INTERFAITH ALLIANCE STATE OF BELIEF

RADIO NOVEMBER 7, 2015

RUSH TRANSCRIPT: JACK MOLINE
Click here for audio
[REV. DR. C. WELTON GADDY, HOST]:
Rabbi Jack Moline is Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance, and
spends much of his time working on national policy issues in a small
Washington, DC office that I know very well. But a key part of the job
is staying abreast of developments across the country, and Jack has
recently been traveling to a number of Interfaith Alliance affiliates
across the country.
Even as this tour continues, Im very happy to have Jack with us
today to share some of the insights his travels have provided for him
so far.
Jack, welcome back to State of Belief Radio! Where did I reach you
today?
[RABBI JACK MOLINE, GUEST]: You reached me, Welton, in Ocala,
Florida, where I had the privilege of spending some time with our
Marion County affiliate. And they're doing great things down here.
[WG]: They are, and they're doing it in a heck of a difficult context I
was amazed at what they could do in a context that doesn't
encourage them much.

Well, I want you to talk about the places that you've been recently and
the kind of challenges those local communities face on Interfaith
Alliances key issues.
[JM]: Thanks, yeah, have actually been doing a lot of traveling the last
couple of weeks. I've had an opportunity to meet with our folks in
Denver, Colorado - the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado. Jay Keller from
our office and I went up to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for the tenth
anniversary of Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania. And now here I am
in Ocala, Florida - the Marion County Interface Alliance.
And what we're finding is that many of the same issues we're dealing
with nationally - religious freedom, Islamophobia, and just the bad
behavior of people with extreme religious views - are things that are
being dealt with on a local level, as well. But they have their own
issues, too. You know that our affiliates have a little more latitude in
defining their agenda than we seek to impose on them, which is the
right thing to do - religious freedom is a local issue.
And so to folks in Pennsylvania were working hard on making sure
that the right kinds of representation on the Supreme Court came to
pass, and indeed they have justices who will uphold a genuine
religious freedom agenda.
The folks in Denver are working on religious freedom legislation
they're hoping to prevent that hasn't reached the state house yet. It's
been blocked before, and they're hoping to do that again.
And here in Ocala, I have the privilege of speaking so far with a group
of students at at the College of Central Florida who were very very
concerned about understanding Shari'a law, and what its impact,

what its engagement is, in the American scene. Very, very intelligent
questions from this community college class.
[WG]: Are there aspects of what you have seen and what you've
heard that cause a light bulb to go off and you say, you know, that is
really information we need in the national office, and I think we can
benefit from giving some attention to this?
[JM]: So, I think it has reinforced what we hope to embark on very,
very soon, which is developing - for lack of a better term - metrics to
measure religious freedom in the United States generally, and stateby-state. That we are having a conversation about something that
everybody is defining for himself or herself, and we really need to
understand what religious freedom means, and how it's being
practiced in the individual states. And the very fact that I'm hearing
similar but not identical concerns in all these places I've been leads
me to believe that if we're ever going to get to the root of this, we in
Interface Alliance have an opportunity to create a conversation that
will sort of level the playing field and allow people to compare apples
to apples.
[WG]: And tell me, Jack, what are the apples? What are the items we
need to compare?
[JM]: We need to be able to look at all of these mini-RFRAs, these
mini-Religious Freedom Restoration Acts, and be able to say, These
provisions are applicable in a constitutionally defined society, and
these provisions are nothing more than an excuse for religious
discrimination. And rather than taking aim like we're a whack-a-mole
gallery, at fifty different versions of this legislation, if we least knew
what we were talking about, we would be able to say: There's a good

