The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority has become a central focus in two recent cases concerning religious freedom. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which the justices heard last week, is a direct challenge to the constitutional right to abortion as a matter of privacy set forth in Roe v. Wade. And Carson v. Makin, which came before the court this week, considers whether tax dollars can be required to fund religious activities. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we’ll explore what each of these cases could mean for the future of religious freedom in the United States.
Activists and analysts have been examining the court’s makeup as the future of religious freedom – and so many other civil liberties – hangs in the precipice. Attorney and author Dr. Rabbi Jay Michaelson will join Rev. Welton Gaddy, host of State of Belief, to discuss both Carson and Dobbs and what their possible decisions hold for the future.
Since our founding, members of minority faith groups have too often been excluded from protection under the First Amendment. On Tuesday, Interfaith Alliance will speak with religious freedom experts and historians on how our founders understood religious freedom, how religious freedom has evolved over time, and how an accurate understanding of our history can better protect all people under the First Amendment. Maureen O’Leary, Interfaith Alliance’s director of Field & Organizing, will sit down with Welton to share more about the upcoming webinar.
True religious freedom means that all of us, no matter who we are and who we love, can live free from fear and discrimination. That is why we were disheartened at reports that Sri Ranganathan Kurrukal, a Hindu priest based in Toronto, Canada, has recently become a target of harassment and death threats following his officiation of a same-sex marriage. Nikhil Mandalaparthy, board member of Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, will share an update on this dire situation.
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