Interfaith Alliance

Subscribe

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller - Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications  202-265-3000

Washington, DC – Interfaith Alliance President, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy issued the following statement today in response to Pat Robertson’s comments on the 700 Club that the earthquake in Haiti was a result of a pact its people had made with the devil. 

Pat Robertson has once again labeled a tragic situation as an act of God blaming the tragedy on the victims of the tragedy – in this case the Haitian people. Enough, please! At a time when the rest of the world is coming together to aid recovery and to provide relief, Robertson’s comments are inexcusable. We don’t need anybody claiming to be able to hear the devil and speak as God.

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.

Subscribe

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller - Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications  202-265-3000

Washington, DC – Interfaith Alliance President, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, issued the following statement today in response to Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s decision to use All Souls Unitarian Church as the backdrop for signing the city’s historic marriage equality bill. Rev. Gaddy is the author of Same Gender Marriage and Religious Freedom: A Call to Quiet Conversations and Public Debates.

My elation over the signing of Washington D.C.’s marriage equality bill was weakened only by the announcement that the ceremony would take place in a house of worship. The enactment of this legislation is an important step forward for the LGBT community and the rights of all Americans.  It is one for which the Mayor and city council should be commended.

By holding the signing ceremony at a house of worship, the Fenty Administration and All Souls Church sent the dangerous signal that one set of religious beliefs trump another and that marriage is strictly a religious act. In reality, we should move the debate on marriage equality out of the realm of religion and scripture and toward a discussion based on the U.S. Constitution.

Faith is not a political tool. And houses of worship are not appropriate backdrops for government actions. We risk weakening the vitality of religion and the integrity of government when we fail to respect the boundaries between the two.
 

 

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.

Subscribe

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller - Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications  202-265-3000

Washington, DC – Interfaith Alliance President, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, issued the following statement today following the tragic shooting at Fort Hood.

Yesterday’s shooting at Fort Hood is a national tragedy of unspeakable proportions. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, along with their families and friends. In the coming days we should all take a moment to reflect on the enormous sacrifice the men and women who serve in our armed forces make on our behalf everyday.
 

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.

Subscribe

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller - Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications  202-265-3000

Washington, DC - Interfaith Alliance President, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, issued the following statement today celebrating the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act’s successful passage by both houses of Congress:

With dramatic unanimity the sacred scriptures of diverse religious traditions vehemently condemn hate.  Hate is neither a religious nor an American value.  These are among the reasons why Interfaith Alliance today celebrates the passage of substantive hate crimes prevention legislation.  Not only will this new law provide much-needed help for law enforcement officials and offer long-sought-for protection to vulnerable groups threatened by hate-motivated violence, it will offer a modicum of comfort to all who have lost loved ones because of hate crimes.  Passage of this hate crime legislation represents a civil act consistent with the moral foundations of our nation and all of the religious traditions which are at home within it. 

Fidelity to the prophetic core of our religions and our American values means that we cannot condemn hate, only to follow it with passivity in the face of behavior that destroys the lives of any group of our fellow citizens.  For over a decade, Interfaith Alliance has fought tirelessly to secure the crucial protections provided in this legislation.  We urge President Obama to sign the act into law without delay. 

To be sure, no law alone can remove hatred from our midst.  But in an America increasingly rife with uncivil and narrow-minded bickering, this new law can serve as a ringing pronouncement of our democracy’s common values – namely, that we utterly reject hate violence and embrace an America in which diverse people are safe as well as free.

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.