one in that state over there, and there's one that isn't so good in that
state on the other side.
[WG]: Interfaith Alliance provides five questions that voters and
people who are thinking about voting need to ask political candidates:
What role will your faith or values play in creating public policy or
making appointments? To the candidate: What are your views on the
boundaries between religion and government? What steps will you
take to protect the rights of your constituents regardless of faith or
belief? How will you speak about your beliefs without making them
just another political tool? How will you balance the principles of your
faith and your obligation to defend the Constitution - particularly if the
two come into conflict?
Every voter has a right to know what every candidate feels about
those five questions. Talk about, Jack, the initiative to get those
questions in front of the candidates campaigning in communities all
across the nation.
[JM]: So those are the five questions, and they're extraordinarily
important for individuals to ask candidates, because mostly what we
hear when people are asked about religious faith are ridiculous
questions about Bible verses and who's middle of the road and whos
side of the road and that sort of stuff. But the real issues are the
same issues, frankly, that we talked about when the pope made his
visit to Congress. And that is that legislators need to legislate on the
basis of the Constitution; on the basis of state and local law; and not
on the basis of religious faith.
Much of the conversation we have about these kinds of concerns are
more about whether the candidate who is campaigning is like me,
rather than whether the candidate is campaigning is going to be a
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good legislator. And those five questions are designed to sort of ferret
out the role that religious faith plays in the individual candidates life,
and to make the point - subtly and, I think, politely - that our
expectation is that a legislator is going to legislate, and not
pontificate.
[WG]: Jack, have you, in listening to the debates of the respective
parties and just what you've heard on new shows, is there any
candidate that is getting it right - whether or not the questions have
come from Interfaith Alliance or from some other source?
[JM]: I'm discouraged by what I've heard from moderators - and not
just on this question of religious freedom; we haven't really heard any
of the moderators on the debates on either side of the aisle talk about
the issues that we're concerned about. In fact, we've sort of
bemoaned the fact that we haven't been able to tweet anything out
from these debates because there's really nothing said on the issues
that we're concerned about. So what I think will be right is if the model
of the moderator who is well prepared with the facts and asking
questions rather than provoking challenges will create a conversation
among candidates that will help people understand who's going to
lead and how they're going to lead.
And I would hope that, more importantly, the leadership in both
parties, Democrats and the Republicans both, would be ready to
repudiate within their own party inappropriate comments about faith,
about the role of faith in our civic life, and about the inappropriate
depiction of a particular kind of religious culture in America.
[WG]: We've always been concerned about whether a candidate has
sensitivity to the diverse communities of different religions that are in
our nation, and whether or not that sensitivity motivates them to say
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something about being the president of all religions and people of no

religion, rather than just trying to play to one particular religion. Have
you heard anything that bothered you about that this time?
[JM]: I've heard things that have bothered me in both directions. I
don't think there's been a strong statement by any candidate about
being equally committed to the faith perspectives of every American.
I havent heard that statement yet. What I've heard instead is some
people proclaiming their particular religious faith as being the
authoritative religious faith in America. And there there's at least one
candidate - maybe more - who's gone out of his way to say nothing
about religion, without proclaiming himself to be someone of no faith,
has simply paid not much attention to religious diversity.
I think most of the candidates have stood up against the most
extreme expressions of anti-religious sentiment, but I don't think
there's anybody who has embraced the great tapestry of faith and
values that has made this country as great as it is.
[WG]: I can't imagine that people listening to this show and listening
to this particular interview would not be saying, Look, we're doing the
best we can to understand where these candidates are on a lot of
issues, and it's very difficult sometimes and frustrating at other times
to do that. So where could we get our hands on those five questions
that Interfaith Alliance has prepared? Wed like to use them with
candidates coming our way. Whats your answer to how they get it?
[JM]: Well, the best place to look for those five questions is on our
website, interfaithalliance.org, and just quick through to the five
questions. It'll be there; there's also a guide for houses of worship and
a guide for candidates as to how to talk about these issues. They can

