A group of scholars has urged U.S. religious communities to persuade President Barack Obama that the promotion of international religious freedom is vital to national security. During a panel discussion at Georgetown University on April 15, there was agreement among the panelists that the U.S. State Department has underused the International Religious Freedom Act, a 1998 law that was intended to promote religious freedom as a foreign policy of the United States. “There is this erroneous notion that it’s unconstitutional if we are talking to religious leaders around the world,” said Thomas F. Farr, a professor of religion and international affairs. For decades the State Department has operated on the philosophy that religion must be kept out of U.S. diplomatic policy, Farr said.
Scholars: Promote Religious Freedom
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My Catholic identity and my wife’s Protestant identity continue to endure, and our faith has developed together in greater harmony, knowing that our love for each other was ultimately grounded in our love for God.
the wily accuser
tempted him in just the way to confuse a savior:
All this I will give you.
Daydreams and memory are saving some
Down there from shame
As a Black person who sometimes ministers in predominantly white parishes, I can appreciate how easy it is to feel out of place. It makes all the difference to hear words of welcome.