[IsraelTimes] Easter tweet follows demand for US State Department employees to report incidents of alleged anti-Christian bias during the Biden administration
In a statement marking Easter, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Friday for “all nations to respect the right of Christians to declare Christ is King.”
“Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the king of kings and lord of all nations,” Rubio wrote on social media platform X.
Rubio’s implication that Christian freedom of worship is under threat is in line with the actions of current US administration.
Earlier this month, Rubio issued an appeal for US State Department employees to report instances of alleged anti-Christian bias, including formal or informal actions due to opposition to vaccines or personal pronoun choice, that may have occurred during the Biden administration.
According to the Associated Press, which obtained a copy of the cable, other examples of potential bias include “mistreatment for opposing displays of flags, banners or other paraphernalia on or in government facilities because of religious objection or for opposing official media content due to religious objections, forcing employees to remove personal displays of religious faith or conscience, whether as part of clothing/accessories items on desks or in personal workspace.”
In a February executive order, US President Donald Trump established a task force to eradicate what he called anti-Christian bias. Trump’s statement accused former president Joe Biden of “weaponizing” the government against Christians and Christianity.
While previous US presidents, including Biden and Barack Obama, have invoked their Christian beliefs in Easter messages, Trump has adopted Christian rhetoric and granted unprecedented access and influence to Evangelical Christian leaders, The New York Times reported Friday.
According to the Times, this year’s White House Easter celebration is the largest in recent memory and was designed as a direct rebuttal to Biden. In 2024, Easter Sunday fell on March 31, which is also celebrated annually as Transgender Day of Visibility. Biden issued statements that day commemorating both occasions, generating a negative reaction from Christians who oppose transgender rights.
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