1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Early in President Trump’s first term, he focused on what he called “religious liberty,’ but this was a misnomer as it only applied to protecting Christians. Now, at the start of this second term, he has gone a step further by announcing the creation of a task force to "fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide" while attending a national prayer breakfast that, in all honesty, goes against the separation of church and state. Not everyone in this country is Christian, and Christians face very little violence or discrimination in the United States. As a practicing pagan, I would ask that all policies created keep in mind the diversity of the population in regard to spiritual beliefs, and that any attempt to stifle religious freedoms is met with stern resistance from the states in protection of their citizens. It is my experience that when Christians are faced with a different belief system or when policies are inclusive of diverse belief systems, this is seen as discriminatory in the Christian worldview. I would expect from any elected officials that they consider these difference and work to build common ground as opposed to supporting only one mainstream religion. After January 6, 2021, we saw the damage that simple words from the mouth of Donald Trump can cause. His supporters need to know that acting out against non-Christians will not be tolerated simply because a felon rapist wants their unwavering support.