President Donald Trump led a United Nations event promoting religious freedom on Monday, reminding world leaders that all rights came from God.
“The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government they come from God,” he said. “This immortal truth is proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in the first amendment to our Constitution’s Bill of Rights.”
Trump noted that 80 percent of the world’s population live in countries where religious freedom is in danger or outright banned, and called for the world to end religious persecution and release prisoners held for professing their belief.
“As president, protecting religious freedom is one of my highest priorities and always has been,” Trump said.
The president noted sadly that an estimated 11 Christians are killed every day around the world for following their faith.
“Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions,” he said.
Trump vowed that the United States would always stand for religious freedom, and urged all governments to do the same.
“We ask the governments of the world to honor the eternal right of every person to follow their conscience, live by their faith, and give glory to God,” he said.
Trump was introduced at the event by Vice President Mike Pence, who thanked the president for being the first United States president to lead an event on the United Nations on religious freedom.
Pence specifically called out ISIS terrorists, and countries such as Iran, China, Nicaragua, and Venezuela for their abuses against people of different faiths.