Latest news with #religious expression
CNN
28-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump administration allows federal workers to promote religious beliefs
The Trump administration will allow federal workers to promote their religious beliefs to colleagues, display religious items at work and pray together or individually, according to a memorandum issued Monday by the Office of Personnel Management. The guidance, from OPM Director Scott Kupor, declares that federal agencies 'should allow personal religious expression by Federal employees to the greatest extent possible unless such expression would impose an undue hardship on business operations.' This means that a federal worker, according to the memorandum, 'may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs,' but 'if the nonadherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request.' The memorandum lays out the caveat: 'provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature.' Federal workers will also be able to invite each other to religious services or pray in groups at the office when not on duty. Other examples of permitted religious activities listed by OPM state that a park ranger leading a tour through a national park is allowed to pray with a tour group or a doctor working at a Veterans Affairs hospital may pray over a patient. Workers may also display religious items on their desks. The memo advises agencies to review and, if needed, revise internal policies to ensure that they appropriately protect religious expression. Federal law already offers some protections for religious expression in the workplace. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids employers from discriminating based on religion. They are required to make reasonable accommodations for their employees' religious practices and beliefs unless it would be an 'undue hardship' to do so. In a news release, Kupor said the idea is to make the federal workplace 'not just compliant … but welcoming to Americans of all faiths.' The memo, issued by what is essentially the human resources department of the federal government, is the Trump administration's latest efforts around religion. In May, the president created a Religious Liberty Commission, and, in February, he signed an executive order forming a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias. 'We're bringing religion back to our country,' Trump promised at a prayer breakfast in Washington when he announced plans for the Religious Liberty Commission. CNN's Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
New York Times
28-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
New Trump Administration Guidelines Stress Workplace Religious Freedoms
The Trump administration released guidance on Monday reminding federal agencies that religious expression in the workplace is protected by the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act. Such expression, the guidance asserts, includes employees and supervisors seeking to recruit fellow federal workers to their religion, as long as they do not cross into harassment. Wearing religious symbols and staging them in office cubicles is also protected, the guidance says, as are hosting prayer groups in empty offices and posting about religious events on office bulletin boards. The Clinton White House issued similar guidelines in 1997, though at greater length and with more detailed examples and caveats. The Trump administration did not say whether its guidelines superseded those issued in 1997. Neither set of directives affects the First Amendment to the Constitution or Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 'This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths,' said Scott Kuper, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, which released the policy, said in a statement. The policy is the latest in a series of directives that the Trump administration has issued on religious freedoms. President Trump announced a new White House faith office in April. In May, he established the Religious Liberty Commission in the Department of Justice. While much of Mr. Trump's promotion of religious expression has been focused on protecting the rights of Christians, the First Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protect religious expression involving all faiths. The Constitution also prohibits government endorsement of any religion. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
28-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump administration allows federal workers to promote religious beliefs
The Trump administration will allow federal workers to promote their religious beliefs to colleagues, display religious items at work and pray together or individually, according to a memorandum issued Monday by the Office of Personnel Management. The guidance, from OPM Director Scott Kupor, declares that federal agencies 'should allow personal religious expression by Federal employees to the greatest extent possible unless such expression would impose an undue hardship on business operations.' This means that a federal worker, according to the memorandum, 'may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs,' but 'if the nonadherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request.' The memorandum lays out the caveat: 'provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature.' Federal workers will also be able to invite each other to religious services or pray in groups at the office when not on duty. Other examples of permitted religious activities listed by OPM state that a park ranger leading a tour through a national park is allowed to pray with a tour group or a doctor working at a Veterans Affairs hospital may pray over a patient. Workers may also display religious items on their desks. The memo advises agencies to review and, if needed, revise internal policies to ensure that they appropriately protect religious expression. Federal law already offers some protections for religious expression in the workplace. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids employers from discriminating based on religion. They are required to make reasonable accommodations for their employees' religious practices and beliefs unless it would be an 'undue hardship' to do so. In a news release, Kupor said the idea is to make the federal workplace 'not just compliant … but welcoming to Americans of all faiths.' The memo, issued by what is essentially the human resources department of the federal government, is the Trump administration's latest efforts around religion. In May, the president created a Religious Liberty Commission, and, in February, he signed an executive order forming a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias. 'We're bringing religion back to our country,' Trump promised at a prayer breakfast in Washington when he announced plans for the Religious Liberty Commission. CNN's Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump memo allows federal workers to persuade coworkers their religion is ‘correct'
