A Trump commission urges 'bridges' between church and state in sweeping draft report

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News/AP

June 26, 2026, 7:51 PM EDT


A new report by a Trump administration commission suggests replacing the idea of separating church and state with the idea of building bridges between them. The assertion — challenging a longstanding concept in American law — comes amid a raft of recommendations in a draft report of the Religious Liberty Commission, released Friday afternoon.

The advisory body was created by President Donald Trump last year and filled almost entirely by conservative Christians. The 224-page draft report — part policy document, part philosophical argument — echoes members’ support for a stronger role for religion and religious expression in government, schools and the public square.

The report applauds recent Supreme Court decisions expanding rights to religious expression in public settings, such as creating opt-outs for religious objections to school lessons. The report recommends eliminating the “ Johnson Amendment ” that forbids political activities by tax-exempt religious groups — a longstanding goal of Trump. It calls for compensating military service members who were discharged for refusing COVID-19 vaccines.

It calls in general for allowing more religious expression in the public square, greater access to public money for faith-based agencies and broader exemptions for those claiming conscientious objections to policies ranging from vaccine mandates to pronoun usage to classroom lessons.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/religious-commission-urges-bridges-church-state-sweeping-draft-report-rcna352015

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The "bridges" were already there, built into the Constitution, with NO "STATE IMPOSED" MANDATORY RELIGION but allowing of the option to practice any religion one wanted OR NOT do any such thing.

[CTyankee]

1. Anything labeled a "Trump Commission" is gonna be shit.

This won't be any different.

[TommyT139]

3. That's just a cover

The people behind this have been working for years to end church/state separation.

It's not a real commission -- at least, not in the sense of actually studying a policy issue. They depend on people ignoring their work and goals, or not taking them seriously, so they can enact their portion of the decades-long destruction of the country. They destroy the administrative state, and then in the vacuum, they substitute structures and enforcement towards their ends. Project 2025 is still underway.

Please don't be fooled by the cloak of incompetency. Lives are at stake.

[TommyT139]

2. Shoddy news reporting

Three clicks in to the NBC articles and still no clear link to the actual report. Grrr.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. NBC simply republished an AP story

https://apnews.com/article/religious-liberty-church-state-separation-trump-administration-a68ec8ab8b3fab27c6ffb6becc5ccb36

and AP rarely links to anything other than their own earlier stories or definitions/descriptions of terms used in their articles.

I usually try to dig around to find and link to reports, court filings/rulings, press releases, correspondence from members of Congress, journal publications, etc , but didn't get chance before posting.

A quick search revealed that DOJ has a whole page on it with a link to the draft.

DOJ page - https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/president-trumps-religious-liberty-commission-delivers-historic-report-draft

REPORT (PDF) - https://www.justice.gov/religious-liberty-commission/media/1449896/dl?inline

[TommyT139]

27. Thank you very much - above and beyond

[wyn borkins]

4. Religious Liberty Commission

"The Department of Justice on June 26 released the Religious Liberty Commission’s draft report following a series of hearings in which commissioners and witnesses raised concerns about topics including antisemitism, religious freedom in public education and a perceived weaponization of the law against Christians under former administrations."

Religious Liberty Commission Report

[tanyev]

5. ...as long as that religion is ultraconservative Evangelical "Christianity".

[wyn borkins]

7. ...butt-of-course...(n/t)

[jls4561]

9. Aka Grift-Ian's.

[tanyev]

10. Oh, that's good.

[TommyT139]

28. Many progressive Christians are worried

...that we will receive harsher treatment, based on opinions voiced by conservative evangelical Christians.

After all, a nonbeliever can be proselytized. A Christian who thinks for the self is a heretic.

[electric_blue68]

41. We have some wonderful progressive Christian churches in NYC

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Frightening.

[Icanthinkformyself]

11. Here's a thought.

Stop praying in my commons and I will stop thinking if I ever enter your house of worship. Christians complain about Islamic Sharia Law being imposed when it is not. Yet they would impose their Christian version of it on the rest of us.

[multigraincracker]

12. Are those bridges toll or draw bridges?

[MarcoZandrini]

14. Absolutely....

….toll bridges. Guess who gets the tolls.

[GiqueCee]

13. The words "Religious" and "Liberty"...

... should never appear in the same sentence. Religious dogma is antithetical to the very concept of "Liberty". This whole sick circus is intended to expand restrictions on personal liberty. The only liberty afforded to anyone is the liberty for religious fanatics to deny the liberty of those who choose not to follow their perverted edicts.

America's forefathers were adamant and vociferous in their denial of any religious test for office (Article VI, Clause 3 of the Constitution)

H.L. Mencken is reputed to have said, "Religion is the greatest fomenter of hatred and intolerance in the history of humanity", or words to that effect. Regardless of debates about attribution, the basic fact of the statement is historically irrefutable.

[Escape]

15. There are more than 4,000 religions in the world...

That's gonna be one hell of a "bridge" from our little government to all of them.

[GiqueCee]

29. The "bridge"...

... is gonna be one-way to one religion: Christian Nationalism. Such fanatics will not tolerate anything but their twisted interpretation of Scripture, and their "interpretation" will make The Handmaid's Tale look like My Little Pony in comparison. Bloodthirsty intolerance will be their method of governance.

