Volunteer State News

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell announced his company would produce masks for hospitals and encouraged Americans to read the Bible, a fact that led U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) to criticize the company's executive. 

Lindell appeared at President Donald Trump's press conference during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to announce that he would be transitioning a large part of his company to mask production and would aim to produce 50,000 masks per day. 

He also encouraged Americans to use their time at home to read the Bible, leading Cohen to criticize Lindell's invocation of the Bible. EO and took exception to Lindell’s invocation of the Bible. 

Cohen said Lindell had no reason to appear at the press conference, and took to Twitter to refer to Lindell as some guy who “makes pillows.” In a Tweet, Cohen remarked that unless Lindell makes personal protective equipment, he “shouldn’t have been allowed to use the Bible and kiss #trump posterior,” the Tennessee Star reported.

“I disagree with Rep. Cohen and I pray for him and I believe he is totally out of line with his comments,” Rev. Lyle F. Hill, pastor of Harbingers of Truth Christian Church, told the Volunteer State News. Hill also serves as the Tennessee state director for the Convention of States.  

“Freedom of religion is part of the Bill of Rights and that entire document was created to protect those rights that the citizens believed to be God-given, or if you prefer a more secular term, Natural rights,” said Hill.

Hill quoted the First Amendment, saying “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." He was critical of Cohen, a member of Congress, taking away Lindell's natural rights. 

"Cohen also has no right to say who should or should not be invited by the president to the people's house for a presser or anything else," Hill said. 

Hill believes that Lindell was exercising his free speech by suggesting people read the Bible, remarking that the Bill of Rights says "'freedom of' not 'freedom from' religion."

"The role of government is to protect the citizen's right to religion and free exercise thereof," Hill said. "The term Separation of Church and State is found nowhere in the United States Constitution. And the Establishment Clause restricts the government from interfering in religion. We, the people, have no such restrictions on the practice of our religion however we see fit.”

Cohen is no stranger to criticizing people of faith. Last year, he remarked that those who testified before the U.S. House of Representatives no longer had to say “so help me God” under oath. 

“I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque—but not in Congress," Cohen reportedly said. "And God doesn’t want to be used.”