The Religious Liberty Commission Chairman says "There is no Separation of Church and State in The Constitution"
April 16, 2026 Gerry Wagoner
The Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) is a federal advisory body established by the President via executive order in May 2025. It is chaired by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (with Dr. Ben Carson as vice chair) and includes various faith leaders and public figures. Its job is to examine the foundations and current state of religious liberty in America, identify threats to it, and make policy recommendations to the White House—particularly on protecting free exercise of religion. This is something we can support. Maybe.
Recent concern stems from the commission's final hearing on April 13, 2026, at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. During that session, Chair Dan Patrick stated:“It is time to set the record straight:
“There is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in the Constitution. For too long, the anti-God left has used this phrase to suppress people of religion in our country.”He and other participants argued that the phrase has been weaponized to restrict religious expression in public life, schools, government, and elsewhere, and that witnesses across the commission's hearings described it as eroding God-given rights. Patrick suggested recommendations like posting notices in schools and businesses affirming religious liberty protections while calling the separation idea “the biggest lie that’s been told in America since our founding.”
Constitutional Facts
It is true that the exact phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in the U.S. Constitution. It originates from Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, where he described the First Amendment as building “a wall of separation between Church & State.”
The Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment states:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
This prohibits the federal government from doing two things:
- Establishing an official national religion (or compelling support for one).
- Prohibiting individuals or groups from freely exercising their religion.
