By Michael Hernandez
NEW YORK—“The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government; they come from God,” said President Trump at the United Nations headquarters in a historic speech on religious freedom and global persecution against believers as the 74th session of the General Assembly.
“This immortal truth is proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in the first amendment to our Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Our founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions.”
President Trump’s comments are his response to the Pew Research Center stating that more than 80 percent of the world’s population live under religious restrictions. (Editor’s Note: President Trump’s comments plus others can be heard on the Sept. 23rd American Center for Law and Justice radio program.)
“This is the first time any leader of a nation has addressed the UN on religious persecution,” said Pastor Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. “A third of the world is living under religious persecution…and it is a remarkable thing that this president would skip a UN Climate Change Summit on an imaginary problem to address the very real problem of global persecution of believers. What president in history would have the guts to do what President Trump is doing?
“The Democrats believe the great human right that transcends all others is the right to kill your own babies through abortion…This president says no, it’s not the murder of babies that is a basic human right, it is religious liberty that is granted by our Creator.”
President Trump said at the United Nations, “People of all faiths are being jailed, sanctioned, tortured and killed—often at the hands of their government—simply because they expressed their beliefs. It’s the moral duty of all nations to stop the crimes against people of faith, release prisoners of conscience and repeal laws restricting religious liberty.”
Today, President Trump starts a three-day visit to the United Nations. He keynotes the Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom. In 1948, the nations of the world pledged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to protect every human being’s freedom to adopt or change religious belief and to live out those beliefs in the public square in addition to private life.
Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres launched a Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech as part of an effort to counter attacks on religious minorities. However, UN observers have stated that the hate speech laws have been used by “powerful elites” to silence the opinions of opposition and call such speech, “hateful” or “discriminatory.”
President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order on May 3, 2018 to ensure the nation’s faith-based and community organizations of his commitment to them through the establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative to:
- provide recommendations on the Administration’s policy agenda affecting faith-based and community programs;
- provide recommendations on programs and policies to deliver more effective solutions to poverty;
- to report on any failures of religious liberty protections under law; and
- reduce the burdens on the exercise of free religion.
A White House fact sheet stated that President Trump has publicly stood with people of faith and with those who advocate for the sanctity of life. According to President Trump, “America is a nation of believers and together we are strengthened by the power of prayer.”
(Editor’s Note: To read the entire White House statement issued May 3, 2018, go to: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-stands-religious-freedom-united-states/.)
President Trump organized the United Nations meeting on religious liberty in lieu of the Climate Change Summit.
“President Trump is doing something pretty amazing—the protection of persecuted Christians worldwide,” said Jordan Sekulow, of the American Center for Law and Justice (author of a new book to be released Tuesday, entitled: “The Next Red Wave.”). “What’s so significant about this is the President is asking the General Assembly to take a step away from the focus they usually have, which is often primarily about censoring Israel and redirecting its attention to the horrendous religious persecution happening around the world.”
The American Center for Law and Justice is working to free people like that have been imprisoned for their faith such as: Christian teen Leah Sharibu (Nigeria) and Pastor John Cao (China).
Michael Hernandez, Co-Founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service; editor of the History Makers Report and founder of History Makers International—a community nonprofit serving youth and families in Ventura County, is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. He has worked 25 years as a middle school teacher in Monrovia and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted by email at [email protected].
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