Contrary to popular belief, nothing in the U.S. Constitution requires officeholders to take an oath of office on the Bible -- or any other book, for that matter.

There’s no doubt that worldwide religious persecution is an ongoing problem. But Trump, whose closest allies are in repressive nations such as Russia and Saudi Arabia and who has an embarrassing crush on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and his murderous regime, has no moral authority to lead the fight against it.

Severing the tie between religion and government led to a great flowering of religious diversity. Unfortunately, our grand experiment stands in jeopardy today as some people continue efforts to redefine religious freedom, converting it from a device to protect individual rights into an instrument to oppress others.