Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whose state was ranked first in the nation for religious freedom this year, warns increasing alienation and loss of community among Americans pose grave threats to religious liberty in the United States.
She was speaking after Arkansas scored this year’s top spot for religious liberty in the First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy’s Religious Liberty in the States index, which evaluated 50 legal protections across 20 safeguards that states can adopt to uphold religious freedom.
Earning a score of 89%, Arkansas joined Tennessee (85%) this year as the only two states to receive the index’s first-ever “excellent” rating.
They were well ahead of Florida (77%), Montana (71%) and Illinois(70%).
Unsurprisingly, New York (26%) was bottom, narrowly behind and Michigan (27%) and California (30%).
“OUR RIGHTS COME FROM GOD AND EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD BE FREE TO FOLLOW THEIR FAITH”
“Our rights come from God, not government, and every American should be free to live according to their faith and conscience,” declared Governor Sanders.
“We’ll continue defending that freedom and ensuring the Natural State (Arkansas) remains the best place in the country to live, work, and worship,” she asserted.
“Religious liberty is best protected when leaders are willing to act before the rights of people of faith are threatened,” said First Liberty President and CEO Kelly Shackelford.
“Governor Sanders and Arkansas lawmakers have taken that responsibility seriously, adopting strong protections that help ensure Arkansans can live and work according to conscience,” he observed.
HOW ARKANSAS HAS PROTECTED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Governor Sanders attributed Arkansas’ top ranking to multiple legislative accomplishments to promote religious liberty.
She highlighted last year’s new law which prohibits state and local governments from penalising anyone for operating according to their sincerely-held beliefs about biological sex and marriage.
She also pinpointed the Conscience Protection Act which prohibits the state government from discriminating against religious organisations because of their religious identity.
The Republican governor since 2023 and a former press secretary to President Trump during his first term, expressed pride that her state has been distinguished for “something that is very foundational to our country.”
“What makes America so special and unique is that we are the greatest country because we’re the freest country, and our first and most fundamental right to freedom is our religious freedom and religious liberty,” she asserted.
“MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER THAT WE SPEAK OUT BOLDLY ABOUT OUR FAITH”
Governor Sanders expressed concern that anti-Christian sentiment is rising in the US.
She attributed this in part to “the overall lack of community that we see in a world that talks so much about connection and using technology to connect with one another.”
“I think more and more people are getting further and further isolated,” she told The Christian Post.
“They’re losing that sense of fellowship and community that I think is so critical, so important; frankly, what we were designed to be part of.”
Noting that Americans have traditionally found a sense of community in their places of worship, Sanders thinks its decline “is one of the biggest threats for so many people” and contributes to the idea “that people shouldn’t be outspoken about their faith and it should be a private thing.”
“With all the chaos and the noise out there, I think it’s more important than ever that we lean into and speak out boldly and clearly about what we believe and why we believe it, versus trying to kind of shy away.”
ONLINE COMMUNITIES COULD BE FUELLING HOSTILITY TOWARDS CHRISTIANS
The Arkansas governor voiced concern that as Americans become increasingly isolated, their attempts to find community online could be contributing to increased hostility against Christianity and the proliferation of other radical ideas.
“I think while social media can be a great tool, I think that’s one of the reasons,” she said.
“You see people’s ideas and [anti-Christian] belief pushed further and further online, and ideas that people 15 years ago would have thought crazy, are now reinforced online.
Everybody can find and connect to a community that may want to push those similar kinds of anti-faith and anti-Christian feelings.”
GOVERNOR STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF PRODUCTIVE EDUCATION OVER INDOCTRINATION
Governor Sanders stressed the importance of providing education that trains a productive citizenry instead of indoctrinating them.
She said telling the truth about communism is “one of the big fights, and I think the president’s right to take it on and call it out.”
She hopes Arkansas will continue to “lead the way” by setting an example for other states in protecting religious liberty, which she said is “such a key piece to protecting all of our other freedoms.”
“I hope that other states, other leaders, will join with Arkansas, pass similar legislation, support similar initiatives, and that we will continue to protect the freedoms — not just for Arkansans, but for every American — that really set our country apart and make us special, unique and free,” the governor concluded.
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