State of Belief

State Of Belief 072019 Welton Gaddy by State of Belief

Rachel Maddow, host of the popular Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, is back on our show to talk about the midterms, women in leadership, press responsibility, religious liberty and lots more. Visit the State of Belief website: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=10351 Subscribe to State of Belief as a podcast: http://feeds.feedburner.com/stateofbelief Share your thoughts on this topic on our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/StateofBelief Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/StateofBelief ----------------------------------------- Music used: Title: Beyond Home (Orchestral Rock) Author: Brandon Liew Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Brandon_Liew/Collection_1/brandon_liew_02_Beyond_Home_Orchestral_Rock License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Royalty Free Open Music from https://starfrosch.com

As we mark the 16th anniversary of the horrific attacks of 9/11, a day that changed so much for so many – and keep all those in the path of this season’s monster hurricanes in our thoughts – there are major stories at the intersection of religion, government and politics that we’ve got to cover. Nearly 800,000 immigrants were protected by President Obama’s DACA policy, which allowed undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children to legally work and live in the United States. President Trump abruptly cancelled the program on Tuesday and kicked the issue over to Congress. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s radio show and podcast, we’ll speak with a leading faith-based activist working to protect these immigrants. Host Rev. Welton Gaddy will be joined by United Methodist Church Bishop Minerva Carcaño to discuss the fallout from President Trump’s attack on DACA. Bishop Carcaño is the first Hispanic woman to be elected to the episcopacy of The United Methodist Church and serves as the official spokesperson for the United Methodist Council of Bishops on the issue of immigration. She and Welton will discuss how people of faith are standing up for immigrants and how Congress can act to grant permanent status to those formerly covered by DACA. We frequently ask on the show how the Religious Right can reconcile its purported beliefs with its unwavering support for Donald Trump. The most frequent answer is that they’re just in it for the power. But what if it goes deeper than that? ThinkProgress Senior Religion Writer Jack Jenkins has authored a series of articles exploring Christian Nationalism in the age of Trump, and he’ll be on the show to share his findings. A number of prominent Religious Right figures took the opportunity last week to issue a mean-spirited statement of beliefs condemning lesbian and gay people, denying the very existence of transgender people and pretty much damning anyone who has had premarital sex. Over one hundred evangelical leaders signed onto this so-called “Nashville Statement.” Welton will get an opposing viewpoint from activist Brandan Robertson, who organized over a thousand leaders who signed a faithful rebuttal. And it took him less than 24 hours. Visit us at www.stateofbelief.com Subscribe to the State of Belief Podcast: feeds.feedburner.com/StateOfBelief Share your thoughts on this topic on our Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/StateofBelief Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/StateofBelief

With Passover underway, what timeless wisdom can the Jewish tradition offer all of us at this time of year? We hear from Rabbi Brad Hirschfeld of Clal, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. Read the transcript here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=6108 Listen to the entire April 23, 2016 State of Belief Radio program here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=6104 Share your thoughts on this topic on our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/StateofBelief Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/StateofBelief

Rabbi Jack Moline, Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance, responds to the rhetoric of anger and outrage dominating the current election cycle. Watch the video and read the transcript here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=6038 Listen to the entire February 13, 2016 State of Belief Radio program here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=6032 Share your thoughts on this topic on our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/StateofBelief

On January 15, 2006, State of Belief aired for the first time nationwide. As we celebrate ten years of continuous broadcasting, host Welton Gaddy reminisced about what the experience has been like for him, personally. Read the transcript at http://stateofbelief.com/?p=6003 You can hear that very first show in its entirety at http://stateofbelief.com/?p=6002 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and bulletins.

Ten years after the January 15, 2006 launch of State of Belief on the Air America Radio Network, host Welton Gaddy is joined by Jon Sinton, founding president of AAR. Today, Jon heads up the Progressive Voices Network, offering an innovative online media platform for perspectives painfully underrepresented in traditional talk radio.

Interfaith Alliance does a lot of national work from its modest Washington, DC offices. But the organization is also represented by affiliates scattered throughout the country. Executive Director Jack Moline traveled recently to a number of local chapters, and came back with some thoughts to help guide the organization's work in the election year ahead. Read the transcript at http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5937 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and bulletins.

In 2014, the Pew Research Center conducted its second enormous American Religious Landscape Study. A report based on that survey made waves back in May, and now Pew is out with a second round of data. With further details on the findings that made headlines last time around regarding a growing number of religiously unaffiliated Americans and much more, lead researcher Dr. Greg Smith returns to State of Belief. Read the transcript at http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5933 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and bulletins.

Ignorance can provide a fertile breeding ground for fear and even hate. With as much hype as we hear about Islam - a faith tradition followed by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide - actual knowledge is all too often lacking. This week, HarperOne is releasing a new book providing a comprehensive look at the teachings of Islam. Titled, The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary, it presents a new, deeply scholarly, and carefully annotated translation of the Quran - Islam's holy text. Dr. Joseph Lumbard served as a general editor, and joined us to discuss the project. The book’s launch event is coming up in Washington, DC on November 12, 2015. Read the transcript at http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5925 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and bulletins.

A well-coordinated and well-funded attack on Houston's comprehensive human rights ordinance is being put to the vote on Tuesday, November 3, in the form of Proposition 1. Helping coordinate the defense against shameful tactics focusing on toilet terror of transgender Texans - much of it in the name of "religious values," no less! - is the Human Rights Campaign. We get on-the-ground details from National Field Director Marty Rouse. Read the transcript at http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5915 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and bulletins.

