INTERFAITH ALLIANCE STATE OF BELIEF RADIO APRIL 27, 2013 RUSH TRANSCRIPT: Welton Gaddy Click here for

video Click here for audio [REV. DR. C. WELTON GADDY, HOST]: The recent bombings in Boston set off millions of conversations on hundreds of different related subjects: national security, immigration, and religion, to name only three. Appropriately, media are filled with reports on every phase of national security, right down to the most minute of details. Some members of Congress are using tragedy in Boston to revisit their opposition to immigration reform - in fact, one member of Congress has declared that we should no longer allow Muslims to immigrate to the United States. Really! For the most part immediately following the explosions, media were responsibly silent on religion's role - if any - in the whole horrendous situation. With only a few exceptions, there was no rush to judgement about the religion of the bombers, or religion as the motivation of the bombers. That represented great progress in moving away from brash stereotyping and fiery religion-bashing, especially as related to Islam. Now, though, religion is front and center as an integral part of the analysis of what happened in Boston, and why. News stories bulge with comments about the role of the "radicalization of Islam" in the Boston story. Though for years, many people have unfairly criticized moderate Muslims for not being more vocal about their opposition to terrorist attacks, now the condemnatory words of moderate Muslims are actually being carried in media; and, incredibly, some people - some of the same people who were critical before are now criticizing the criticism voiced by Muslim leaders. Earlier this past week, CNN reported that Yusufi Vali, Executive Director of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, said of the Tsarnaev brothers: "I don't care who or what these criminals claim to be, but I can never recognize these criminals as part of my city or my community of faith." Similarly, according to a piece in the Huffington Post, Imam Talal Eid of the Islamic Institute of Boston declared, "I would not be willing to do a funeral for him," speaking of the older brother who was shot. "This is a person who deliberately killed people. There's no room for him as a Muslim; he already left the fold of Islam by doing that."

Critics of these comments think the religious leaders should continue to embrace the Tsarnaev brothers, though condemn their acts. Interesting. Of course, the public never has condemned Christianity for the existence and mean behavior of the Ku Klux Klan. Jews have never separated themselves from Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, who claimed a devotion to Judaism. So I find the question interesting: who gets to identify a person's religion? Who has the authority to take another person's religious identity away? Is religious identity the prerogative of every individual? Perhaps, though, equally important is the question - I hear some of you asking it already - what does it matter, anyway? Well, my guess is that the Muslims that I have quoted have mixed motives for their understandable comments meant to disassociate the actions of the two brothers from Islam. In previous times of tragedy and crisis with Muslim involvement, negative repercussions directed at Muslims have broadened and intensified the tragedy. After the horrors of the Boton bombing, how possibly could a Muslim not fear misdirected violence perpetrated by non-discriminating people who assume all Muslims are like one or two Muslims? Yet such logic, used, would mean that all Christians would be vulnerable for retaliation from people who feel any one Christian represents all Christians. And great goodness, were that the case, Christians still would be experiencing punishment for the actions of the Christians in the deadly Crusades of the past. But of couse, the condemnation of the bombers by Yusufi Vali and Talal Eid may go well beyond a defense mechanism - an effort to make people distinguish between the evil actions of two Muslim young men - and the basic teachings of Islam. The Muslim leaders well may want to claim this teachable moment, and again seek to teach Americans that Islam is a peace-loving, life-respecting religion. Well why wouldn't all Muslims want to do that? They have every right to distinguish themselves and their religion from those who would make Islam synonymous with terrorism, so good for them! But I'm still intrigued by who gets to determine one's religious identity. Now let's be honest here. All of us know that in all religions, there are extremists who turn religion into a weapon and harm other people in the name of religion. At the same time, I don't know one world religion that is for terrorism, murder and destruction - not one! So maybe the conversation now underway about who is a Muslim ought to broaden its scope with an admission that in all religions, there are those who will contradict religious values with acts of evil dressed up as a religions cause. Here is reality: each of us can call ourselves whatever we want. But the ultimate judgement about our identity will be decided not by what we say about ourselves, but how we treat others. We know that good deeds come from individuals who identify themselves as non-believers or Atheists; and that despicable acts of hurt are perpetrated by people who claim to be devoutly religious individuals. In the

long run, what is best is to know that regardless of the label we hang around our necks or imagine posted on our foreheads, is not nearly so definitive as the way we live our lives. We have too much work to do, friends, to take time to pass judgement on another person. Let's start staying busy - busy to be the people who are shaping more secure communities by our ceaseless involvement in random - but pervasive - acts of doing good.

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. 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. 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 leads the national non-partisan grassroots and educational organization Interfaith Alliance and 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. 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.