Trump administration allows federal workers to promote religious beliefs
US President Donald Trump bows his head in prayer during a reception with Republican members of Congress in the East Room of the White House in Washington
By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN
(CNN) — The Trump administration will allow federal workers to promote their religious beliefs to colleagues, display religious items at work and pray together or individually, according to a memorandum issued Monday by the Office of Personnel Management.
The guidance, from OPM Director Scott Kupor, declares that federal agencies “should allow personal religious expression by Federal employees to the greatest extent possible unless such expression would impose an undue hardship on business operations.”
This means that a federal worker, according to the memorandum, “may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs,” but “if the nonadherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request.” The memorandum lays out the caveat: “provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature.”
Federal workers will also be able to invite each other to religious services or pray in groups at the office when not on duty. Other examples of permitted religious activities listed by OPM state that a park ranger leading a tour through a national park is allowed to pray with a tour group or a doctor working at a Veterans Affairs hospital may pray over a patient. Workers may also display religious items on their desks.
The memo advises agencies to review and, if needed, revise internal policies to ensure that they appropriately protect religious expression.
Federal law already offers some protections for religious expression in the workplace.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids employers from discriminating based on religion. They are required to make reasonable accommodations for their employees’ religious practices and beliefs unless it would be an “undue hardship” to do so.
In a news release, Kupor said the idea is to make the federal workplace “not just compliant … but welcoming to Americans of all faiths.”
The memo, issued by what is essentially the human resources department of the federal government, is the Trump administration’s latest efforts around religion. In May, the president created a Religious Liberty Commission, and, in February, he signed an executive order forming a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias.
“We’re bringing religion back to our country,” Trump promised at a prayer breakfast in Washington when he announced plans for the Religious Liberty Commission.
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
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