On Thursday, Sept. 10th, Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby, boarded a bus with the other nuns to travel across seven states under the banner "Bridge the Divides: Transform Politics." Starting in St. Louis, the trip ends in Washington, DC on Sept. 22nd with a rally welcoming Pope Francis to the US. We taped this conversation minutes before the bus pulled out. For the full September 12, 2015 edition of State of Belief Radio, click here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5853 Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StateofBelief

Faith leaders and politics; political leaders and faith. This month the Pope, leader of one specific religion, will be addressing the US Congress. Next week, a number of congressmen are attending an anti-Islamic conference in DC. Welton Gaddy discusses the pitfalls with Rabbi Jack Moline, executive director of Interfaith Alliance. For the full September 5, 2015 edition of State of Belief Radio, click here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5839 Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StateofBelief

An incisive new book that’s been 30 years in the making uncovers the history and the influence of the Christian Reconstruction Movement in this country. You’ll hear from the author of "Building God’s Kingdom: Inside the World of Christian Reconstruction," Dr. Julie Ingersoll. Hear the full August 22, 2015 State of Belief here: stateofbelief.com/?p=5821 Follow us on Facebook for updates and bulletins: www.facebook.com/StateofBelief

Remembering civil rights hero, the late Julian Bond. Welton talks with his longtime friend and fellow activist, the Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP. Hear the full August 22, 2015 State of Belief here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5821 Follow us on Facebook for updates and bulletins: https://www.facebook.com/StateofBelief

Interfaith Alliance Executive Director Jack Moline joins Welton Gaddy to share some thoughts on recent extremist attacks on the Jerusalem Pride Parade and Palestinian families in the West Bank.

"Religious freedom should complement our civil rights; it shouldn’t conflict with them. Religious freedom should empower people to act as equals in the public square -- not sacrifice the freedom of all for the beliefs of some. Religious freedom can only be our First Freedom if it brings us together in community, rather than pitting us against one another." - Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy Last year, the US Supreme Court's ruling in the closely-watched Hobby Lobby case struck a blow to the way "religious freedom" has always been observed in our pluralistic nation. Welton Gaddy comments on the more recent SCOTUS decision in EEOC v. Abercrombie and Fitch, which presented a much more acceptable balance of individual vs. corporate rights in the area of religious observance. Read the transcript here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5743 Listen to the entire June 6, 2015 State of Belief Radio program here: http://stateofbelief.com/showarchive/2015/june-6-2015/ Share your thoughts on this topic on our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/StateofBelief Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stateofbelief

Mitchell Gold, co-founder of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, describes some of what happened after the company posted the signs promoted by Interfaith Alliance's #EveryoneOnly campaign. To hear the full interview, click here: https://soundcloud.com/state-of-belief/mitchell-gold-bob-williams-serves-everyone-only-extended-interview

Particularly strong pushback to recent state legislative initiatives designed to pander to the bias bloc of the religious right has come from the business community. An Interfaith Alliance initiative to promote the idea that inclusivity for all is as good for business as it is for our society is the #EveryoneOnly campaign. And enthusiastically taking part is the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Company. Co-founder and LGBT rights activist Mitchell Gold tells us why. To read the transcript, please click here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5728

Hours after Louisiana's GOP-dominated legislature chose not to pass a "religious freedom" bill, Governor Bobby Jindal implemented its dangerous provisions by executive order. With the state's economy and his own approval ratings both in freefall, the soon-to-be presidential contender is holding nothing back in a desperate bid for the religious right's blessing. Click here to read the transcript: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5725

"This study shows that 23% of American adults now say they have no religion – that’s up almost seven points since we first did this study in 2007. That’s very rapid growth." - Gregory A. Smith, Ph.D. The very large new study from the Pew Forum for Religion Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow. Not surprisingly, findings pointing to a continued trend away from organized religion in America - regardless of geography, demographics, or even political affiliation - made plenty of headlines. Some questions have been raised about the findings - and even the methodologies - primarily by parties unhappy with this tend. But Pew's long and respected history of studying American religion - and the fact that the trends they identify come from changes since Pew's own wide-ranging 2007 Religious Landscape survey - underscore that we ought to be focusing on what is happening rather than trying to muddy the waters with unfounded challenges. To read the transcript, please click here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5715

"What really seems to be happening is that Americans are making a declaration against “Religion” with a capital “R”... So for us, the changes are not about Americans’ faith and belief; it’s about the relationship of a chunk of Americans to organized religion." - Claude S. Fischer, Ph.D. As debates intensify over what really is happening in American religion today - with respected studies showing rapid increases in the percentage of Americans self-identifying as "nones," or religiously unaffiliated - University of California at Berkeley Sociologist Claude Fischer discusses his own research suggesting that subverting religion to the culture wars comes at a price. While spiritual beliefs and practice remain relatively constant, affiliation with organized religion is what is rapidly declining, Dr. Fischer and co-writer Michael Hout, Ph.D., point out in their important paper, Explaining Why More Americans Have No Religious Preference: Political Backlash and Generational Succession, 1987–2012, published in the Journal Sociological Science in 2014. To read the transcript, please click here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5713

Author and activist Rabbi Jay Michaelson talks to substitute host Rev. Paul Raushenbush, Executive Religion Editor at the Huffington Post, about the extremist Evangelical influences driving the political and religious polarization over Israel in the United States. Read Jay's article on this subject in The Forward here: http://forward.com/opinion/218757/dont-be-shocked-by-jewish-honor-for-anti-gay-pasto/ Hear the full April 25, 2015 State of Belief program here: http://stateofbelief.com/?p=5687