AG Jeff Sessions Announces The ‘Religious Liberty Task Force’

Well. This is…interesting.

On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Justice Department will be creating what has been dubbed a “Religious Liberty Task Force.”

According to Sessions, the task force will “ensure all Justice Department components are upholding that guidance in the cases they bring and defend, the arguments they make in court, the policies and regulations they adopt, and how we conduct our operations.” This is necessary, he says, because religious liberty has been under attack.

“We’ve seen nuns ordered to buy contraceptives. We’ve seen U.S. senators ask judicial and executive branch nominees about dogma—even though the Constitution explicitly forbids a religious test for public office. We’ve all seen the ordeal faced so bravely by Jack Phillips,” Sessions stated.

Sessions said the guidance he issued in October lays out 20 fundamental principles for the executive branch to follow, including the principles that free exercise means a right to act — or to abstain from action — and that government shouldn’t impugn people’s motives or beliefs.

“In short, we have not only the freedom to worship—but the right to exercise our faith. The Constitution’s protections don’t end at the parish parking lot nor can our freedoms be confined to our basements,” Sessions said.

Reaction is pouring in. Libs are melting down and resorting to hysterical fearmongering. Don’t get too mad. It’s all they know.

1/ This morning Jeff Sessions announced a "Religious Liberty Task Force" as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with anti-#LGBTQ activists. pic.twitter.com/9IRiGhulfD

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) July 30, 2018

Jeff Sessions just announced a Religious Liberty Task Force which I assume, based on its name and who announced it, will take on the task of forcing everyone of other religions to convert to Christianity.

— OhNoSheTwitnt (@OhNoSheTwitnt) July 30, 2018

Let's the clear: the point of Jeff Sessions's Religious Liberty Task Force is to "accommodate" Christians—who form 65% of the United States population—at the expense of Muslims, Hindus, atheists and other religious minorities.

— Pé Resists (@4everNeverTrump) July 30, 2018

Jeff Sessions just announced they formed a Religious Liberty Task Force to ensure that all religious organizations have rights. Only by all organizations he means Christians, and by rights he means the freedom to impose their beliefs on others.

— Alt Fed Employee (@Alt_FedEmployee) July 30, 2018

What the fuck, man.
A "Religious Liberty Task Force"?
Separation of church and state is still a thing in America, right?
No?
Oh.
Cool.#MondayMotivation https://t.co/hUjdjGf6pW

— Holly Figueroa O'Reilly 🌊 BWCS (@AynRandPaulRyan) July 30, 2018

Um. They’re not establishing a state religion, so try again pumpkin.

As a Christian and LGBTQ person, it sickens me that Jeff Sessions and others are so insecure in their faith that they feel others must be coerced into it for validation. The "Religious Liberty Task Force" is not about religion or liberty. It is about fear and loathing.

— Charlotte Clymer🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) July 30, 2018

No. And it’s not the “Christian” task force. RELIGIOUS. Freedom of RELIGION, guys.

Jeff Sessions’ "Religious Liberty Task Force" should be called by what it really is:

“The LGBTQ discriminatory hate force”

Jesus would kick Sessions in his nuts if he were here today!

— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) July 30, 2018

That’s BS. I’m a Christian. I don’t want members of the LGBT community to be “oppressed.” That’s completely absurd.

Jeff Sessions just announced a Religious Liberty Task Force.

Sessions is a white supremacist who doesn't deserve our trust. We should all be concerned for the religious minorities in our communities.

— Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) July 30, 2018

Fearmonger, fearmonger, fearmonger. It’s all they know how to do. They would’ve said the same thing back during the Founding Father days. They would’ve been all, “OMG THEY WANT RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AKA THEY WANT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO.”

No. It was the precise opposite, actually.

Let's be real about this "Religious Liberty Task Force." What the administration — which also adopted a Muslim ban — desires isn’t “religious liberty.” It's another license to discriminate against women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, communities of color, and so many more. https://t.co/y6DTe9peTb

— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) July 30, 2018

OMG. THERE WAS NO MUSLIM BAN. The vast majority of Muslim countries weren’t even INCLUDED in the travel restrictions. GAWD.

Jeff Sessions "Religious Liberty Task Force" is more Cult 45 nonsense. Non-Christians are forced to observe Christian holidays at school and work all the time. How about freedom from religion? We don't need a Red, White and Blue Taliban.

— Merlisa (@merlisa) July 30, 2018

Freedom “from” religion? No…see… you don’t have to abide by a religion, thanks to the genius of the Founding Fathers. But by calling for the freedom “from” religion, you tread on my right to the freedom OF religion. Therefore, you suck and have no fundamental understanding of what you’re actually saying.

But by all means. Let the ignorance commence.

h/t The Hill