Segments
This weekend, tune in to Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast State of Belief for reaction to the fast-track dismantling of workers’ rights in Michigan; to hear the details of a new report on discrimination against humanists, atheists and the non-religious; and to learn about the deadly consequences of anti-gay bigotry in the guise of love and couched in religious rhetoric.
Interfaith Worker Justice and the “Right to Work”
How long does it take to tear down a century of progress for the labor movement in Michigan, the cradle of union organizing? As it turns out, it takes just a few hours. This week, Governor Rick Snyder signed the benevolent-sounding “right to work” law that makes it effectively impossible for unions to pursue collective bargaining initiatives in Michigan. Kim Bobo, executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, is on State of Belief this week to discuss what’s going on in Michigan and the moral components of conservative America’s war on organized labor. Click here for extended interview video and transcript.
Freedom of Thought
A few years ago, a study from the University of Minnesota identified the “least trusted” group of people in our society. Other studies have identified the same group of people as the least likely to be supported in runs for elected office. And a new report finds this group faces the highest level of religious discrimination worldwide. Can you guess the group of people? It’s atheists, humanists and others who choose to reject religious faith. Joining Welton on this week’s show is Matt Cherry, International Representative and Regional Coordinator for the Americas, at the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and editor of a new report, Freedom of Thought 2012: A Global Report on Discrimination Against Humanists, Atheists and the Non-religious, available online. Click here for extended interview video and transcript.
Queer Suicide and the Malpractice of “Love”
There is a twisted logic being spewed across the airwaves in this country as anti-gay, right-wing propagandists endlessly insist the worst thing you can do to help gay kids is to support them. These propagandists would have us believe that if it weren’t for the so-called “loving” admonitions of religious conservatives, LGBTQ Americans would be executing a secret plan to take away the rights of everyone else and recruit as many young people as they can to their “side.” While some may just roll their eyes at the sheer lunacy of this (lack of) logic, as Rev. Cody J. Sanders points out both on this week’s State of Belief and in a recent Religion Dispatches article in response to the suicide of 17-year-old Josh Pacheco, this right-wing rhetoric has deadly consequences and needs to stop. Now. Click here for extended interview video and transcript.