The promise of the 21st century was supposed to be a new age of connectivity and innovation. Social media and other tools have given us unparalleled access to information and new ways to reach our neighbors and folks across the country and worldwide. But even as we’re able to communicate with each other like never before, why do we continue to see signs that the world is becoming an angrier and more intolerant place? This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, we will look into the rising tide of hate, often amplified and encouraged by online connections.
The Anti Defamation League continues its invaluable work to expose and combat antisemitism with the recent release of its 2021 Antisemitism Audit. Alarmingly, the organization found that 2021 was a record year for antisemitic incidents in the United States. ADL’s D.C. Regional Director Meredith Weisel will join Rev. Welton Gaddy, host of State of Belief, to discuss the stakes revealed in this year’s report.
The Rev. Jennifer Butler has been a leading voice for decades in the faith-inspired movement for justice. She’s spent her career mobilizing religious communities to address the AIDS epidemic, advocate for women’s rights, and counter religious extremism through faith-based arguments for human rights. Jen has just announced that she’s stepping down as CEO of the effective nonprofit she founded 17 year ago, Faith in Public Life. and Welton will take this opportunity to look back – and forward – with his colleague and friend. Jen’s the author of the powerful book, Who Stole My Bible? Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny.
Right wing media continues to trumpet the conspiracy theory that Joe Biden is not legitimately our president and that the election was stolen from Donald Trump. This is one of many alternate-reality conspiracy theories sweeping through social media, too often even coming from conservative religious groups. As Americans, it can be hard to remain objective about the state of our country, so we’ve invited Italy-based scholar Dr. Chiara Migliori on to discuss her new book, Religious Rhetoric in US Right-Wing Politics: Donald Trump, Intergroup Threat, and Nationalism.
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