[mdbl]

16. I love how they try to give unconstitutional rights to these religions

but continue to try and suppress the right to free speech on everyone else.

[OC375]

17. As a life long Catholic, you don't want the Vatican having a say.

Great for novels. Not so great for governance, no offense intended.

KGB had a whole Bureau dedicated to religion. Had actual churches.Jesuits had/have an intel Branch. There’s a lot more to modern religion than meets the eye.

[Festivito]

18. Does that mean he wants the Koran read in school?

The hindus and the buddhists might want to be included.

[sarchasm]

19. When will we start taxing these so-called "churches?"

This is not the preferred solution by any means, but if they want agency in governance then taxes should be levied.

Someone please explain to me why this isn’t happening.

[Farmer-Rick]

20. It's not about religions

It's about White Christian nationalism.

See, even racists Nazis can believe in imaginary creatures in the sky.

[Hey Joe]

25. Exactly!

This is just a continuation of The Heritage Foundation dominance of this sick-assed
regime.
Not about religion at all.
It’s about domination of the 99% .

[Just Jerome]

21. And where does

tax exempt status stand in this scam?

[Martin Eden]

22. Every classroom should have readings from the Koran, and prayer mats oriented towards Mecca.

That's just one bridge to build. We must not forget Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and every major religion.

I ask nothing for my own religion. We Pastafarians carry the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in our hearts, with no need for public displays.

Ramen.

[travelingthrulife]

23. No.

[Americanme]

24. This is ridiculous.

The hedonist president wants to use religion to get support for his agenda. We don't need a bridge. The government will not stop you from following your religion. Nothing more is needed. I am getting so sick of religion being pushed at non-believers. Nothing will ever convince me that eternal, invisible, all-knowing beings, with magical powers of creation exist. They want their religion in public schools so they can get the kids hooked before they are old enough to question it. When nobody questions it, they are free to abuse it and profit from it.

[AZLD4Candidate]

26. Of course, us Jews will be left off the table, unless it's the cudgel that is Israel

But Christian don't care about Jews or Israel. . .they see Israel as the first sign that the Rapture is coming.

[bromeando]

30. Bridges?

These people want to establish a theocracy in the US.

[twodogsbarking]

31. A wall is what is needed.

[The Wizard]

32. The fact that the Church is tax exempt

indicates the wall between Church and State is a thinly veiled bullshit story.

[ChicagoTeamster]

33. DOGE cut funding for church based social service orgs started when Bush II tried t let govt and religious orgs cooperate

[Autumn]

34. Fuck religion. I think any bridge connecting church and state should be burnt down.

[Nigrum Cattus]

35. Project 2025 again

they want taxpayer money
they don't pay taxes
I believe greed is a deadly sin

[niyad]

36. FUCK NO!!! I want the wall, the moat, and the piranhas. No drawbridge.

[modrepub]

37. I Urge A Pasta Bridge

to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

[3catwoman3]

38. No bridges - absolutely not.

We need a really high, thick wall and a deep moat filled with piranhas.

ETA - I had not read niyad's post #36 before writing mine. GMTA -

[bluestarone]

39. Totally against this BULLSHIT, BUT start with first test here.

What religious beliefs will be allowed? Stupid fuckers could NOT even answer this question before deciding their BRIDGE BULLSHIT!!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

40. Coming from the least religious president ever

We've all known that guy who in high school was a druggie and or party animal. Years later he's in your face telling you to repent and find Jesus.

[CousinIT]

42. UNCONSTITUTIONAL. What they are advocating is an American Taliban.

Their own version of Sharia Law.

Once the state and church combine, they become a toxic, extremist stew that everyone is cooked in - except those at the top - the leadership - ALWAYS MEN. In the case of AmeriKKKa, WHITE MEN. The rest of us will just be another ingredient in the toxic stew.

[SamuelAdams]

43. This is about as anti-American as it gets.

[Skittles]

44. NO

keep delusional crap where it belongs

[wolfie001]

45. Discrimination via christian hate is what this shit is all about

Foul motherfuckers. The "Shit 6" included.

[Grins]

46. Here's DoJ's list of the Commission members and advisers...

Headed by crackpot Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and filled with assorted religious (Christian!) fanatics who see Jesus in their cereal bowl every morning. (But not ethics! You won't find ethics that might question financial fraud, prosperity ministry frauds, 'I-need-a-new-Gulfstream!,' hucksters, rape, misogyny, and pedophilia!)

There are no historians, no political scientists, no atheists - and no fucking Mooselims!!

https://www.justice.gov/religious-liberty-commission/commissioners-and-advisory-board-members#religious

[reACTIONary]

47. Religious Liberty Commission urges....

.... Ending Religious Liberty.

(I fixed it)

[BWdem4life]

48. Building bridges where the wall should really be built. nt

[azureblue]

49. want to watch them back pedal

When they demand Christianity? Demand the government abide by the teachings of Jesus, and offer Matthew 25: 41 - 46 for starters..
It's fun to discuss socialism with a MAGA Christian, by saying the government should help the sick, the poor, the elderly and the immigrant. Then, when they say the government should not, then you say "I was just quoting Jesus". oops..
But seriously, if you can get into a "We need Christianity in government" discussion with one of those yahoos, Start quoting Jesus without attributing. Then reveal your source and watch them step on their weenies..