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State of Belief - June 13th - 2015
The History of Papal Advocacy, a Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis, the “Hydra of Homophobia"
This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show
and podcast, host Rev. Welton Gaddy will discuss Pope Francis’
much-anticipated encyclical on the environment with scholar Kevin Lowe.
He’ll talk to Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Founder and Director of the Shalom
Center in Philadelphia about the Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis,
which has been signed by more than 300 Jewish faith leaders. And
finally, Welton will explore what one governor’s attack on his state’s
courts might portend for the long-awaited Supreme Court decision on
marriage equality – and what threatened defiance to that might look like
will react with the Brennan Center’s Matthew Menendez.
Right Wing Bucking the (Judicial) System
After state courts in Kansas ruled against Governor Sam
Brownback’s drastic cuts to education funding, he has threatened
retaliation: defund the courts! Has this ever happened before? What does
it mean for Kansans? And more broadly, are there implications for
another judicial ruling – this time by the Supreme Court – that
Brownback’s fellow conservatives expect being unhappy with? With a
federal decision on same-sex marriage due by the end of the month, and a
new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute
showing supporters and opponents of marriage equality alike expecting
the Court to recognize marriage as a constitutional right, what might
the “defiance” threatened by opponents look like? Welton speaks with Matthew Menendez, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.
Vatican Activism and “Leaving Science to the Scientists”
According to Catholic presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, the
Pope’s upcoming encyclical on the environment is beyond the Church’s
area of expertise, and he should just “leave science to the scientists.”
(Santorum conveniently forgot that the Pope studied Chemistry before
entering Seminary.) However, Santorum is also forgetting the long
history of formal papal involvement in global affairs and politics.
Scholar Kevin M. Lowe, who’s written on the history of papal advocacy in Religion Dispatches,
joins Welton to discuss the Pope’s encyclical, the Catholic voices of
opposition, and ways the Vatican has historically impacted global
affairs.
The Making and Effect of the Rabbinic Letter on Climate Crisis
Religious figures tackling important— if political— problems isn’t limited to the Pope. 300 rabbis have recently signed the Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis. Welton will be joined by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, longtime
environmental activist and an instrumental force behind the letter. The
two will discuss the origins of the letter, caring for the earth as a
Jewish mandate, as well as its intentions, expectations, and the effect
of uniting rabbis from all different denominations in hopes of a
healthier planet.
The Hydra of Homophobia
Even with relentless progress in the area of LGBT rights – and a
widely-anticipated positive Supreme Court decision on marriage equality
anticipated later this month – it’s not hard to find instances of
religious and legislative efforts to demonize gay people and somehow
portray fundamentalists as the victims. The problem of inequality is far
from solved in this country and beyond. Welton shares a few thoughts
about why this really matters.
View all episodes
By The History of Papal Advocacy, a Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis, the “Hydra of Homophobia"
This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show
and podcast, host Rev. Welton Gaddy will discuss Pope Francis’
much-anticipated encyclical on the environment with scholar Kevin Lowe.
He’ll talk to Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Founder and Director of the Shalom
Center in Philadelphia about the Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis,
which has been signed by more than 300 Jewish faith leaders. And
finally, Welton will explore what one governor’s attack on his state’s
courts might portend for the long-awaited Supreme Court decision on
marriage equality – and what threatened defiance to that might look like
will react with the Brennan Center’s Matthew Menendez.
Right Wing Bucking the (Judicial) System
After state courts in Kansas ruled against Governor Sam
Brownback’s drastic cuts to education funding, he has threatened
retaliation: defund the courts! Has this ever happened before? What does
it mean for Kansans? And more broadly, are there implications for
another judicial ruling – this time by the Supreme Court – that
Brownback’s fellow conservatives expect being unhappy with? With a
federal decision on same-sex marriage due by the end of the month, and a
new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute
showing supporters and opponents of marriage equality alike expecting
the Court to recognize marriage as a constitutional right, what might
the “defiance” threatened by opponents look like? Welton speaks with Matthew Menendez, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.
Vatican Activism and “Leaving Science to the Scientists”
According to Catholic presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, the
Pope’s upcoming encyclical on the environment is beyond the Church’s
area of expertise, and he should just “leave science to the scientists.”
(Santorum conveniently forgot that the Pope studied Chemistry before
entering Seminary.) However, Santorum is also forgetting the long
history of formal papal involvement in global affairs and politics.
Scholar Kevin M. Lowe, who’s written on the history of papal advocacy in Religion Dispatches,
joins Welton to discuss the Pope’s encyclical, the Catholic voices of
opposition, and ways the Vatican has historically impacted global
affairs.
The Making and Effect of the Rabbinic Letter on Climate Crisis
Religious figures tackling important— if political— problems isn’t limited to the Pope. 300 rabbis have recently signed the Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis. Welton will be joined by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, longtime
environmental activist and an instrumental force behind the letter. The
two will discuss the origins of the letter, caring for the earth as a
Jewish mandate, as well as its intentions, expectations, and the effect
of uniting rabbis from all different denominations in hopes of a
healthier planet.
The Hydra of Homophobia
Even with relentless progress in the area of LGBT rights – and a
widely-anticipated positive Supreme Court decision on marriage equality
anticipated later this month – it’s not hard to find instances of
religious and legislative efforts to demonize gay people and somehow
portray fundamentalists as the victims. The problem of inequality is far
from solved in this country and beyond. Welton shares a few thoughts
about why this really matters.