Transcripts For CSPAN Washington Journal Travis Weber 202407

Live on the free cspan radio app. Journal continues. Host travis weber is our guest for the last 30 minutes of our program today. He serves as director of the Family Research Councils Center for religious liberty, joining us for after President Trumps speech yesterday on religious freedom at the United Nations. What do you mean by the term religious freedom . Guest simply defined, the freedom to choose ones faith and live it out. And this includes the ability to change ones faith, and this is what we see an International Law in article 18, and domestically in the religious freedom restoration act, and in the first amendment, the courts have historically protected the freedom to choose and change and speak about ones beliefs. Host how does religious freedom stick with the idea of separation of church and state . Guest we have to look at the spirit of authority the sphere of authority of the governments, the church, and religious leaders. The governments role is to allow religious people to fulfill their responsibility to god. This is what you have in china aret now but there limits to the laws and the united states, but there is always a framework of understanding the religious communitys obligation to fulfill their commitment to god and protecting them is the founding of our country, and protecting their ability to do that. Host what do you make of the president s speech yesterday at the United Nations on this issue of religious freedom . Guest sure. This is the first time the president addressed the issue and made a big statement saying we welcome other nations of the world to join with us and the fight for global religious freedom. There are significant problems and a multitude of manifestations around the world. Trumpe president addressing this, primarily saying we will focus on ,rotecting houses of worship and across the middle east, africa, so we will commit to that 25 million dollars. And welcome business communitys involvement. You had a town hall in recent days ahead of the speech for ways that President Trump can make religious freedom great again at the u. N. What were they ended President Trump to any of that . Guest one recommendation with a focus on the houses of worship effort initiative. He outlined that and said we are going to focus on that. The other three were to train our diplomats, and to condemn the use of technology to repress religious freedom and to condemn the use of National Security efforts that are often used to suppress religious freedoms. These are all measures that are out there and they are good policy proposals, and it would be good to see them all taken up by the united states. There are reasons to address all of these. Host coming back to President Trumps speech yesterday on religious freedom for the last 30 minutes. Democrats, 202 7488000. Republicans, 202 7488001. Independents, 202 7488002. Having this conversation ahead of the president s address to the uns General Assembly around 10 00 a. M. We will go there when the president does speak. Do you think that religious freedom will come back up in the full address to the General Assembly . Guest i hope it does. It is possible that President Trump will address iran and china, both countries that have religious freedom problems. Tona is in a state effort consolidate state control under national coercive policy into alignment with hsieh he. So getting back into the articulation of church and state as discussed earlier. Iran, there are significant problems for people to share faith and convert away from islam. I think it is part of our world leadership that we should address them and say these are human rights problems and take them up on the world stage of the u. N. Host back to china, how does President Trump do that at the same time he is negotiating a trade to deal that is obviously very important . Guest good question. The key is to make religious freedom a human rights condition as a part of the trade deal. They do not get a deal unless i take steps to deal with these problems. There is evidence that shows that longterm Money Society says we will help religious freedom flourish, it is good for that countrys washington journal live every day at 7 00 a. M. Eastern. This segment and more at cspan. Org. The u. S. E