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Members of Congress,
Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today. As stewards of a democracy rooted in liberty and justice, we bear a shared responsibility to uphold the rights that define our national character. Among these is the freedom of belief—and the equal freedom not to believe—safeguarded by a clear separation between religion and government. But in this moment, we are witnessing growing efforts to erode that boundary, placing our most essential democratic values at risk.
I was born in a small rural town where the line between church and state was more suggestion than law. Our public school held prayers at assemblies. Science classes skipped evolution “out of respect.” My Muslim and atheist classmates were mocked, not just by peers, but by teachers. And I remember thinking: how can we call ourselves a democracy if belief dictates who belongs?
Democracy thrives on pluralism. It is not the government’s job to endorse a god, any god. The First Amendment’s twin pillars—the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause—don’t cancel each other out; they hold each other up. When government prefers one religion, it automatically restricts others. And that, history tells us, is how democracies unravel.
Project 2025 proposes dismantling protections for secular Americans. Book bans and classroom censorship threaten intellectual freedom. Laws are drafted that let religion justify discrimination—against LGBTQ+ people, against women, against immigrants. This is not religious liberty. It is religious dominance.
The danger of a theocracy isn’t some far-off dystopia. It begins in classrooms where science is censored. It spreads in courthouses where judges cite scripture over precedent. And it becomes normalized in policies that trade public health, education, and equality for religious control.
To protect our democracy, we must first restore civic education. Students deserve to learn not only what the Constitution says, but why it says it. The Establishment Clause should not be a footnote; it should be taught as the foundation of inclusion, the legal firewall that protects both churches and citizens from overreach.
Next, we must pass legislation that explicitly prohibits government favoritism toward any faith. This includes religious displays in public schools, faith-based litmus tests for textbooks, and policies that restrict reproductive or LGBTQ+ rights based on a narrow theology. Public policy must remain rooted in reason, compassion, and evidence—not belief.
Finally, we must start saying it louder: secular Americans are part of this country too. We volunteer, we serve, we vote, and we care deeply about justice. Morality does not require a pulpit. And ethics, in fact, flourish best when they are chosen freely, not enforced through fear.
This is not a call to erase religion from America. It is a call to ensure that no one religion erases the rest of us. Faith is private. Freedom is public. And in this chamber—in this democracy—only one of them should ever dictate law.
Thank you.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today. As stewards of a democracy rooted in liberty and justice, we bear a shared responsibility to uphold the rights that define our national character. Among these is the freedom of belief—and the equal freedom not to believe—safeguarded by a clear separation between religion and government. But in this moment, we are witnessing growing efforts to erode that boundary, placing our most essential democratic values at risk.
I was born in a small rural town where the line between church and state was more suggestion than law. Our public school held prayers at assemblies. Science classes skipped evolution “out of respect.” My Muslim and atheist classmates were mocked, not just by peers, but by teachers. And I remember thinking: how can we call ourselves a democracy if belief dictates who belongs?
Democracy thrives on pluralism. It is not the government’s job to endorse a god, any god. The First Amendment’s twin pillars—the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause—don’t cancel each other out; they hold each other up. When government prefers one religion, it automatically restricts others. And that, history tells us, is how democracies unravel.
Project 2025 proposes dismantling protections for secular Americans. Book bans and classroom censorship threaten intellectual freedom. Laws are drafted that let religion justify discrimination—against LGBTQ+ people, against women, against immigrants. This is not religious liberty. It is religious dominance.
The danger of a theocracy isn’t some far-off dystopia. It begins in classrooms where science is censored. It spreads in courthouses where judges cite scripture over precedent. And it becomes normalized in policies that trade public health, education, and equality for religious control.
To protect our democracy, we must first restore civic education. Students deserve to learn not only what the Constitution says, but why it says it. The Establishment Clause should not be a footnote; it should be taught as the foundation of inclusion, the legal firewall that protects both churches and citizens from overreach.
Next, we must pass legislation that explicitly prohibits government favoritism toward any faith. This includes religious displays in public schools, faith-based litmus tests for textbooks, and policies that restrict reproductive or LGBTQ+ rights based on a narrow theology. Public policy must remain rooted in reason, compassion, and evidence—not belief.
Finally, we must start saying it louder: secular Americans are part of this country too. We volunteer, we serve, we vote, and we care deeply about justice. Morality does not require a pulpit. And ethics, in fact, flourish best when they are chosen freely, not enforced through fear.
This is not a call to erase religion from America. It is a call to ensure that no one religion erases the rest of us. Faith is private. Freedom is public. And in this chamber—in this democracy—only one of them should ever dictate law.
Thank you.
Daniel Zhang
San Diego, CA
Canyon Crest Academy
Daniel is a junior at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego. and the co-founder and National President of STEAMLabs International, a student-led nonprofit that has brought free, hands-on science nights and camps to more than 3,000 students across the U.S., Kenya, Mexico, and Canada.
Daniel interned at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, inspired by my family’s experiences with cancer, and hopes to study bioinformatics in college and contribute to developing new methods of diagnosis and treatment.
He's the president of his school’s Peer Tutoring Club and co-organizes monthly music performances at senior homes.