Religious Liberty
Faith Commons upholds religious liberty as one of the most important tenets of our American life together. Authentic religious liberty affirms the First Amendment, in both the establishment clause (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…) and the free exercise clause (…or prohibiting the free exercise thereof).
The meaning of religious liberty has been distorted in popular understanding recently. Too often the Christian religious right has co-opted the quest for religious liberty to ensure their own preferential treatment under the law. This is an over-extension of the free exercise clause at the expense of the establishment clause.
Faith Commons promotes a balance between the two, which affirms every person’s religious or nonreligious practice without government restriction or promotion. This way, America can live out the pluralistic ideals on which we were founded.
PODCASTS
- Amanda Tyler on Christian Nationalism | Good God Project
- Rabbi David Stern | Good God Project
- Robert Hunt on Evangelism in a Pluralistic World | Good God Project
- Rabbi Andrea Weiss | Good God Project
- Peggy Wehmeyer on Religion Reporting | Good God Project
- Melissa Rogers | Good God Project
- Amanda Tyler | Good God Project
- Race, Religion and Reconciliation | BJC
- Christian Nationalism | BJC
VIDEOS
- State of our Faith with Melissa Rogers | June 8, 2020
- State of our Faith – Religion in the Public Square | August 28, 2020
ARTICLES
- How the Fight for Religious Freedom Has Fallen Victim to the Culture Wars | NPR
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Who Should Define Religious Freedom and our Nation’s Moral and Spiritual Future? | Visible Magazine
- The CAP Faith Team’s Coronavirus Resources | Center for American Progress
BOOKS
- Faith in American Public Life | Melissa Rogers
- Out of Many Faiths| Eboo Patel
- When Islam Is Not a Religion | Asma Uddin
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We celebrate diversity and inclusion in our religious communities and in society at large.
We are working to bring people together and deepen our understanding of issues we are facing together.