We’re a collective force for
Healthy boundaries between religion and government
We insist that religion should not be used to legitimize discrimination, and are rallying faith-based support for LGBTQ freedom.
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We believe in the separation of church and state
Religious freedom is one of several fundamental rights outlined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It includes two complementary protections – freedom of religion and freedom from religion. Freedom of religion protects our ability to follow the religious tradition of our choice, or no religion at all, without facing discrimination or punishment. Freedom from religion prevents the government from codifying religious beliefs into law,
favoring religion over non-religion, or giving special treatment to adherents of one faith and not others. The right to religious freedom is unalienable – but it’s not unlimited. For every American to believe as they choose, we can’t impose our beliefs on others. Religious freedom does not include the right to coerce, shame, or exclude others from public life because they don't share our beliefs. These protections are necessary to ensure religion and democracy thrive. But there is a concerted effort underway by far-right extremists to distort the meaning of religious freedom. Members of this movement seek to enshrine their beliefs into law, undermine basic civil rights protections, and concentrate power in the hands of a select few – at the expense of everyone else.
Tell Your Senator: Support the Do No Harm Act
True religious freedom protects the freedom to believe as we choose, without fear of discrimination or harm. In an increasingly diverse nation, it is imperative that our federal laws make clear that freedom of belief does not include a license to discriminate.
resources
Religious freedom resources
We champion an inclusive vision of religious freedom through strategic “friend of the court” advocacy and by spotlighting federal cases that impact the boundary between religion and government.
The wall of separation between church and state protects religious institutions as much as it protects our government. Religious communities have the freedom to share their teachings without government interference, provided the public sphere remains open to all.
Interfaith Alliance brings together Americans of diverse religious groups to protect the separation of religion and government and ensure that all of us maintain the right to believe as we choose.
To learn more about our religious freedom work, please contact Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons at ggraves-fitzsimmons@interfaithalliance.org.
We champion an inclusive vision of religious freedom through strategic “friend of the court” advocacy and by spotlighting federal cases that impact the boundary between religion and government.
The wall of separation between church and state protects religious institutions as much as it protects our government. Religious communities have the freedom to share their teachings without government interference, provided the public sphere remains open to all.
Interfaith Alliance brings together Americans of diverse religious groups to protect the separation of religion and government and ensure that all of us maintain the right to believe as we choose.
To learn more about our religious freedom work, please contact Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons at ggraves-fitzsimmons@interfaithalliance.org.
Interfaith Messaging Guide: Faith and Democracy in the Face of Authoritarianism
Read the guide Memo on Trump's Opening Attacks on Faith Communities
Read the memoCountering the Misuse of Religion to Discriminate
Read the fact sheet
A Victory for Religious Freedom and Public Education
The Senate Parliamentarian just struck a major blow to efforts to undermine public education and erode the separation of religion and government. The proposed national school voucher program, modeled on the so-called Educational Choice for Children Act, has been removed from the Senate’s budget reconciliation package after being ruled in violation of the Byrd Rule.
Letter to Speaker Johnson: Make Clear that All People are Welcome in the Halls of Congress
Earlier this month, Giani Surinder Singh, the head granthi of the Gurdwara South Jersey Sikh Society, delivered a prayer on the floor of the House of Representatives. Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) wrote in a since-deleted X post that it was "deeply troubling that a Sikh was allowed to lead prayer."
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On Diversity and Democracy With Wajahat Ali
This week on The State of Belief, Host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks with author, commentator and attorney Wajahat Ali, who maintains that everybody has a superpower. Waj lists some of them, and stresses how important it is not to throw up our hands in the face of massive challenges and threats from the current administration and its supporters.
Let's build a democracy that works for all people
Together, we can make a significant impact in this pivotal moment in our nation's history.