Interfaith Alliance

10/25/2020

Black religious leaders must get out the vote

"Today’s Black religious leaders must follow in the footsteps of our predecessors and honor their legacy by raising our voices and leading the charge in getting out the vote," writes Kelly Brown Douglas of Union Theological Seminary.

Make your plan: https://iwillvote.com/

With election day less than two weeks away and early and mail-in voting already underway in many states, our national focus, rightly so, has been on voting — voter registration, voter turnout and voter suppression. Unfortunately, what has been missing is the crux of what voting is really about: th...

10/24/2020

We still have time to resist Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation — and we must

"As Reform Jews, we believe that religious liberty consists of both the freedom of and the freedom from religion, meaning that while the government must not be able to restrict Americans from freely exercising their faith, individuals, employers and governments must also be prevented from using religious beliefs as a pretext to discriminate against others."

Our movement believes in a world in which all people can live lives of dignity and freedom, and Barrett represents a clear threat to that vision.

10/24/2020

Muslims in Michigan, a key vote in a must-win state, on track for record turnout

In response to rising xenophobia and anti-Muslim sentiments, some of which has stemmed from the Trump administration's own Islamophobic policies and rhetoric, the Muslim American community is voting at historic numbers.

Make sure you have a plan to vote: https://iwillvote.com/

(RNS) — Muslim areas around greater Detroit could be a key factor in who will be president in January.

10/23/2020

'Unprecedented': Voter turnout in election could reach highest rate in more than a century

Americans across the country are fired up and ready to vote! Make sure you are #voteready and have a plan to make your voice heard.

Learn more: https://iwillvote.com/

"Everyone is yearning to have their voices heard right now," one election official in Texas said about the record-breaking voter turnout.

10/23/2020

How did voter access become a faith issue? The Bible told us so.

"Protecting the image of God in the upcoming election means protecting the voting rights of Americans of color, whose votes some are trying to suppress and even intimidate — deliberately and strategically," writes Jim Wallis of Sojourners for Religion News Service.

(RNS) — Clergy are already working alongside lawyers at polling places, especially in ZIP codes with higher percentages of low-income people and people of color.

10/22/2020

Vote 2020: Your Vote, Your Values - Interfaith Alliance

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.

We're speaking with voters of diverse beliefs about how they are putting their faith into action ahead of election day:

The phrase “values voter” is often shorthand for a particular religious and ideological viewpoint. But faith …

10/22/2020

Judge Amy Coney Barrett Endangers Religious Freedom. Why Hasn’t the Senate Asked Her About It?

Barely one month after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Senate Republicans have already rushed her replacement through committee, with only 12 days to go before a presidential election.

"The boundaries between religion and government have been targeted for erasure, and we fear that the addition of Judge Coney Barrett to the court will hasten that process," writes Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith Alliance.

By Rabbi Jack Moline

10/21/2020

Faith Leaders To Join Remembrance Of COVID-19 Victims In U.S.

In an election year marked by division, faith leaders are working to bring the nation together in remembrance of those lost to COVID-19, and in hope of a renewed sense of unity that will allow us to work toward a common goal of a safer, healthier, and more prosperous nation.

NPR's Tonya Mosley talks with the Rev. Ed Bacon about how faith leaders are planning to come together on Monday for a series of candlelight vigils across the country called Mourning Into Unity.

10/21/2020

Jean Swenson has been involved in public education for 61 years - as a student, a teacher, a parent, an administrator, and a volunteer.

“When you care about other people,” she says, “it becomes a justice issue.” #YourVoteYourValues

Learn more: https://bit.ly/33D5k39

10/20/2020

Religion Made Me an Immigration Hardliner. Jesus Softened My Heart

"Because my grandparents were victims of a racist law, the onus wasn’t on them to repent and pay the consequences, but on the government to recognize its wrongdoing and make things right. Similarly, instead of incarcerating and deporting undocumented immigrants, we need strong moral leadership to repeal current immigration laws still rooted in racism, and to extend grace to those who were trapped by them," writes Sabina Wong.

My kids are the great-granddaughters of Chinese immigrants, but until recently, I hadn’t shared much about our immigration story or been a vocal advocate for immigrant rights.

10/20/2020

PLAN YOUR VOTE: How to vote by mail and register to vote in each state

Our vote is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect our democracy and ensure our leaders remain accountable to those they represent. With two weeks left until the election, have you made a plan to vote?

A state-by-state guide for voting by mail and voting in person during COVID-19. Understand your state's deadlines for registering to vote, absentee ballots and mail-in voting in the 2020 election.

