Segments
On this episode of State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, Rev. Welton Gaddy takes a closer look at two global gatherings taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah over a span of just two weeks. Last weekend, 10,000 representatives of 50 different faith traditions travelled to the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City for a global discussion on interfaith initiatives. This weekend, the World Congress of Families will also hold a global gathering in Salt Lake City, but instead will be meeting to promote an exclusive, discriminatory vision of religion. Eric Ethington of Political Research Associates join us to address how PRA works to expose the ways in which the religious right, including the World Congress of Families, regularly undermines civil society and human rights. Later, Rev. Mark Luens, Board Chair of Interfaith Alliance of Long Island, New York, will speak about his experience at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Also on the show, we will talk with the newly appointed editor-in-chief of Religion News Service, Jerome Socolovsky, focusing on his experience with religion journalism and how it has prepared him for this new role.
World Congress of Families to Preach Hate and Intolerance at World Gathering
A so called pro-family entity, the World Congress of Families, will meet this weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah. Labeled a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the WCF has promoted hate in a number of foreign countries, especially towards the LGBT community. Non-profit organization Political Research Associates has long kept its eye on the WCF. Eric Ethington joins us to discuss the work of the WCF in its undermining of human rights around the globe. He’ll discuss the WCF’s global gathering this weekend, which is being held in the U.S. for the first time, and some of the resources that PRA and the Southern Poverty Law Center have assembled to help educate Americans about this dangerous group and their destructive agenda.
Religion News Service Appoints Veteran Journalist and Broadcaster as Editor-In-Chief
RNS has been a vital resource for us since the start of the show. In an age when a religion is present in so many events around the world, it is more important than ever to have a religion news source that is resolutely secular, objective, and non-sectarian. The appointment of Jerome Socolovsky as editor-in-chief of RNS is exciting news for our community. Jerome is an award-winning veteran religion correspondent for Voice of America Radio, who has also worked for NPR and the Associated Press. Jerome joins Welton to discuss this recent announcement, his career so far, and his priorities for fostering excellence in religion journalism.
Parliament of the World’s Religions Embraces Different Countries and Faiths
The Parliament of the World’s Religions offers a different perspective on faith than does the World Congress of Families who are preparing for their own gathering this weekend. The individuals at this gathering represented 80 different countries, and an equally diverse group of faiths. The Rev. Mark Lukens, a pastor in the United Church of Christ and Chairperson of the Board of Directors at Interfaith Alliance of Long Island, joins us on State of Belief this week to discuss his experience at the gathering in Salt Lake City. Mark will discuss the goals of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and the activities that he was involved in at the gathering.