Jay Richards , assistant research professor, business, was interviewed by Catholic News Agency on President Trump and religious freedom. See below.
From: The Boston Pilot Date: Feb. 16, 2017Author: Matt Hadro
To sign an executive order establishing broad religious freedom protections is "one of the most important things President Trump could do early in his administration," said Dr. Jay Richards, a professor at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America.
"This isn't just a Christian issue," he told CNA, but rather a "Constitutional issue." Current threats to religious freedom could be "solidified" if no such executive order is signed soon.
The order essentially elevated LGBT persons to a "protected class," thus threatening employers who are religiously opposed to this lifestyle by withholding federal contracts or funding because of so-called "discrimination," Richards explained.
Recently, a draft of another order which would establish broad conscience protections was leaked to the press, but that order has not been issued or signed. This draft was "just perfect," Dr. Richards thought, because "it would undo a lot of the damage" wrought against religious freedom from the Obama administration.
That order wouldn't just affect federal contractors, he explained, "but any entity that receives federal funding or is eligible for student loans."
"So if something like this doesn't happen, it would not be very long - in fact I would predict it would be probably within the year - that Christian and Catholic colleges would start being essentially coerced into accepting this kind of officially-mandated view on these transgender questions," he said. ...