Washington, July 21 On this Sunday’s “State of Belief,” The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s show on Air America Radio, Rev. Welton Gaddy talks with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright about, religion’s role in the current crisis in the Middle East, and more broadly about religion’s power in shaping world affairs and American foreign policy. Welton is also joined by former Congressman Jim Greenwood to discuss President Bush’s veto of the stem cell bill. Albright is the author of The Mighty and the Almighty, a book that explores the influence of the radical religious right and condemns those who use faith to create divisions or to gain power. Albright tells Welton “one of the truly saddest things for me is how democracy is now perceived, which is something that is imposed by an occupation army rather than something that is supported from a grassroots effort”. When asked how the current Administration is dealing with international politics, Albright says, “here has been an approach that divided the world into good and evil, but who [is America] to decide what evil is.” President Bush vetoed his first bill this week when the U.S. Senate passed stem cell research legislation. Welton discusses the issue with Republican former Congressman Jim Greenwood. Greenwood, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, says scientists and most citizens understand the potential of stem cell research, and “Congress ought to be about allowing individuals to make decisions for themselves and not imposing their own religious views on the nation as a whole.”
Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.