At the end of June 2026, the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission released its draft report on the status of religious liberty in America and offered a number of recommendations. It called for responses from the public by Monday 13 July 2026. A number of submissions were made by faithful, Bible-believing Seventh-day Adventists. Jonathan Zirkle, a lawyer and religious liberty advocate, was one such individual who submitted a response and started a website (https://pillaroffreedom.org/">Pillar of Freedom) to support people advocating for religious liberty in America.  Liberty Herald International will be featuring some of the responses that were sent to the Religious Liberty Commission in other articles.

 

Of note in the draft report was the Religious Liberty Commission's insistence that religious liberty is a bridge between state and church. They defined religious liberty as being in the context of "communal religious practices," something that is contrary to Biblical religious liberty. Liberty is an individual right, and it is not only to be experienced within the community. The most famous verse of the Bible - John 3:16 - makes this very clear. Even though Jesus died for the world, it is only those 'who believe' that experience the freedom of salvation and the liberation from perishing.

 

In footnote 44 (a footnote for the definition of religious liberty in the draft report), the authors also invoked the understanding of religious liberty that was crafted by Catholic tradition. Roman Catholic tradition teaches that the church should be free from state interference, but the state is never to be free from church interference (see https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/hist1510/DictPP.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dictatus Papae of Pope Gregory VII and the https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Papal Encylical Unam Sanctum ). This understanding was clearly articulated on page 15 of the draft report, which said "Often, students are wrongly told that expressions of their faith are a violation of 'separation of church and state. ' However, the Constitution protects religious liberty not by exiling religion from public life, but by preventing government from controlling it."

 

The draft report endorsed presidents, governors, or mayors "issuing proclamations about religious holidays or issues" (p. 199). Donald Trump already put this into practice when he https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/05/jewish-american-heritage-month-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proclaimed May 15-16 a Sabbath in which "all Americans" should celebrate their faith and freedom in commemoration of the 250th year since the Declaration of Independence. 

 

The churches of America have increasingly sought to have greater influence over the political realm. This is a step towards closer unity. It is something that we need to keep watching closely and responding to in order to champion true Liberty of Conscience and Religious Liberty.

 

Read the https://www.justice.gov/religious-liberty-commission/media/1449896/dl?inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Draft report for yourself.