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'The Rights that God Gave Us': How Religious Freedom Institute Is Fighting Erosion of Liberty in US

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WASHINGTON – With religious liberty increasingly under attack in America, the Religious Freedom Institute is hosting the launch of a new committee. The National Committee for Religious Freedom aims to defend religion for all by backing political candidates who support a full vision of free religious exercise at the local, state, and national levels, regardless of political party. 

Over the weekend, President Biden declared January 16th Religious Freedom Day, honoring America's commitment to protecting people's right to practice their faith. However, a slew of recent cases shows religious liberties being chipped away. 

The examples are vast. Washington state high school football coach Joe Kennedy was fired for his post-game prayers. A Christian photographer was facing thousands of dollars in fines, jail time, and a revoked business license for declining to take photos for same-sex weddings. At Health and Human Services, a leaked memo revealed the Biden administration seeks to un-enforce the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. 

The Religious Freedom Institute says these threats against religious liberty can't go unchecked. 

"It was one of the rights that God gave us," former Religious Freedom Ambassador Sam Brownback told CBN News. "He gave us religious freedom. He gave us the right to do with our own soul what we choose and no government has the right to interfere with that." 

Brownback is spearheading the organization's new National Committee for Religious Freedom. The committee's goal is to help elect politicians at all levels, regardless of their party, who will stand for religious liberty. Each state will have a chapter. 

"There'll be a Virginians for Religious Freedom, a Kansans for Religious Freedom, Californians for Religious Freedom, and we'll ask those local state affiliates to determine the major issues in their state and local governance that they want to look at," explained Brownback. 

Brownback says he's hopeful that both Republicans and Democrats will support the committee, though the issue is not as bi-partisan as it has been historically. 

"My hope is that we can start pulling together here and saying, this is a fundamental right that you cannot have a diverse culture without having these protections for people of faith."

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About The Author

Jenna
Browder

Jenna Browder co-hosts Faith Nation and is a network correspondent for CBN News. She has interviewed many prominent national figures from both sides of the political aisle, including presidents, cabinet secretaries, lawmakers, and other high-ranking officials. Jenna grew up in the small mountain town of Gunnison, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied journalism. Her first TV jobs were at CBS affiliates in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Monroe, Louisiana where she anchored the nightly news. She came to Washington, D.C. in 2016. Getting to cover that year's