious beliefs in the workplace, the Trump administration said on Monday, citing religious freedoms protected by the U.S. Constitution. Agency employees may seek to "persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views" in the office, wrote Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management , the U.S. government's human resources agency. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Design Thinking Healthcare Operations Management MCA MBA Digital Marketing Data Science Management Public Policy Data Analytics CXO Data Science Artificial Intelligence others Leadership Degree Cybersecurity Product Management Project Management PGDM Technology healthcare Finance Others Skills you'll gain: Duration: 22 Weeks IIM Indore CERT-IIMI DTAI Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 25 Weeks IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK PCP DTIM Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Supervisors can attempt to recruit their employees to their religion, so long as the efforts aren't "harassing in nature," according to Kupor's statement. Agencies can't discipline their employees for declining to talk to their coworkers about their religious views. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Colombia: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo The statement represents the latest effort of the six-month-old Republican Trump administration to expand the role of religion in the federal workplace. Courts have long held that employers cannot suppress all religious expression in the workplace, but can lawfully curb conduct that is disruptive or imposes an undue hardship as long as it applies equally to members of any religion. Live Events The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects individuals' rights to practice their religion while preventing the government from favoring one religion or another or religion in general. OPM in mid-July said agency workers can get permission to work from home or adjust their hours to accommodate religious prayers, after previously demanding that workers report to offices fulltime. The new statement cites President Donald Trump's February executive order calling on agencies to eliminate the "anti-Christian weaponization of government." That order directs cabinet secretaries to identify federal actions hostile to Christians. Trump has embraced the conservative Christian world view and promoted policies that speak to concerns that their religious liberty is under attack. Federal employees can also set up prayer groups in the workplace, so long as they don't meet during work hours, Kupor's statement said. The memo references Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on a person's religion or religious practices. Kupor in the memo said that means the law requires employers to allow workers to proselytize, organize prayer groups on non-working time, and display religious icons. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces Title VII, has said that proselytizing in the workplace can amount to unlawful religious harassment if it is unwelcome and is so severe or pervasive that it creates a hostile or abusive work environment. "A consensual conversation about religious views, even if quite spirited, does not constitute harassment if it is not unwelcome," the agency said in a 2008 guidance document. Kupor's memo is not legally binding, and any court that reviews it could disagree about the scope of Title VII's protections. But the memo could be difficult to challenge directly in court, as judges in many past cases have said they lack the power to review internal agency documents.
Time Magazine
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Trump Administration Lets Federal Employees Promote Religion at Work
Federal employees can talk about and promote their religion at work, the Trump Administration said in new guidance released on Monday. The memo, from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), outlines examples of 'permissible religious expression in the workplace.' It cites the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right to religious freedom and prevents the government from favoring a particular religion. 'Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,' OPM Director Scott Kupor said in a press release. 'This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths. Under President Trump's leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined.' The memo says federal workers can display and use religious items or icons at their desk, such as a Bible, rosary beads, or tefillin. Employees can also form a prayer group and gather for prayer or scripture study in the workplace, so long as they're not on duty at the time. And they can also 'engage in conversations regarding religious topics with fellow employees, including attempting to persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views, provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature,' according to the memo. OPM also lists in the memo instances in which federal employees can express their religious beliefs among or to members of the public—for instance, park rangers joining their national park tour groups in prayer or doctors at Veterans Affairs medical centers praying over patients for their recovery. The memo follows previous efforts by the Trump Administration to expand the presence or expression of religion in the federal workplace. Earlier this month, OPM released guidance telling agencies that they were 'encouraged to adopt a generous approach to approving religious accommodations' for remote work, after President Donald Trump had previously instructed federal employees to return to in-office work five days a week. In February, Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at 'eradicating anti-Christian bias' by calling on Administration officials to identify, end, and rectify 'any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians.' The order accuses the Biden Administration of having 'engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.'
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Federal employees can pray and preach in the workplace under new Trump rules
'Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,' OPR Director Scott Kupor said in a statement outlining the policy. 'This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths.' The White House also pointed to a memo with similar language and protections issued under former President Bill Clinton. Still, religious liberty advocates were disturbed. Mikey Weinstein, president and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the guidelines appeared to be in conflict with the Constitution and the rights of workers. 'If your supervisor decides to sit down and make it very clear that it's important to her or him, that you accept this weaponized version of the gospel of Jesus Christ, what do you think your chances are for advancement?' Weinstein said. But Andrew Walker, an associate dean at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said the new policy merely 'resets' the rules back to neutrality. 'I have no problem with it whatsoever,' Walker said. 'To me, that's simply reaffirming the First Amendment, that has proper caveats if you're not engaging in harassing behavior. I think this is just reiterating basic principles of the First Amendment.' President Donald Trump's administration has appeared to embrace religion to a significant degree, establishing a White House Faith Office, directing State Department employees to report anti-Christian bias from colleagues and issuing an executive order to create a presidential commission on religious liberty.
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
US to allow federal workers to promote religion in workplaces
WASHINGTON - Federal employees may discuss and promote their religious beliefs in the workplace, the Trump administration said on Monday, citing religious freedoms protected by the U.S. Constitution. Agency employees may seek to "persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views" in the office, wrote Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. government's human resources agency. Supervisors can attempt to recruit their employees to their religion, so long as the efforts aren't 'harassing in nature,' according to Kupor's statement. Agencies can't discipline their employees for declining to talk to their coworkers about their religious views. The statement represents the latest effort of the six-month-old Republican Trump administration to expand the role of religion in the federal workplace. Courts have long held that employers cannot suppress all religious expression in the workplace, but can lawfully curb conduct that is disruptive or imposes an undue hardship as long as it applies equally to members of any religion. The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects individuals' rights to practice their religion while preventing the government from favoring one religion or another or religion in general. OPM in mid-July said agency workers can get permission to work from home or adjust their hours to accommodate religious prayers, after previously demanding that workers report to offices fulltime. The new statement cites President Donald Trump's February executive order calling on agencies to eliminate the "anti-Christian weaponization of government." That order directs cabinet secretaries to identify federal actions hostile to Christians. Trump has embraced the conservative Christian world view and promoted policies that speak to concerns that their religious liberty is under attack. Federal employees can also set up prayer groups in the workplace, so long as they don't meet during work hours, Kupor's statement said. The memo references Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on a person's religion or religious practices. Kupor in the memo said that means the law requires employers to allow workers to proselytize, organize prayer groups on non-working time, and display religious icons. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces Title VII, has said that proselytizing in the workplace can amount to unlawful religious harassment if it is unwelcome and is so severe or pervasive that it creates a hostile or abusive work environment. "A consensual conversation about religious views, even if quite spirited, does not constitute harassment if it is not unwelcome," the agency said in a 2008 guidance document. Kupor's memo is not legally binding, and any court that reviews it could disagree about the scope of Title VII's protections. But the memo could be difficult to challenge directly in court, as judges in many past cases have said they lack the power to review internal agency documents. — Reuters