be quickly downloaded from our website and we're happy to make

them available free of charge to anybody with a computer.
But I'd also like to suggest that people be a little patient. We have not
seen a lot of substance in the campaign so far. We've seen a lot of
entertainment; we've seen a lot of posturing; we've seen a lot of
people trying to put themselves as a leading candidate by pandering
to people they think will vote in the primaries. I think we need to be a
little patient. We're just past the off-year election date, where a lot of
local contests were decided, and a lot of statewide nominations were
confirmed. And now I think it's time in earnest to start pressing
candidates who are serious about holding public office about where
they stand on these five questions.
[WG]: I know that you are very interested in what you're doing out with
various members of Interfaith Alliance in different parts of the country,
and I know you're also holding that in balance with watching what's
going on in the primaries. That is of interest to someone interested in
what's happening to religious freedom. But I also know that the end of
the years coming, and you're probably looking, as well, at the budget;
and the budget in relation to the kinds of things that you want to be
doing at the end of this year and the beginning of next year. Talk a
little bit about Interfaith Alliance and its need for support for this
important work.
[JM]: So there are two things that every listener needs to do. The first
is to congratulate Rev. C. Welton Gaddy on being honored by Muslim
Advocates for his great service to the Muslim community coming up
at their annual dinner on December 3rd. That's the first thing.
But the second thing is, now that we're getting to the end of the year
and now that we're looking at closing out our budget year and putting
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ourselves on a firm foundation for the year to come, wed like

everybody to try to be as generous as they possibly can.
Your contributions to Interfaith Alliance are tax deductible, and believe
me, you get a lot more bang for your buck with us than you do with
most other institutions. What we're able to accomplish on a very
frugal budget - I have to tell you, finding ourselves on the front pages
of The New York Times and USA Today; in the pages of the New
Republic and the Wall Street Journal, which is really two ends of a
continuum - those are things that our listeners and our supporters can
understand are having a huge impact on what we hope to accomplish
in the United States today.
[WG]: Rabbi Jack Moline has served as a congregational rabbi for
over thirty years, most recently in Alexandria, Virginia. Having held a
number of leadership positions for numerous Jewish, interfaith and
community organizations, today Jack is Executive Director at
Interfaith Alliance.
Jack, safe travels, and thanks for being with us once again on State
of Belief Radio!
[JM]: Thanks Welton. Keep up the good work!

Rabbi Jack Moline

Jack Moline is Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance. In a career
spanning four decades, he has established himself as a powerful
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voice fighting for religious freedom for all Americans, regardless of

their faith or belief system. As a rabbi, he has worked to create
common ground between people of diverse religious and secular
backgrounds. As an advocate, he has led efforts to secure services
for this disabled, increase the supply of affordable housing, promote
marriage equality, ensure pay equity and especially, protect civil rights
for people of all faiths and sexual orientations.
A native of Chicago, he holds the title of Rabbi Emeritus of Agudas
Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia, where he served for 27
years. Rabbi Moline is an adjunct faculty member of the Jewish
Theological Seminary and the Virginia Theological Seminary,
educating future leaders in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith
communities.
A long time board member of Interfaith Alliance, serving as chair of
the board from 2006-2008, Rabbi Moline comes to this role with a
wealth of experience in interfaith advocacy. In addition to his work
with Interfaith Alliance, he has served as chair of the Interfaith
Relations Committee of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, vice
president of the Washington-Baltimore Rabbinical Assembly and
board member of the Faith and Politics Institute. He serves on the
advisory boards of Clergy Beyond Borders and Operation
Understanding DC. He has served as president of the Washington
Board of Rabbis and is past chair of the Alexandria Interfaith
Association. He also served as the first director of public policy for the
Rabbinical Assembly and was executive director of NJDC.
Rabbi Moline also has advised and written for many public figures,
including President Bill Clinton, for whom he provided advice on
international affairs and the presidents personal challenges. He was

invited to offer a blessing to the Obama and Biden families before the
2013 presidential inauguration.
Rabbi Moline has authored two books and has contributed to many
publications. He is a popular speaker and has offered commentary on
PBS, CNN, CBS, Fox News, the Washington Post, National Journal,
Huffington Post and other news outlets.
Rabbi Moline is a graduate of Northwestern University (School of
Communications, 1974). He studied to become a rabbi at the
University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University) in Los
Angeles and the Jewish Theological Seminarys (JTS) Jerusalem and
New York campuses. Ordained in 1982, he received an honorary
doctorate from JTS in 2012. He became full-time rabbi and part-time
Jewish chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury,
Connecticut upon ordination. In 1987, he became rabbi of Agudas
Achim Congregation of Northern Virginia, in Alexandria.
Rabbi Moline is a long-suffering supporter of the Chicago Cubs. He
lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife of 37 years. He is the father of
three grown children and the proud grandfather of one.

Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy

Author of more than 20 books, including First Freedom First: A
Citizens Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of
Church and State, the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy led the national nonpartisan grassroots and educational organization Interfaith Alliance
for 16 years, retiring in 2014. Dr. Gaddy continues his work with the

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Alliance as President Emeritus and Senior Advisor. He serves as

Pastor for Preaching and Worship at Northminster (Baptist) Church in
Monroe, Louisiana.
In addition to being a prolific writer, Dr. Gaddy hosts the weekly State
of Belief radio program, where he explores the role of religion in the
life of the nation by illustrating the vast diversity of beliefs in America,
while exposing and critiquing both the political manipulation of religion
for partisan purposes and the religious manipulation of government
for sectarian purposes.
Dr. Gaddy provides regular commentary to the national media on
issues relating to religion and politics. He has appeared on MSNBCs
The Rachel Maddow Show and Hardball, NBCs Nightly News and
Dateline, PBSs Religion and Ethics Newsweekly and The Newshour
with Jim Lehrer, C-SPANs Washington Journal, ABCs World News,
and CNNs American Morning. Former host of Morally Speaking on
NBC affiliate KTVE in Monroe, Louisiana, Dr. Gaddy is a regular
contributor to mainstream and religious news outlets.
While ministering to churches with a message of inclusion, Dr. Gaddy
emerged as a leader among progressive and moderate Baptists.
Among his many leadership roles, he is a past president of the
Alliance of Baptists and has been a 20-year member of the
Commission of Christian Ethics of the Baptist World Alliance. His past
leadership roles include serving as a member of the General Council
of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, President of Americans United
for Separation of Church and State, Chair of the Pastoral Leadership
Commission of the Baptist World Alliance and member of the World
Economic Forums Council of 100. Rev. Gaddy currently serves on
the White House task force on the reform of the Office of Faith Based
and Neighborhood Partnerships.

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Prior to the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist

Convention (SBC), Dr. Gaddy served in many SBC leadership roles
including as a member of the conventions Executive Committee from
1980-84 and Director of Christian Citizenship Development of the
Christian Life Commission from 1973-77.
Dr. Gaddy received his undergraduate degree from Union University
in Jackson, Tennessee and his doctoral degree and divinity training
from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville,
Kentucky.

State of Belief Radio

State of Belief is based on the proposition that religion has a positive
and healing role to play in the life of the nation. The show explains
and explores that role by illustrating the vast diversity of beliefs in
America the most religiously diverse country in the world while
exposing and critiquing both the political manipulation of religion for
partisan purposes and the religious manipulation of government for
sectarian purposes.
Each week, the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy offers listeners critical
analysis of the news of religion and politics, and seeks to provide
listeners with an understanding and appreciation of religious liberty.
Rev. Gaddy tackles politics with the firm belief that the best way to
secure freedom for religion in America is to secure freedom from
religion. State of Belief illustrates how the Religious Right is wrong
wrong for America and bad for religion.

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Through interviews with celebrities and newsmakers and field reports

from around the country, State of Belief explores the intersection of
religion with politics, culture, media, and activism, and promotes
diverse religious voices in a religiously pluralistic world.
State of Belief Radio is a production of the Interfaith Alliance
Foundation, a 501c(3) charitable organization, and relies on listener
donations to amplify important voices in our national discussion on
religion, government and politics. Please visit www.stateofbelief.com
for information on making a tax-deductible contribution.
Since 2005, State of Belief has been broadcasting weekly across the
country. If the show is not available where you live, please let your
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Complete information is available at http://stateofbelief.com/affiliatestation-page/

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