Russell Moore urges Trump to sign executive order that protects religious freedom

Russell Moore appears in a screen capture of a video from the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. | YouTube/Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Russell Moore, the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, has called on President Donald Trump to sign an executive order that would provide protection for religious liberty.

Last week, a draft copy of the executive order titled "Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom" was leaked to the media.

The draft indicated that the religious freedoms of individuals and organizations that uphold traditional beliefs on gender, sexuality and marriage will be protected.

In response to the leak, Moore urged the president to issue the executive order. He noted that protecting religious liberties also require legislative action, but he stated that the executive order is a step towards the right direction.

"Freedom of conscience and religious liberty are of utmost importance to us, and to millions of other religious people in the United States," said Moore.

"We support an executive order making clear that people of religious conviction will not be pushed aside by the federal government as we seek to serve our neighbors, including those who disagree with us," he continued.

Under the order, organizations with religious objections to the contraceptive mandate included in the Affordable Care Act would be granted accommodations. Social service organizations that receive federal funds, such as adoption agencies, will be allowed to operate based on their beliefs on marriage. Faith-based institutions and other non-profit organizations would not risk losing their tax-exempt status due to their policies and political leanings, Christianity Today reported.

Critics of the draft have raised concern that it will allow discrimination against the LGBT community.

Chad Griffin of the progressive group Human Rights Campaign described the order as "sweeping and dangerous" and said, "If Donald Trump goes through with even a fraction of this order, he'll reveal himself as a true enemy to LGBTQ people."

However, Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation said that liberals should not be concerned with the order because it explicitly stated that it "shall be carried out ... to the extent permitted by law," and any accommodation must be "reasonable" in order to avoid potential conflicts.

He also clarified that the draft order would not repeal Obama's executive order that elevates LGBT status to a protected class in federal contracts.

White House officials have stated that the religious freedom order is just one among hundreds of executive orders under review by the Trump administration. The officials also noted that not all of the orders reflect the administration's views.