Trump says no American should be forced to choose between faith and law

President Donald Trump has reiterated that no American should be forced to choose between their faith and the law as he issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 16 as "Religious Freedom Day."

Proclaiming Religious Freedom Day on Tuesday, Trump stressed that the U.S. Constitution and laws allow Americans not only to believe as they see fit but also to freely exercise their religion.

"Unfortunately, not all have recognized the importance of religious freedom, whether by threatening tax consequences for particular forms of religious speech, or forcing people to comply with laws that violate their core religious beliefs without sufficient justification," the president said, according to Baptist News Global.

"These incursions, little by little, can destroy the fundamental freedom underlying our democracy," he added.

Trump noted that those reasons were behind his decision to issue his May executive order that prohibited the Treasury Department from taking "adverse action" against religious organizations that speak out on moral and religious issues, and dropped federal requirements for religious institutions to include birth control coverage in their employees' health insurance.

In October, Attorney General Jeff Sessions followed up the order by issuing a guidance instructing the IRS not to enforce the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits nonprofit organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

During the campaign period, Trump vowed to defend the religious freedom of Americans and criticized attempts to force Catholic nuns like the Little Sisters of the Poor to pay for contraceptives in their health care plan.

Trump, however, has been criticized as anti-Muslim as he had also promised to temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the country. After his election, he issued an order banning immigration from certain majority-Muslim countries.

In the proclamation, Trump called on Americans to celebrate the many faiths across the U.S. and explained why he considers faith and religious freedom to be important to the nation.

"Faith is embedded in the history, spirit, and soul of our Nation. On Religious Freedom Day, we celebrate the many faiths that make up our country. Our Constitution and laws guarantee Americans the right not just to believe as they see fit, but to freely exercise their religion," Trump said.

"No American — whether a nun, nurse, baker, or business owner — should be forced to choose between the tenets of faith or adherence to the law," he added.

The president also vowed to defend religious freedom in other parts of the world and said that the U.S. will be "undeterred" in its commitment to monitoring religious persecution.

Religious Freedom Day is commemorated each year on Jan. 16, coinciding with the anniversary of the passage of Thomas Jefferson's landmark Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom in 1786.

The Virginia statue became the basis of the First Amendment, which states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." It also disestablished the Church of England in Virginia and guaranteed freedom to minority sects, laying the groundwork for the modern understanding of the separation of church and state.