10/19/2020

Today, we’re partnering with National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) and other faith organizations to urge our senators to vote NO on Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

Join our National Faith Call-In Day now! Call 1-888-678-9477 or text NCJW to 747464.

10/19/2020

Stacey Abrams' zeal for voting began with preacher parents

"I was raised to not only think about my faith as an activity, but to translate that into how I engage community,” said Abrams. "I may not have been the governor, but that didn’t absolve me of the responsibility that my faith tells me I hold, which is to ensure that the marginalized, the voiceless, the disadvantaged, are able to be heard and to be served.”

(RNS) — Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia House minority leader who lost a razor-thin race for governor in 2018, voted on Thursday (Oct. 15), driving her ballot to a local drop box. Jeanine...

10/18/2020

How QAnon uses religion to lure unsuspecting Christians

Proponents of QAnon's dangerous, antisemitic conspiracy theories "intentionally use emotionally fraught topics, like suffering children, to draw Christians to their movement."

Some Christian conservatives are falling for QAnon, which uses emotionally fraught topics such as suffering children to draw converts to their unhinged conspiracies.

10/18/2020

As political violence rises, we need peacemakers at the polls

In a year marked by escalating political violence and extremism, "[r]eligious leaders have a unique power to be violence preventers during polarized times like elections, given the trust, credibility and reach inherent to their positions."

(RNS) — Pastors can't take a bloodless election for granted. But people of faith have unique power to keep the peace, now and in the long term.

10/17/2020

What are Christians, Jews and Muslims doing to get out the vote?

Across denominations and beliefs, people of faith are organizing to get out the vote. In this consequential moment, voting is one of the most direct ways we can impact the moral arc of our nation.

Faith-based initiatives to get out the vote are rooted in Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions and range from phone calls, handwritten letters, and online educational events to knocking on doors

10/17/2020

State of Belief – Religion and radio done differently

This week on State of Belief, host Rev. Welton Gaddy will be joined by Frank Schaeffer, Dr. Susan Neiman, and Lisa Sharon Harper to explore how faith is shaping the waning weeks of the election.

Listen here: https://stateofbelief.com/

By Ray Kirstein In 2020Posted October 10, 2020October 10, 2020 – Words And ConsequencesThis week, Americans across the country got the opportunity to hear from Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence on their respective visions for the nation. While the debate more closely resembled th...

10/16/2020

ADL criticizes Trump’s non-disavowal of QAnon

Once again, President Trump refused to condemn an antisemitic conspiracy theory, emboldening hate groups across the country and endangering us all.

When asked point-blank by NBC News host Samantha Guthrie to disavow the group, the president dodged the question, saying he knew nothing about it.

10/16/2020

Amy Coney Barrett Is the Perfect Victim for the Christian Right

The religious right "isn’t asking for neutrality — it’s asking for power. It would create a two-tiered society with one law for conservative Christians and another, more restrictive standard of law applied to everyone else," writes Sarah Jones.

Republicans defend her by using the same “religious liberty” arguments that trample over the rights of women and minorities.

10/15/2020

The Book of Ruth: Justice Ginsburg on Religious Freedom | Religion & Politics

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a fervent champion of religious freedom. With uncertainty looming on the future of the Supreme Court, and religious freedom more broadly, Ronit Stahl writes about the role that faith played in RBG’s decisions.

The late justice was deeply committed to religious freedom too.

10/15/2020

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled to allow the Trump administration to cut the census short. TODAY is your last chance to respond to the 2020 Census. The census is essential in ensuring our communities have a fair say in choosing our leaders and receive the resources they need. With so much on the line, we must act now to make sure every person is counted. If you haven't already, visit 2020census.gov to make sure your voice is heard.

10/14/2020

Perspective | Barrett favors religious expression over other speech. The Constitution doesn’t.

While there should not be a religious test for office, "it is fair to ask about [Barrett's] legal understanding of religious liberty — and fair to be concerned about her track record," write Nelson Tebbe and Micah Schwartzman for Washington Post. "In particular, her view of the First Amendment seems to diverge from the principle that the government must remain neutral between religious and nonreligious viewpoints."

She could tip the balance on a court prepared to reconsider First Amendment doctrine.

10/14/2020

In San Diego, Black Muslims are working to expand voting access in jails

Pillars of the Community is working to end voter disenfranchisement and mass incarceration, both of which disproportionately impact Black and Muslim communities.

“As Muslims, it’s really an obligation to resist oppression, which is one of the worst sins a person can commit in our religion,” said organizer Malcolme Morgan.

