Last weekend’s Values Voter Summit in the nation’s capital drew thousands of Religious Right activists to hear fringe figures and national political figures alike, including Donald Trump and Mike Pence. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s radio show and podcast, we’ll get an on-the-ground report from the conference, which is organized each year by the Family Research Council, an anti-LGBT hate group.
Host Rev. Welton Gaddy will be joined by Peter Montgomery, Senior Fellow at People for the American Way and a leading chronicler of the political Religious Right. They will discuss what it’s like to attend a gathering that foments hate and fear and promotes a theocratic vision for America — and what it means when politicians like Trump attend.
More and more, it seems like arguments in our country are characterized by an utter rejection of those who disagree with us. Welton will explore this state of affairs with James Hoggan, the author of a compelling new book: I’m Right and You’re an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up. In a timely conversation, Hoggan diagnoses the problem and offers possible solutions to the incivility underlying the seemingly intractable gridlock in our nation.
And with early voting underway in a number of states, Welton will speak with Interfaith Alliance president Rabbi Jack Moline about this year’s deeply polarized election. The two defining voter groups can be best described as the “nevers”: those who could never vote for one or the other candidate. This highly negative dynamic puts the very structure of our democracy at risk. Moline will discuss Interfaith Alliance’s work to protect these structures, particularly from corruption in the name of religion.
