Religious Freedom
July 20, 2017
A Case of Medical Discrimination
I took a survey yesterday about my recent experience in the hospital. I was there for a C-section for my third baby. One of...
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Religious Freedom
July 19, 2017
Faith, Freedom and One’s Fellow Man
After seven hours of a passionate but civil public dialogue, more than 170 Americans came together to decide the future of...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
July 18, 2017
Psychiatrists Say “Journalism” is a Mental Illness
So there I was minding my own business, having a little fun scrolling through what passes for “the news” when I spy this...
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Religious Freedom
July 12, 2017
A Scientologist’s Great-Grandmother’s Poem
I was fortunate enough to know, and have wonderful conversations, with a truly fascinating woman—my great grandmother. Just...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
July 5, 2017
The Power of a Well-Told Story
The other day, I read an online article that spoke of how an animation studio’s approach to storytelling was repurposed...
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Religious Freedom
July 4, 2017
Reflections on Independence Day and Freedom of Belief
As a Scientologist, a STAND member and a United States citizen who spent the bulk of her college career studying the American...
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Religious Freedom
June 30, 2017
Did the Supreme Court Just Strengthen or Weaken Religious Freedom?
Many generations of Supreme Court Justices have tried to define the correct balance of church and state.
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Religious Freedom
June 28, 2017
Football, Faith and Freedom
We LOVE football in our house. Everybody has a different favorite team they’re passionate about which makes holiday shopping...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 28, 2017
Tim Tebow’s Religion, America’s Favorite Pastime
What’s the saying? “It’s as American as baseball and apple pie?” Football gets a lot of the love these days but whenever...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 28, 2017
A Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing
I don’t know Leah. I didn’t know Leah. I have no interest in ever knowing Leah. But we share many connections, and friends,...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 27, 2017
Et tu, Stacey Carosi?
In one of my favorite seasons of Saved by the Bell, Zack Morris developed a summer relationship with Stacey Carosi, a tough,...
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Religious Freedom
June 26, 2017
Debunking the “Atheists are Smarter” Myth
Several researchers in the field of psychology descended from the ultra-recirculated, purified air of academia to address...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 21, 2017
To All the Good People out There
I just watched a beautiful video on Facebook. It was about an experiment conducted in Lithuania in which a young black man...
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Scientology Religion
June 19, 2017
The Power of Listening
The first course I took in Scientology was called, “The Communication Course.” The first exercise on the course was called...
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Scientology Religion
June 18, 2017
The Truth about Scientology, in my View
I remember when I was 17 years old and first walked into a Church of Scientology in Chicago. I was young, troubled, unsure...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 17, 2017
I Met a Scorpion Today
There are two versions of a well-known fable you might have heard. In the first one, a scorpion asks a frog to carry it across...
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Religious Freedom
June 16, 2017
Freedom in Prison
If a man breaks the law, does he then lose his right to be treated as a human being? It’s got to be said that here we’re...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 14, 2017
Has Social Media Become Antisocial?
Okay, I finally did it: I divorced Facebook. I let my friends know that I am done and won’t be visiting that space any more....
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 14, 2017
How Far Is Too Far in Punishing Hate Speech?
In a recent Scottish YouTube video, the creator orchestrates his dog giving a Hitler salute to the camera. Whether you think...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 14, 2017
The Only “Story” That Matters About the Portland Stabbing
I’ve been reading about the train stabbing incident in Portland with a heavy heart. Like so many others, I’ve been trying...
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Scientology Religion
June 13, 2017
The Biggest Secret About Scientology
I won't get into how it was, but one day I was sitting in a hotel in Siberia, downing a few vodka shots with Misha, the owner....
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Religious Freedom
June 12, 2017
Intolerance Takes Center Stage in Austria
The Austrian Parliament recently passed a law banning women from wearing garments that cover their face s. As is the norm...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 10, 2017
In Spite of Everything
The defacing of a public monument is a despicable crime in and of itself. But when the target is a beloved figure like Anne...
