Understandably, Sessions’ limited view of religious freedom and muddling of church and state has been met with swift and strong rebukes from both human rights organizations and concerned Americans.
Speaking at the DOJ’s Religious Liberty Summit in Washington, Sessions described America as a Christian nation under attack from secular forces, and offered the new task force as a front-line defense against those supposed anti-religious attacks. The new group will enforce a 2017 DOJ directive telling law enforcement of all kinds to protect “Religious freedom” at all costs.
“A dangerous movement, undetected by many, is now challenging and eroding our great tradition of religious freedom,” Sessions said in his speech. “There can be no doubt. This is no little matter. It must be confronted and defeated.”
“This President and this Department of Justice are determined to protect and even advance this magnificent heritage,” Sessions continued. “The Department of Justice has no business licensing discrimination against LGBT people, women, and religious minorities.”
In his speech Monday, Sessions claimed that “Americans from a wide variety of backgrounds are concerned about what this changing cultural climate means for the future of religious liberty in this country,” but in practice, the Attorney General’s concept of “Variety” stops after Christian denominations are covered.