(RNS) — Pillars of the Community is hiring a team of pretrial inmates to register eligible voters from behind bars. The group’s leaders say it’s part of their faith as Muslims.

10/13/2020

Supreme Court Lets Trump Officials End Census Count Early

The census is a civil rights issue. Forcing the U.S. Census Bureau to rush this process in the middle of a pandemic will make it even harder for communities most in need to receive funding for public safety, public health, immunizations, Head Start programs and more, and ultimately result in a skewed representation of who we are as a nation.

The U.S. Supreme Court let President Donald Trump’s administration end the census count more than two weeks early, dealing a blow to civil rights groups that said minorities will be undercounted as a result.

10/13/2020

Facebook bans Holocaust denial, distortion posts

Especially as incidents of antisemitism in the U.S. continue to rise, tech companies have a responsibility to mitigate the spread of hateful and harmful disinformation on their platforms.

Facebook is banning posts that deny or distort the Holocaust and will start directing people to authoritative sources if they search for information about the Nazi genocide. Facebook CEO...

10/13/2020

Amy Coney Barrett nomination fight leaves progressive Catholics feeling unseen

Members of the Religious Right are accusing those opposed to Judge Coney Barrett's nomination of being anti-Catholic. However, many Catholics are deeply concerned with her views on civil rights, including racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive freedom.

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — This week's Senate hearings may center Barrett's conservative faith, which is strongly anti-abortion and opposed to same-sex marriage, as ‘true Catholicism.’

10/12/2020

5 Questions for the Next SCOTUS Nominee

There’s no religious test for office. But we count on our elected officials and members of the judiciary to put the Constitution first.

As Judge Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings begin in the Senate, here are five key questions she still needs to answer about her judicial philosophy and the future of religious freedom.

https://medium.com/@intrfthalliance/5-questions-for-the-next-scotus-nominee-c466e49553d5

I wish that as a nation we could take a moment to grieve the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before diving into the politics, but that…

10/11/2020

For the first time in our history, Interfaith Alliance has opposed a nominee to the Supreme Court.

Learn more about Judge Amy Coney Barrett and the critical threat to true religious freedom: https://bit.ly/3djItye

10/11/2020

At vice presidential debate, Pence invokes ‘Jewish grandchildren’ in defense of Trump

This should go without saying: proximity alone won’t fix bigotry.

Jewish grandchildren don’t inoculate anyone - the president included - from the consequences of racism, white supremacy, and antisemitism.

It was the most significant invocation of the Jewish political bloc in a debate that largely shied away from issues seen as specific to Jewish voters.

10/10/2020

Supreme Court wrestles with Muslims' suit over no-fly list

Government employees who discriminate should be held accountable. It’s a matter of justice – for Muslim Americans and for all of us.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Supreme Court that has been friendly to religious interests took up a case Tuesday involving Muslim men who claim their religious rights were violated when they were placed on...

10/10/2020

Christian nationalism is not religious freedom | Opinion

"What we want in America is what we’ve had. Religious freedom for all. And the recognition that my freedom is best guarded by protecting the freedom of my Jewish neighbor, my Muslim classmate or my Buddhist employee."

Learn more: https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/

At bottom, Christianity is favored in the policies and practices of government officials. Other religions are disfavored, as with Muslim travel bans.

10/09/2020

Coalition Urges US to Protect Voters from White Supremacist Threats

Your #vote is powerful. It’s one of the most direct ways we can impact the moral arc of our nation.

That's why we joined 55+ civil rights partners to demand the Department of Justice share its plan for protecting voters - and all Americans - from white supremacist violence around the election.

Honorable William P. Barr Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530

10/09/2020

Perspective | Rabbis need to do our part to help keep the coronavirus from spreading

“Telling our congregants how to fight the pandemic may not be popular,” writes Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt of Park East Synagogue, “but we still have to do it.”

Telling our congregants how to fight the pandemic may not be popular, but we still have to do it.

10/08/2020

The top three faith moments in the Harris-Pence vice presidential debate

Faith was a flashpoint last night. But beyond the personal jabs, we still have more to hear from the presidential campaigns around critical issues of faith, freedom, and democracy.

(RNS) — The two vice presidential candidates rehearsed lines about issues of faith Americans may be hearing for the remainder of the campaign season.

10/08/2020

Judge Coney Barrett's judicial philosophy endangers the decades of progress our nation has made toward the abiding promise that every person is equal under the law. We cannot let that happen.

Call your senators (1-888-521-6658) or text SCOTUS to 747464 and tell them to #BlockBarrett’s confirmation.