On Friday, yet another loss was added to the seemingly-endless list of this endless year: the death of religious liberty and women’s rights champion Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This opens the door to unspeakable hypocrisy in some political circles; we’ll address that next week. This week we grieve the loss of a judicial giant, ironically on the eve of the Jewish New Year, another sad ending at a time that should allow us to focus on new beginnings. But, 2020.
With the election less than two months away, and mail-in voting commencing in states across the country, organizations across the political spectrum are encouraging people to vote. In this unprecedented election year, all of us are called to act and reflect our values through our vote. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we will look into how Interfaith Alliance is organizing in the leadup to the election.
Much attention has been brought to white protestant evangelicals over the last four years as one of the president’s most loyal bases. However, this does not ring true for all Christian denominations. Dr. Mark J. Rozell, editor of the 2018 book Catholics and US Politics After the 2016 Elections: Understanding the “Swing Vote”, will join Rev. Welton Gaddy, host of State of Belief, to talk about how it is the Catholic vote that could make or break Trump in 2020.
Around the world, Jewish communities are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, many in new and innovative ways as the coronavirus pandemic continues to limit social gatherings. In honor of this celebration of new beginnings, Welton will sit down with Rabbi Irwin Kula – president of Clal: The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership – to discuss the High Holidays, the upcoming election, and how his Jewish faith helps him through these challenging times.
The phrase “values voter” is often shorthand for a particular religious and ideological viewpoint. But faith – and faith values – don’t belong to any one party or politician. That is why Interfaith Alliance launched the “Your Vote, Your Values” campaign. Katy Joseph, director of policy and advocacy, will join Welton to discuss how the initiative is hoping to generate action on Election Day.