VOA常速英语:川普大谈宗教自由

Next, an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government.

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, President Donald Trump said,"Our Republic was formed on the basis that freedom is not a gift from government, but that freedom is a gift from God."

One fundamental freedom, freedom of religion, includes the freedom to worship according to one’s own beliefs."Freedom of religion is a sacred right," said President Trump, "but it is also a right under threat all around us, and the world is under serious, serious threat in so many different ways…We have seen unimaginable violence carried out in the name of religion.Acts of wanton slaughter against religious minorities. Horrors on a scale that defy description. Terrorism is a fundamental threat to religious freedom. It must be stopped, and it will be stopped."

“We have seen peace-loving Muslims brutalized, victimized, murdered, and oppressed by Islamic State terrorists. We have seen threats of extermination against the Jewish people. We have seen a campaign of ISIS and genocide against Christians, where they cut off heads,” said President Trump.

"All nations have a moral obligation to speak out against such violence. All nations have a duty to work together to confront it and to confront it viciously, if we have to," said President Trump.

The United States will do everything in its power to defend and protect religious liberty in our land."America must forever remain a tolerant society," said President Trump, “where all faiths are respected, and where all of our citizens can feel safe and secure.”

“As long as our liberty and, in particular, our religious liberty is allowed to flourish,” said President Trump, “America will flourish.“