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Religious Freedom
June 8, 2017
It’s Your Right, But Is It Right?
I believe in the power of speech. I believe in freedom of speech. I believe in my First Amendment rights. I believe in our...
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Religious Freedom
June 7, 2017
Pray-o-mat: Humble Photo Booth Becomes a Place of Worship
So now you can sit in a booth at Stuttgart airport and access 300 audio prayers from a variety of world religions. The seed...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 6, 2017
The Big Lie
I was watching the game show Jeopardy the other night when the host, Alex Trebek, presented the clue, “The most secretive...
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Religious Diversity
June 5, 2017
President Trump’s Trip
I’ve been following the President’s current overseas trip with interest. Whatever people think of the man (and I haven’t...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
June 4, 2017
When Belief is a Crime
In a May meeting with the Turkish prime minister, President Trump made a special appeal for the release of Andrew Brunson....
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Religious Freedom
June 3, 2017
Humanity vs. a Higher Power and the Arizona Invocation
An atheist member of the Arizona legislature caused a small stir recently when she offered up a humanist invocation calling...
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Scientology Religion
May 29, 2017
A Face to Go With a Faith
Growing up in a new religion can be an interesting experience. As a child I was completely uninhibited about my beliefs. But...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 29, 2017
How to Make a Monster
I came across an article the other day that was so outrageous my mind locked up on it for some time. Here’s what it said:...
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Scientology Religion
May 26, 2017
Science and Religion
When I was a kid I asked a lot of questions. That wouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me now. I can be a little obsessive...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 25, 2017
A Story about Rocks, Inspired by Rolling Stone
“The pen is mightier than the sword,” as the saying goes. If you give an idiot a sword he’ll end up hurting innocent...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 24, 2017
Raising Our Voices—What it Means to be a STAND Member
Scientologists are, almost without exception, really nice people. That’s something you could say of most people and groups...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 23, 2017
A Different Perspective on “Cults”
All new religions before being “established” are or were considered “cults” (definition 3). That would include Christianity...
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Religious Freedom
May 22, 2017
That Joke Ain’t Funny
There are times I feel like complaining and this is one of those times. I was looking through Facebook the other day and saw...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 22, 2017
Where Do You Stand on Taking a Stand?
People are social creatures, and this is one of our greatest strengths and one of our greatest weaknesses, all at the same...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 21, 2017
Freedom of Thought: Infinitely Valuable and Incessantly Attacked
In the wake of the 1960’s, my father and mother began studying Dianetics and Scientology in New York and San Francisco....
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 21, 2017
The Accidental Bigot
A bigot’s a bad thing to be. But, theoretically, it could happen to any one of us. For many years (and in what feels like...
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Religious Freedom
May 20, 2017
The Only Ones That Can Save Us
Time and again, whole peoples have put their trust and hope in their leaders, to their lasting regret. An individual from...
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Scientology Religion
May 18, 2017
What? Scientology?!
If you have ever read or watched some media panic piece on Scientology, you may have wondered why anyone in their right mind...
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Religious Freedom
May 17, 2017
Tell Someone. And Get Them to Tell Someone Else.
It has been said that if one person told someone about something, and then the next day that second person told someone else,...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 16, 2017
Today’s “Journalism”—Now That’s Entertainment
Who cares if Brian Williams is a stone cold liar? Do we really care about honest journalism? It’s boring to watch all these...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 14, 2017
How it Felt to Be Treated Like a Nazi
When I was in third grade, I had a teacher who despised me. It wasn't because of anything I'd done to her, and it wasn't that...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 12, 2017
Haters Gonna Hate
Overly tall, olive-skinned, with full lips and unmanageable curly hair I looked odd among both the children of German refugees...
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Religious Freedom
May 11, 2017
The Good, the Bad and the Judgment
I was told many times growing up that I needed to use a little judgment. This was usually after I had brought about a disaster...
