Interfaith Alliance

Subscribe

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller - Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications  202-265-3000

Washington June 23 – On this Sunday’s "State of Belief," The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s show on Air America Radio, Rev. Welton Gaddy shares discussions with members of the Council of 100 Leaders of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East. The annual conference was held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt this year.

Welton talks with Rabbi David Rosen, one of the most prominent Jewish leaders in the Middle East, about the role of religion in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and in Iraq.  Rosen says Iraq is a very dangerous situation right now and America needs to realize the importance of religion and to not “disregard the religious dimension and understand if you don’t want religion to be part of the problem, which it has become, you have to make it part of the solution.”

Dr. Mustafa Ceric, The Grand Mufti of Bosnia, joins Welton and cautions the United States against being isolationist or pulling away from world politics.  The former Imam from Chicago gives a special to message to Americans saying, “Don’t lose hope in your effort to do good to the world and don’t lose your sense of loving to be good.”

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.  The impartial and non-profit forum was incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Within the Forum, Rev. Gaddy is one of 20 international religious leaders on the Council of 100 Leaders, a group created to improve dialogue and understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.

Subscribe

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller - Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications  202-265-3000

Washington June 16 – On this Sunday’s "State of Belief," The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s show on Air America Radio, Rev. Welton Gaddy hears from the most powerful Democrat in the Senate about the role faith plays in politics, the Louisiana Senate edits the Ten Commandments and Welton preaches to the choir about reauthorizing the Voting Rights Authorization (VRA) bill which is on its way to the floor of the U.S. House.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) joins Welton on the phone to talk about the proper role of religion in politics. He says faith is important as long as there is a clear separation because “we need to make sure we have the religious liberties that make this country great and try not to mix them with government.”

Louisiana State Senator James David Cain (R-Dry Creek) calls Welton from the Senate floor to explain why he wrote legislation to post the Ten Commandments in government buildings, which led to legislators editing the Ten Commandments. Asked if there are not more important issues in Louisiana, Cain responds, “If I have one person in this state who will read the Ten Commandments I’ve done a wonderful job.”

House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) will bring the VRA to the floor of the U.S. House next week in what should be a great show of bipartisan support to extend the guaranteed rights and freedoms to all Americans. Welton says, “No one in this democracy should ever have to fear their vote was not counted. The outcome of elections should be determined by voters, not the Supreme Court, the Federal Election Commission or anyone else.”

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.

Subscribe

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller - Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications  202-265-3000

Washington June 9 – This Sunday’s "State of Belief," The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s show on Air America Radio, highlights the best moments in the show’s brief history. Guests to be highlighted include: Sen. Patrick Leahy discusses Supreme Court nominations; Esther Kaplan explains the power behind the religious right and their goals; NPR correspondent and high priestess of Wicca Margot Adler explains the problems with reporting on religion in current society; and author Chris Hedges tells Welton about a totalitarian movement in the U.S. that is similar to the Middle East.

The show will also include two of its weekly features, Your Voice and Preaching to the Choir. In Welton’s commentary he reminds listeners how the White House office of Faith Based Initiatives is harmful to us all saying, “the president issued several executive orders in his first term that have been bad for religion and bad for democracy.”

In just six months State of Belief has done what no radio show before has by bringing religion and politics together for a helpful discussion. In covering topics from the right-wing takeover of the government and the federal marriage amendment to the environment and the economy Welton has opened the doors for dialogue among religious leaders and politicians as well as all Americans.

“I knew the concept of our show was a good one,” said Welton, “but I had no idea it would be widely embraced across the country. Each week I hear from people who listen to it on the radio, iPod, or computer and their reaction is amazing. Our discussions have sparked conversations at work, in the home and in houses of worship and I could not be more pleased.”

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.

Subscribe

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller - Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications  202-265-3000

The proposed Constitutional Amendment would have imposed one religious definition of marriage over other religious views. This would take the debate and power away from houses of worship to decide who they will or will not marry and put it squarely in the hands of the federal government.

“For those people who want to protect marriage, let me offer a few suggestions,” said the Rev. Welton Gaddy, President of The Interfaith Alliance. “Raise the public’s consciousness of the dignity and importance of women in our still deeply patriarchal society; increase the minimum wage and offer tax breaks to the working poor so that spouses can see each other for quality lengths of time, rather than briefly passing on their way to two jobs; encourage family planning; start a plan to deal with domestic violence; and work to cover mental health care in medical insurance policies so serious emotional difficulties can be prevented from tearing marriages apart.”

Gaddy stressed these are real world solutions for dealing with the real world problem of protecting marriage and thanked members of The Interfaith Alliance for lending the support and time to fight the amendment.

“Our grassroots activists helped stop this amendment,” said Gaddy. “More than 5,000 members of The Interfaith Alliance contacted their Senators by email, phone call, fax or letter telling them to stay out of the houses of worship for the sake of religion and the institution of marriage.”

The U.S. House is looking to introduce similar legislation as early as this summer and The Interfaith Alliance will continue its work to ensure religious liberty for all Americans.

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.