The Trump administration released a memo Monday that aims to protect religious expression among federal workers, outlining that employees can attempt to persuade co-workers about why their religious beliefs are 'correct.' The memo outlined conduct that should not result in disciplinary or corrective action, including displaying in the office bibles, religious artwork, jewelry, posters displaying religious messages and other indicia of religion 'such as crosses, crucifixes and mezuzah.' The memo also said one or more employees should be allowed to engage in individual or communal religious expressions and that employees can engage in conversations on religious topics 'including attempting to persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views, provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature.' Federal workers can also 'encourage their coworkers to participate in religious expressions of faith, such as prayer, to the same extent that they would be permitted to encourage coworkers participate in other personal activities,' the memo said. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor sent the memo to heads of departments and agencies with guidance on how to allow personal religious expression by federal employees 'to the greatest extent possible unless such expression would impose an undue hardship on business operations.' The OPM worked with the White House Faith Office to produce the memo, a spokesperson told The Hill. President Trump established the office in February. The memo included details about how federal workers can engage with others about why they think their personal faith is 'correct' and why others should 're-think' their own beliefs. 'During a break, an employee may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs. However, if the nonadherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request,' the memo added. 'An employee may invite another to worship at her church despite being belonging to a different faith.' The memo outlined specific examples of permissible religious expression in the workplace, like having a Bible on a desk or a Star of David and forming a prayer group with employees while not on duty hours. It also gave the example of a park ranger joining her tour group in prayer or a doctor at a Veterans Affairs hospital praying over a patient. 'The Federal workforce should be a welcoming place for Federal employees who practice a religious faith. Allowing religious discrimination in the Federal workplace violates the law. It also threatens to adversely impact recruitment and retention of highly-qualified employees of faith,' the memo said. The memo, first reported on by Fox News Digital, follows Trump's executive order on anti-Christian bias, which aims to protect Christians from religious discrimination. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump administration urges federal workers to talk religion at work
Federal employees can display religious items at work, pray in groups while not on duty and encourage co-workers to adopt their faith, according to guidance released Monday by the Office of Personnel Management, which manages the federal civilian workforce. In a memo titled 'Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace,' OPM Director Scott Kupor said that government employees 'must be allowed to engage in private religious expression in work areas to the same extent that they may engage in nonreligious private expression.' Kupor outlined various activities that should not warrant disciplinary action, noting that federal employees 'may 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.' 'Employees may also encourage their coworkers to participate in religious expressions of faith, such as prayer, to the same extent that they would be permitted to encourage coworkers participate in other personal activities,' Kupor stated in the memo. However, agencies may 'reasonably regulate the time, place and manner of all employee speech, provided such regulations do not discriminate based on content or viewpoint (including religious viewpoints),' he added. The OPM would also not seek to restrict federal employees' expressions of faith in interactions with the public, such as a national park ranger leading a tour group in prayer, or a doctor with the Department of Veterans Affairs praying over a patient for their recovery, Kupor said in the memo. The guidance builds on the Trump administration's moves to advance faith's presence in the federal workforce. In February, it issued an executive order geared toward 'Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias' and established the White House Faith Office, which aims to bolster the capacity of faith-based organizations' to 'better serve families and communities.' Then, in mid-July, the OPM released guidance stating that telework could be considered a religious accommodation for some federal employees, including those engaging in fasting or observing religious holidays. Federal workers can also adjust their schedules around time-specific religious practices, such as prayer times, the guidance said. Employers, including the federal government, are barred from discriminating on religious grounds under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This requires employers to accommodate religious beliefs of major faiths such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity, as well as 'beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, or only held by a small number of people.'