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Scientology Religion
May 10, 2017
Know What You’re Objecting To
It’s fine if you object, but at least know what it is you’re objecting to. As a Scientologist of 36 years, I’ve read...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 10, 2017
Impulse to Attack the Unknown
I recall an incident from many years ago where a couple of misguided radio personalities in my city decided it would be a...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 9, 2017
The “Cult” Label
I'm a Scientologist who has studied Scientology for years. Decades actually. I know a lot of other Scientologists and, while...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 9, 2017
The Urban Redneck
There is no other way to put this: If you believe and repeat the corporate-owned media narrative on Scientology (and pretty...
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Scientology Religion
May 8, 2017
One of Those Scientologists
A few years back my husband and I took in a family member who was having a rough time. She’d been on and off drugs for decades—yes...
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Scientology Religion
May 7, 2017
I’m “Secretive” About My Religion?
My religion has a lot that gets said about it in the media. But one of the most laughable and irksome myths about Scientology...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
May 6, 2017
Why Scientology Jokes Fall Flat
The comedian is a rare and powerful breed. He can point out what's wrong with the world through the use of humor and be poignant...
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Religious Freedom
May 3, 2017
How I Judge
Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Buddhist, Lama, Muslim, Baptist, Scientologist and on and on and on the list goes. I...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 28, 2017
Sympathy for the Devil
If I were the devil I would strike up the band and throw a party. I’d be scrubbing my hands in glee right now as I watched...
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Religious Freedom
April 27, 2017
Remembering the Holocaust, and a Remarkable Story of Survival
Joe was a brilliant, hard-working man who, because he was Jewish, found himself a prisoner in a concentration camp in Poland...
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Religious Freedom
April 27, 2017
What the News Media Will Never Tell You About Scientology
I have been in Scientology since 1980. At the age of 24 my life had become consumed by alcohol and drug abuse. I was on the...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 26, 2017
Leah Remini and a Friender Bender
I was always looking for “my” religion. Since I was a little girl. My parents didn’t follow any one faith and allowed...
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Scientology Religion
April 26, 2017
To Share or Not to Share, That is the Question
When my husband and I eloped nearly 28 years ago, we had no idea what we were doing. But we were so distracted by the butterflies...
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Scientology Religion
April 25, 2017
Coming Out
Ok, admittedly, that title is somewhat deceiving—I am a happily married heterosexual woman. But here’s the thing: the...
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Religious Literacy
April 25, 2017
Don’t Be Stupid
To me stupidity is not knowing about something, but then acting or speaking as if you do. Let’s say you start criticizing...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 24, 2017
Why Religions Aren’t Like Football Teams
Is it too far-fetched to conceive that “football” could be a religion? Well, if you are ever in Knoxville during football...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 23, 2017
Stale Bread: The Aftermath
I am not prone to drama. However, having lived in Los Angeles for 30 years, I am very familiar with it. I try to keep myself...
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Anti-Religious Propaganda
April 22, 2017
X-Ray Vision
I recently had the pleasure of introducing a United Nations diplomat—a friend of a friend—to the subject of Scientology...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 20, 2017
What is “discrimination” anyway?
I was born in Mexico and began my formal education there. Naturally, I studied in Spanish and, because I attended a Catholic...
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Media & Ethics
April 20, 2017
If I Were to Tell the Story of You
Pretend for a moment that I am a journalist. You’ve become something of a big deal, a hot topic. Lots of important people...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 19, 2017
You Should Know Better
There is a great injustice being perpetuated by social media. This injustice creates a “fertile” soil for unfair discrimination,...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 18, 2017
Terrorists are Insane, Not Religious
I think of myself as very fortunate.
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 17, 2017
Really. Brainwashed?!
You don’t know me, I know. But let’s just establish, quickly, that I am bossy, usually the loudest one in the room and...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 17, 2017
Where Religious Discrimination Never Happens
On the block where I grew up I played with kids whose parents were Holocaust survivors. What they endured was a terrible note...
