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Feel like expressing your faith on the job? If you’re a federal employee, Washington D.C. is now okay with you doing so.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) – the agency which oversees the massive federal civilian workforce – released new guidelines on Monday (July 28, 2025) to ensure that “federal employees may express their beliefs through prayer, personal items, group gatherings and conversations without fear of discrimination or retaliation.”
That’s doubly important to a state like South Carolina. First, the Palmetto State is very religious – with 70% of its population described as “highly religious,” according to a 2023 Wisevoter survey. That was tied for fifth-highest in the nation – trailing only Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana. Also, some 38,400 South Carolinians are currently on Uncle Sam’s civilian payroll.
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Director Scott Kupor spelled out details of the policy in a memo entitled “Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace.” He wrote that work should always be “a welcoming place” for those who practice their religious beliefs.
According to the new guidelines, workers can display religious items while on the job, pray in groups (provided they’re not on the clock) and encourage colleagues to join their faith.
“Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,” Kupor wrote.
The new memo builds on an executive order signed in February by U.S. president Donald Trump. Entitled “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias,” it is intended to “protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.”
It’s the last phrase that gives Kupor’s memo its significance.
“Up (un)til now, religion in the federal workplace was treated kind of like the old ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy for gays in the military,” a federal worker who is also a devout Christian told us. “You could be a believer, and as long as you kept it to yourself, it wouldn’t impact your job performance. But if word got around that you were sharing your beliefs with those you work with, the raises and promotions stopped coming.”
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Some observers are saying the new guidelines are more about tone than substance. For example, they note the details outlined in the memo are very similar to those issued in 1997 during the Clinton Administration – the chief difference being the earlier version said workers could discuss their religious convictions, while the new memo subtly encourages it.
Safeguards against unwanted proselytization still remain in effect. For example, the OPM says one federal worker is free to engage “in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should rethink his religious beliefs.”
However, the conversation must end when the “non-adherent” asks for it to stop.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined,” Kupor explained.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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1 comment
Keep your filthy fucking white trash religion to yourself.