Are Christians Being Persecuted In The U.S.?

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has done some rather extreme things to try to solidify his support by White Nationalists and other members of his evil and clearly anti-American cabal.

For the first time in its 200-plus-year-old history, the president has opened what he refers to as a “White House Faith Office.”  The stated purpose of this office is:

to assist faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship in their efforts to strengthen American families, promote work and self-sufficiency, and protect religious liberty,

The lengthy justification does not contain any useful information concerning:

1. The need for such an office or agency
2. The method(s) whereby the office will pursue its goals
3. The method(s) whereby the office will be able to evaluate its effectiveness
4. What changes or modifications will be undertaken as a result of these evaluations?

From this lack of data, it seems that a reasonable conclusion is that the president has not made a convincing case that his actions here are justifiable.

What has the president said about the need for a “Faith Office?”

The White House

Recent Federal and State policies have undermined this right by targeting conscience protections, preventing parents from sending their children to religious schools, threatening funding and non-profit status for faith-based entities, and excluding religious groups from government programs.

The previous administration’s Department of Justice targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.

The document offers no evidence of the allegations made.

The foreign press

The UK’s Guardian reports:

Donald Trump told a warmly receptive gathering of religious broadcasters on Thursday that “it’s the people from within our country that are more dangerous than the people outside”, in his latest effort to mobilize Christian fundamentalists who have swung dramatically behind him in recent years.

…

“The greatest threat is not from the outside of our country – I really believe it is from within,” said Trump, whose fire-and-brimstone speech focused largely on his political enemies. “It’s the people from within our country that are more dangerous than the people outside.”

Once again, there is no evidence offered.

The U.S. Press

The New York Times has reported that the president has stated that the office “is established to fight anti-Christian bias.”

As before, no evidence is offered.

Where does this lead us?

Let us consider the four questions we posed as we began this discussion and try to determine if we can provide satisfactory answers.

1. The need for such an office or agency
2. The method(s) whereby the office will pursue its goals
3. The method(s) whereby the office will be able to evaluate its effectiveness
4. What changes or modifications will be undertaken as a result of these evaluations?

The need for such an office or agency

Nowhere on the White House website nor in any speech nor social media post has the president presented a reasonable case that there is systematic (or even informal) persecution of Christians in the U.S.

The method(s) whereby the office will pursue its goals

The lengthy document presented on the website provides no information as to the methods whereby the agency will proceed with its work, leaving a void in any understanding of any need whatsoever.

The method(s) whereby the office will be able to evaluate its effectiveness

No criteria for the evaluation of the office’s effectiveness are given.  No evaluation method(s) are discussed.

What changes or modifications will be undertaken as a result of these evaluations?

There is no discussion of what, if any, changes or modifications will be made as a result of the evaluation.  There is no plan to utilize or to modify the program to achieve any measurable goal.

In conclusion:

1. President Trump has made no reasonable case that persecution of Christians exists within the U.S.
2. There is no need or justification for a “White House Faith Office.”
3. A cursory examination of the WHITE HOUSE PHOTOS taken around this topic show a clear WHITE MALE BIAS.

FULL STOP.

official photo posted by the White House (U.S. Archives)