Segments
When President Trump first won the election back in 2016, many warned of normalization, of getting used to hateful rhetoric and daily attacks on vulnerable communities. To many of us, that risk of normalization increases week by week — a frightening realization to those fighting back. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we’ll take a look at activists and organizations fighting normalization and pushing back against the administration’s discriminatory and inhumane policies.
Since arriving in the White House, the Trump administration has rolled back key protections for LGBTQ Americans, including the most recent Department of Labor proposal that would permit federal contractors to discriminate against employees on the basis of so-called “religious freedom” – and allowing bigotry along lines of religion, race, and gender as well. Katy Joseph, Policy and Legislation Advisor for Interfaith Alliance, will join Rev. Welton Gaddy, host of State of Belief, to discuss the Trump administration’s most recent use of “religious freedom” as a shield for religious-based discrimination.
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These words are emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty, encapsulating the American ideal of welcoming the stranger. Our current immigration policies, however, are increasingly – and seemingly deliberately – failing far short of this welcome. In spite of these threats, congregations continue to open their doors and offering defiant sanctuary. Now, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has become the first major denomination to declare itself a Sanctuary Church Body. Rev. Gaddy will hear from ELCA Presiding Bishop, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, about their powerful statement.
In recent months, we have seen a disturbing trend in anti-choice legislation. State after state has been chipping away at a woman’s constitutionally-protected right to choose as result of a concerted, religious right-led attack on abortion rights. However, new research from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) suggests that public sentiment does not match this rise in anti-choice lawmaking. On this week’s show, Welton will be joined by Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, to discuss their new report, The State of Abortion and Contraception Attitudes in All 50 States.
