The Interfaith Alliance
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The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) is an organization founded in 1994 with a mission to "promote democratic values, defend religious liberty, challenge hatred and religious bigotry, and reinvigorate informed civic participation." It is a bi-partisan national grassroots advocacy organization working to counter the Christian Coalition.
The organization has approximately 185,000 members from more than 75 faith traditions and belief systems,[1] in addition to many atheists and agnostics. Members of The Interfaith Alliance realize the powerful role that religion plays in America, and they value the positive impact that religious belief can have on American politics. However, The Interfaith Alliance's concern is that religion and the United States government are becoming dangerously entangled. TIA believes that religion is being manipulated as a tool to influence policy and advance political strategy. The Interfaith Alliance works to ensure the sanctity of religion and the integrity of politics. The group also supports an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation.[2]
The Interfaith Alliance and its partner organization, The Interfaith Alliance Foundation, work out of their main office in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The group has local chapters around the country.[3]
The president of the organization is Rev. Dr. Welton Gaddy, who serves as Pastor for Preaching and Worship at Northminster (Baptist) Church in Monroe, Louisiana. Rev. Gaddy is also the host of "State of Belief", a weekly radio show on Air America Radio, on which he claims that "religion and radical freedom are best friends and how the religious right is wrong—wrong for America and bad for religion.
[edit] References
- ^ Brandishing Religion is Not a Political Strategy, Washington Post.
- ^ Coalition pushes 'sexual orientation' protection, Idaho Press-Tribune.
- ^ Newspaper article about a local chapter, from The Ocala Star-Banner of Ocala, Florida
