FFRF Action Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a series of Christian nationalist posts on the State Department’s official X account.
Last week, the official U.S. Department of State X account posted a link to a Fox News article and added the caption: “Our nation was founded on the recognition that moral virtue and a steadfast faith in God are necessary preconditions of freedom. Yet under the Biden Administration, U.S. foreign policy belittled Christianity and weaponized government against faith. That era has ended.” The State Department continued, tagging the president’s X account and adding, “Under [President Trump’s] leadership, the State Department will eradicate practices that devalue and demean the Christian faith.”
A Fox News article detailed Trump’s recent remarks at the Museum of the Bible, which opened the second meeting of the administration’s “Religious Liberty Commission.” During his remarks, the president contended that he “ended the weaponization” of the federal government against Christians, furthering the Trumpian argument that the Biden administration pushed an “anti-Christian bias.”
Headed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias released a report to Fox News Digital claiming that “the days of anti-Christian bias in the federal government are over. Faith is not a liability in America — it is a liberty.” The report covers supposed instances of anti-Christian bias, including restrictions on religious exemptions for Covid-19 vaccine mandates, fines on Christian universities for mishandling sexual assault crimes and convictions for anti-abortion protesters who physically obstructed access to abortion clinics. A final report from the task force is expected next February.
Earlier this week, in another X post, the State Department wrote: “At @POTUS’s direction, @SecRubio is taking action to secure religious liberties both at home and abroad, including terminating unlawful State Department policies targeting Christians and addressing the violent repression of Christians overseas. We will never apologize for our God-given rights.” The post included a clip of Trump’s remarks at the Museum of the Bible.
The State Department, headed by Rubio, is sending a clear message that it prioritizes Christianity over all other religions and nonreligion. Its harmful posts completely disregard our secular democracy, the U.S. Constitution’s explicit exclusion of religion in government and every non-Christian in the United States. Rubio has undoubtedly earned his “Theocrat of the Week” designation for his direction of the State Department and his aiding of Trump’s efforts to distort American history and privilege Christianity.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.