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Interfaith Alliance Releases Paper On Same-Gender Marriage & Religious Freedom

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

Washington, DC - Interfaith Alliance has released Same-Gender Marriage & Religious Freedom: A Call to Quiet Conversations and Public Debates, a paper authored by its president, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy. In the paper, Rev. Gaddy calls for a new national discussion on marriage based on the premise that "law, not scripture, is the foundation of government regulations related to marriage in our nation."

Rev. Gaddy's paper can be read at: http://www.interfaithalliance.org/equality

"My purpose in writing this paper is as simple as the subject of the paper is complex," said Rev. Gaddy. "I want to find a way for people with contradictory beliefs, religions, values and opinions to live together without violating the basic nature of our democracy. I am motivated by confidence in the power of religion to affect reconciliation, and I am also a patriot who embodies the unwavering commitment to freedom and justice integral to the American experience."

The paper, in which Rev. Gaddy expresses support for same-gender marriage, seeks to shift the perspective on LGBT equality from problem to solution. To do so, Rev. Gaddy advocates for moving from scriptural argument to religious freedom agreement, and to address the issue of equality as informed by the U.S. Constitution.

Gaddy's hope is that this change will allow same-gender couples to receive basic civil rights benefits without impacting a religious organization's right to marry only people it judges worthy of its blessing.

"The First Amendment's religious liberty provisions ensure that government cannot impose a particular view of marriage on religious institutions, or limit their speech as it relates to marriage," added Rev. Gaddy. "But marriage in this country is a civil issue, and all citizens deserve the same constitutional rights. The U.S. Constitution's religious freedom clauses actually emerged from devotion to the very principles that I seek to preserve and strengthen in the outcome of the public debate of same-gender marriage."

Remaining true to Interfaith Alliance's broader goals, the paper encourages citizens of diverse backgrounds to find areas of commonality, and to practice civility when engaging in conversations with people who hold different opinions.

"We must move forward in this conversation with appreciation for all Americans and the importance of religious freedom in this country," Gaddy said. "By making this the starting point for the conversation we can begin to have real dialogue and look for resolutions."

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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.

Interfaith Alliance Statement On the Senate Passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act

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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 praising the Senate for passing the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Bill:

Hate is neither a religious nor an American value, and that is why Interfaith Alliance praises the Senate for passing this hate crimes prevention bill. The sacred scriptures of many different faith traditions speak with dramatic unanimity in vehemently condemning hate. If we aspire to be true to the prophetic core of our religions and our American values, we cannot condemn hate and then sit idly by while it destroys the lives of a group of our fellow citizens.
Although they made a lot of noise, only a handful of religious right extremists have opposed this bill. Their strategic attempt to use religion as a scare tactic is deplorable. This legislation in no way will impinge on the rights of clergy to speak freely from the pulpit. Indeed, the legislation specifically states that "nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit any constitutionally protected speech."

I must point out that our more-than-a-decade-long effort to secure meaningful hate crimes prevention legislation has reached this point before only to be stopped short of enactment for want of the signature of the President of the United States. Even as we applaud the Senate, we urge them to get this legislation to President Obama, and we appeal to him to sign it into law without delay. It is long past due, but this can be the moment for a ringing pronouncement of our democracy's intolerance of hate and the crime it foments.

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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.

Interfaith Alliance Statement on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

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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 reintroduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA).

Representative Barney Frank acted in the best interest of democracy by introducing a fully-inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. A commitment to the defense of both faith and freedom has motivated Interfaith Alliance to work hard to ensure that ENDA will ban workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees, while also including religious exemption language that would protect religious employers' constitutional rights.
Unlike some on the radical religious right, we believe a vibrant democracy guarantees the protection of civil rights for everybody with no exception for sexual orientation. Interfaith Alliance will seek to counter the voices of a few religious people who falsely claim to represent all religious people as they attempt to quash ENDA and thus compromise religious freedom. Passage of a fully inclusive ENDA, with appropriate religious exemptions, will be a victory for democracy and cause for celebration among all who value religious freedom.

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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.

Interfaith Alliance Statement On The President’s Remarks to the Muslim World

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

Washington, D.C. - Interfaith Alliance President, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, issued the following statement today in response to the President's remarks to the Muslim world. Earlier this year, Rev. Gaddy participated in the U.S. Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar. He is also a past member of the Council of 100 Leaders, a group created by the World Economic Forum to improve dialogue and understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.

President Obama is to be commended for reaching out to the Muslim world with a message that makes clear they are not the enemy. I was particularly pleased to hear the president speak about the centrality of the need for religious freedom both in the Muslim world and here at home.
It is also clear the president understands that powerful words need to be backed up by meaningful action if we are to achieve real change. Working towards finding common ground seems to be a reasonable goal for all of us involved in the search for improved relationships with the Muslim world.

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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.

Interfaith Alliance Praises Legalization of Same-Gender Marriage in New Hampshire

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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 in response to the legalization of same-gender marriage in New Hampshire:

New Hampshire's decision to legalize same-gender marriage continues a growing momentum in support of this issue. More and more people are coming to recognize that government support for same-gender marriage is "a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law." Expanding civil rights and respecting individual freedom for all persons pulsate at the heart of American democracy.

Given our nation's constitutional commitment to religious freedom, nothing in today's action will deprive anyone of the right to practice the teachings of their respective religious institutions. But the state of New Hampshire will treat all citizens fairly. Members of the GLBT community in New Hampshire no longer will be denied access to the right to marry based on a civil prohibition shaped by some people's religious convictions.

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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.

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