In his Letter Concerning Toleration, John Locke presents an overarching argument concerning the relationship between church and state. During the Presidential tenure of Donald Trump, there were several actions implemented that invariably supported conservative evangelical Christian views and positions, and for many raised the ire regarding the division between church and state. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services implemented a new rule for the federal family planning program known as Title X, which was an affront to Planned Parenthood because of the massive restrictions the new rule placed on the availability of abortions and its ability to allow companies to deny insurance coverage for contraceptive measures (i.e. birth control) to their employees due to religious beliefs. Or, the proposed Labor Department rule that would shield federal contractors from discrimination complaints regarding hiring and firing decisions motivated by religious beliefs. Many critics of the proposition saw it as a mechanism to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Additionally, the Trump Administration made efforts to update the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, to ensure the U.S. Department of Education provides an updated guidance on prayer in schools to continue safeguarding the first amendment freedom in public institutions for students. Recently, we have seen Trump era appointees to the Supreme Court take on cases and make rulings that may injure civil rights protections established by cases like Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, while simultaneously aligning with religious conservative views on the sanctity and protection of life.

1. After reading the Letter Concerning Toleration, do you think actions that expand religious freedoms potentially to the detriment of other groups constitute a violation of church and state?
2. Additionally, Locke makes clear that "[t]he toleration of those that differ from others in matters of religion is so agreeable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to the genuine reason of mankind, that it seems monstrous for men to be so blind as not to perceive the necessity and advantage of it in so clear a light." Do you think this means that ONLY religious groups have a requirement to exercise tolerance, or does the state (to preserve order and maintain the social contract) have an obligation to exercise a degree of tolerance for positions that may be perceived as injurious to other groups? How would you reconcile these potentially conflicting positions / ideas?