Christian Nationalism Threatens the Core of American Belonging, Immigrant Voices Warn

Religious freedom is supposed to be a cornerstone of the American dream — a guarantee that belonging here does not hinge on matching the majority’s faith. For immigrants like Mehar Thakur, that principle made the United States a refuge from nations where national identity is tightly fused with one dominant religion, often to the exclusion of minorities.

Thakur, a member of Americans United’s Youth Organizing Fellowship, lays bare how rising Christian Nationalism in the U.S. echoes the very forces that made her family leave their home country. “When that line [between religion and national identity] blurs, people like me begin to feel like we are back in a situation where, if we do not conform to the majority, we will be left behind,” she writes.

This is no abstract fear. The fusion of government and a single religious doctrine is already shaping policy debates, especially on reproductive rights. Nationwide abortion bans grounded in one religious belief about when life begins are not neutral governance — they are theology masquerading as law. When one faith’s doctrine dictates federal policy, it undermines the constitutional promise that no religion will be privileged over others.

The stakes go beyond one issue. As Project 2025 and similar agendas push to reshape federal governance along conservative Christian lines, the very fabric of American democracy is at risk. This is not a restoration of “biblical values” but a constitutional departure that threatens to exclude religious minorities and erode the separation of church and state.

The First Amendment’s twin protections — free exercise of religion and prohibition of government establishment of religion — have allowed immigrants like Thakur’s family to live without fear that their faith marks them as outsiders. When government begins to privilege one religion, it betrays the founding ideals of this country.

For millions who came here seeking a home where belonging is not determined by belief, the rise of Christian Nationalism is a warning: America’s promise of equal citizenship for all is on the line, and we must fight to keep it.