Press coverage on the letter (shown below) that Faith Commons circulated to faith leaders in Texas and sent to the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general: A story on KERA, Texas Public Radio https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/we-are-dismayed-faith-leaders-call-on-leaders-to-reject-trumps-visit-to-texas https://dallasvoice.com/faith-leaders-call-on-state-leaders-to-reject-trumps-visit-to-the-border/ https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/toledo/news/2021/01/12/president-trump-to-break-silence-during-visit-to-texas-border-wall   To:       Governor Greg Abbott             Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick             Attorney General Ken Paxton   January 11, 2021   As faith leaders in Texas we are dismayed by your failure to object to President Donald Trump’s visit this week, where he will speak in public for

By Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman The story of Moses (peace be upon him) is the most frequently narrated story in the Quran. We learn about his birth, his escape from Egypt as a fugitive, his unlikely return to the palace of the Pharaoh, his dueling with the magicians, the ten plagues, the exodus, his receiving the commandments, his 40 years in the wilderness and more. But the story of Moses in the Quran is also deeply personal, giving us insight

By Rabbi Nancy Kasten The combination of two recent Supreme Court rulings—one allowing public funds to be allocated to parochial schools and the other shielding religious institutions from anti-discrimination laws—indicates the growing impact of a religious ideology that is neither democratic nor inclusive. To be sure, SCOTUS recently made decisions protecting LGBTQ workers and access to abortion, disappointing many religious conservatives. Nonetheless, the wall of separation between church and state is tumbling down as over two hundred federal judges appointed by the Trump administration prescribe and circumscribe religious

By George Mason In this time of highly contagious coronavirus, should schools reopen on time, after a short delay, online only or a combination of in-person and online learning? Maybe you are a two-parent household without immunocompromised members. Maybe you have high-speed internet access and more than one computer that allows you —and maybe your spouse — to work from home while your children attend Zoom school. But you may be a family more vulnerable to the virus, and surviving

By George Mason and Garrett Vickrey Mark Twain put it pithily: “It were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races.” The novel coronavirus is not, however, a horse race. Opinions may differ, but we should not be indifferent to the consequences that flow from them. Ethicist David Gushee’s opinion piece this week set off a firestorm on social media. He argued that it may be time for churches to reopen,

By George Mason and Byron Sanders Dallas Independent School District administrators and trustees are proposing an unprecedented bond election that could ask for as much as $3.7 billion, up to $40 million of which would be used to create social service hubs in and around schools that have been generationally impacted by discrimination. While we can speak only for ourselves, we are faith and education leaders who work in these schools and advocate for them. And we say, it’s time.

I can’t pray in Jesus’ name, but I say “peace be upon him” when I hear it. For though he is one of Islam’s greatest prophets, referenced throughout the Quran and praised with lofty virtues, to pray in his name would be a violation to my faith’s tenets. In a recent conversation with two friends, a rabbi and a Baptist minister, the rabbi jokingly asked me, “Do you also hold your breath at times while a Christian minister prays, wondering

By George Mason Will this time be different? Depends.  The killing of an African-American man named George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer has set off protests, along with some rioting and looting, in cities across America. Sustained protests, rather than the one-and-done versions of the past, suggest something durable is afoot. The call for racial justice is loud, and demands for change are specific. It feels like we’ve been here many times before, but we may be on

Coronavirus presents a rare example of how and when the free exercise of religion must be limited. By David Stern and George A. Mason Dallas Morning News April 25, 2020 Read Article