Patrick once boycotted a Muslim prayer, now he chairs the Religious Liberty Commission
You probably have heard by now that President Trump has created a Religious Liberty Commission and appointed Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to chair it. Trump said Patrick gave him the idea for the panel, which will study, among other things, the issue of “permitting time for voluntary prayer and religious instruction at public schools.” Sound familiar?
The commission also is charged with reporting on programs “to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism.”
Although phrases like “religious liberty” and “religious pluralism” may sound like equal treatment for all religions, don’t be so sure that is what Trump and Patrick have in mind, even though Patrick, at a White House ceremony announcing the commission, praised the president for “restoring the hopes and prayers of millions upon millions of believers of all faiths.”
Patrick has repeatedly made it clear that he believes, contrary to the historical record, that the United States was founded as a “Christian nation” and is doing all he can to promote the Christian nationalism movement by forcing Christian teachings and influence into Texas public schools.
He supported the State Board of Education’s approval of the Bible-infused curriculum now being offered to school districts for kindergarten through fifth grade. His legislative priorities this year include bills allowing prayer in public schools and posting copies of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. And, of course, he was a driving force behind the new voucher law that will give families tax-paid vouchers to send their children to religious schools, most of which in Texas are Christian.
Patrick denies the separation of church and state principle, which for years guided public schools in Texas. Contrary to the claims of Patrick and other right-wing revisionists of history, our country’s founders established a government that was supposed to stay out of religion, leaving people to worship any religion or no religion and be able to send their children to schools that didn’t promote one religion over another.
Although Patrick and Trump both loudly promote the Christian label, both also promote public policies that ignore many of Christ’s teachings about caring for the sick and the poor and offering a helping hand to strangers, not dictator-style deportation. But obviously hypocrisy is at worst a very minor sin in MAGA Land.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the new Trump/Patrick commission was “not about religious liberty, but about advancing Christian nationalism.”
“True religious freedom requires equality among religions and between religion and nonreligion in the eyes of the law and at every level of our government,” Laser added. “Trump clearly designed this commission to favor conservative Christians, especially those who want to use the power of our government to impose their religion on others.”
You probably have noticed that Patrick isn’t promoting legislation to have passages from the Koran posted in Texas classrooms.
Patrick was a first-year state senator in 2007, when the Texas Senate for the first time had a Muslim cleric deliver the day’s opening prayer. I was there for the historic occasion, in my previous life as a newspaper reporter, but Patrick wasn’t. He boycotted the prayer.
After returning to the Senate chamber later, Patrick delivered a speech praising religious tolerance and freedom of speech.
“I think that it’s important that we are tolerant as a people of all faiths, but that doesn’t mean we have to endorse all faiths, and that was my decision,” he said. “I surely believe that everyone should have the right to speak, but I didn’t want my attendance on the floor to appear that I was endorsing that.”
Yes, actions often speak louder than words. At least they did that day.
