Actor Rainn Wilson, known for his role as Dwight Schrute on “The Office,” at an event on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, on Capitol Hill to mark the 250th anniversary of religious freedom in the United States. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON — As various officials and groups look to capitalize on the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, a bipartisan group of lawmakers with the assist of a eminent sitcom actor turned the spotlight Tuesday on a central tenet of U.S. democracy: religious freedom.
Actor Rainn Wilson, widely known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the NBC series “The Office,” attended a press conference hosted by U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida) along with religious leaders to champion America’s tradition of religious freedom.
Wilson, an outspoken member of the Baha’i religion, which emerged in the 19th century in Persia, now Iran, read from the Declaration of Independence and said the nation’s 250th anniversary was “an opportunity to ask profound questions.”
“How can we give new expression to the ideals of the Declaration?” he asked. “How can we move beyond tendencies that divide us and replace them with a widening circle of concerns? We must be able to speak and think in terms of spiritual and moral dimensions of individual and collective life.”
“We need to do this in a way that makes sense from different perspectives, both religious and secular,” he continued.
Wilson’s appearance marked the public release of the Baha’i Faith’s five-part installment letter “A common endeavor” committed to realizing “ideals of freedom, equality and justice” as many Americans are “exhausted and disillusioned by polarization.”
The press conference was attended by members of several religious denominations and is one of many independent events leading up to the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“A universal human right”
Boyle cited Baha’i writings that “beautifully” emphasize unity.
“My own Catholic faith teaches a similar truth. Pope Francis reminded us that we are called to come together as brothers and sisters, quote: ‘as children of the same earth,'” Boyle said.
“My hope is that as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, the focus will be on what our next 250 years look like, rather than just a wonderful reminder of the past quarter millennium.”
Bilirakis, an Orthodox Christian and co-chair of the Congressional International Religious Freedom Caucus, said: “Religious freedom is not just an American value, it is a universal human right, and I truly believe that.”
“Whether we speak on behalf of persecuted Christians, Muslims, Jews, Baha’is, Hindus, Buddhists, Uyghurs or members of other faith communities, our message must remain clear,” he said. “Every person is endowed with inherent dignity and deserves the freedom to live according to their conscience.”
Bilirakis is an original co-sponsor of a house resolution Condemnation of the Iranian government’s persecution of Baha’is. The resolution was introduced in December 2025, just months before the US escalated the war in Iran.
Pentagon list
The event on Capitol Hill occurred just a day after the Pentagon, although it was unrelated has changed his list recognized religions due to criticism from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church.
Utah’s two Republican senators, Mike Lee and John Curtis, made a direct appeal to the administration to change the Defense Department’s list that did not classify Latter-day Saints as Christians.
On Friday, the Pentagon revised its list of recognized religions for military personnel from around 200 to 31.
The Pentagon’s shortened list also includes the Baha’i faith.