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Religious Freedom
April 15, 2017
Dress for “Religious Freedom” Success
When you hear the name Norfolk, you’re likely to think of the sprawling Virginia metropolis fronting the vast Chesapeake...
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Religious Freedom
April 14, 2017
Freedom is Just Freedom
Historically, the human race has excelled in the fields of prejudice and discrimination. Historically, the human race has...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 14, 2017
I Will Not Tolerate Hatred
I have been a Scientologist for over fifteen years, and very publicly so. In working with my church and its members I am surrounded...
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Religious Freedom
April 14, 2017
Leave “Islamic” Out of It
I have friends, associates and employees of Muslim faith. Not a single one has ever demonstrated signs of wanting “Jihad.”...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 12, 2017
How You Know STAND is Doing its Job (and Twitter is Not)
STAND is an amazing platform. It is the first forum of its kind where you can hear directly from Scientologists about what...
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Religious Freedom
April 12, 2017
Religion Communicators Council Annual Convention–A Member’s View
The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) is the oldest organization of its kind. Founded in 1929, its primary purpose is to...
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Religious Freedom
April 11, 2017
Truth Is the Anvil That Wears Out All the Hammers
I live in a small town. Very few members of my faith live nearby. I’m pretty much alone here. Some might worry that I am...
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Religious Freedom
April 11, 2017
What it Means to Be an American
I’ve studied the Constitution of the United States more than once and I love what our founders put in place for future generations.
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Religious Freedom
April 7, 2017
Talk Versus Action
Dr. Ganoune Diop, director of public affairs and religious freedom for the worldwide Seventh-Day Adventist Church, recently...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 6, 2017
This Ain’t Our First Rodeo
It doesn’t matter if one celebrity likes Scientology. It doesn’t matter if another one hates it. The people who live their...
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Religious Freedom
April 6, 2017
Why Valarie Kaur is Right
After the September 11th attacks I remember hearing from a college friend whose family members were practicing Sikhs. She...
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Religious Freedom
April 6, 2017
Why “I Believe in Interfaith” Too
The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., is running a great video campaign under the banner of “I Believe...
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Religious Freedom
April 6, 2017
Know What You Fear
One of the most troubling emotions we deal with as a society is fear. Fear of the unknown, the undiscovered or the not understood...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 5, 2017
Is Hate Contagious?
On February 22, a murder in Kansas drew national attention. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who had moved from India to the United States...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 4, 2017
Dehumanization
Most people are born good. Most people are born with an innate sense of decency, a good concept of justice, and an inborn...
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Scientology Religion
April 4, 2017
Why Our New Church of Scientology of the Valley Makes Me Proud
Have you ever been proud of some special achievement in your life? Perhaps it was something you did on your own, or perhaps...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
April 3, 2017
Two Verbs: Faith and Love
I learned one of the most important lessons of my life in my early 30s. I spent my teens and 20s with a storybook, romantic...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
March 28, 2017
Another Holocaust
I’ve heard many people say that something like WWII or the Holocaust could never happen again. I beg to differ. If we aren’t...
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Religious Freedom
March 28, 2017
What Color are Your Eyes?
Discriminate: to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit. If you have ever been discriminated...
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Religious Freedom
March 27, 2017
The EU Court’s Decision—What Equality?
When I read about the European Court’s decision to uphold the firing of a Muslim woman for wearing a headscarf, what came...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
March 26, 2017
Reza Aslan: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Here’s the official set up for CNN’s Believer with Reza Aslan: “In this new spiritual adventure series, renowned author...
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& DISINFORMATION
If you have encountered hate speech and disinformation online, in the media, or in any public venue, take action by reporting it here.
PROMOTE
FREEDOM OF RELIGION
Urge adoption of the Charter on Journalistic Ethics in Relation to Respect for Religion or Belief. Make your voice heard.
ABOLISH DISCRIMINATION
OF ANY KIND
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