Celebrating 250 Years of No Religious Kings
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On July 4, we will celebrate American independence from kings who ruled over both church and state. Two hundred and fifty years ago, the founders of this country put forward a bold and radical idea: that religious freedom is safest when the government neither controls religion nor is controlled by it.
The founders were not perfect; at the nation’s founding, freedom belonged only to white men. But they pioneered the promise of a country where the government is of, by, and for the people—and understood the vital role that church-state separation played in that experiment.
Now, President Donald Trump is doing his best to turn us back to the time of religious kings. We have seen escalating warning signs, including Trump posting an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus, prayer services at the Pentagon, and cabinet secretaries abusing government channels to sermonize to their employees and the public.
On May 17, an all-day government-sponsored evangelical prayer event took place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where the speakers, nearly all of them Christian, dedicated the country to God. The event included video appearances by Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and in-person remarks by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. Hegseth urged attendees to pray to “our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
These are signs of the growing power of Christian nationalism in our government, a crusade that won’t rest until it has achieved its goal of establishing the United States as a country for only certain favored Christians.
But Christian nationalism is incompatible with the American experiment. Our founders knew well the horrors of religious wars and persecution; they understood that church-state separation was key to our new democracy.
Christian nationalists often point to the Declaration of Independence’s references to the divine to support the myth that America was founded as a Christian nation. But when it came to establishing the legal framework for their new government, the framers were clear. The government derives its “just powers” from “the consent of the governed,” not from any king, clergy, or higher power.
The Constitution contains no mention of God and separates religion from the state. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the forerunner to the First Amendment, declared that “our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than on our opinions in physics or geometry.”
Last year, a former member of Trump’s so-called “Religious Liberty Commission” quoted John Jay’s private letter suggesting Americans might “prefer Christians for their rulers.” But Article VI of the Constitution bans religious tests for office. The Constitution protects a democracy in which citizens of every religion and those with no religion have an equal voice. That’s why we get to choose representatives who mirror our nation’s religious diversity. Among our elected lawmakers, we have Christians of many denominations, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Humanists.
Church-state separation guarantees a government “for the people”—for all people, regardless of religion. Thomas Jefferson lauded the religious freedom protections in his Virginia religious freedom law for protecting “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every denomination.”
The U.S. Supreme Court, in striking down school-organized prayer at a public school graduation in 1992, explained it well: “The mixing of government and religion can be a threat to free government” because when “the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion, it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs.”
When politicians favor a certain version of Christianity, the government is not working for religious minorities like me (a Jewish American) or the nonreligious. It also isn’t working for the many Christians who value their neighbors’ religious freedom and understand that church-state separation protects them, too. Separating religion and government allows us to come together as equals to build a stronger democracy.
In the Gettysburg Address—another pivotal moment for U.S. democracy—President Abraham Lincoln reflected on the founding story of America and predicted that “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” If we use this Independence Day to recommit to church-state separation, we can safeguard the American experiment for the next 250 years and beyond.
This column was produced for Progressive Perspectives, a project of The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
