NY forum: Religious freedom under attack
Alliance Defending Freedom, Archdiocese of New York co-sponsor religious freedom event
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2013
WHO: Representatives from Alliance Defending Freedom, Archdiocese of New York, Knights of Columbus, New York State Council, and DeSales Media Group
WHAT: Religious Freedom Forum
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EDT
WHERE: Cowin Center at Teacher’s College, Columbia University, 525 W 120th St., New York
NEW YORK — Alliance Defending Freedom and the Archdiocese of New York are co-sponsoring a religious liberty forum and interfaith prayer service at Columbia University Wednesday. Alliance Defending Freedom President and CEO Alan Sears will address the current assault on religious freedom, and Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan will preside at the prayer service.
NEW YORK — Alliance Defending Freedom and the Archdiocese of New York are co-sponsoring a religious liberty forum and interfaith prayer service at Columbia University Wednesday. Alliance Defending Freedom President and CEO Alan Sears will address the current assault on religious freedom, and Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan will preside at the prayer service.
The forum, “The Manhattan Declaration Returns Home,” aims to educate concerned citizens on the urgent threats to religious freedom, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
“Americans should not have to sacrifice their religious freedom, but that freedom is under assault--legally and otherwise--as never before in our 237 years as a nation,” said Sears. “If we fail to take a stand, the God-given liberty that millions came to this country to find and that countless of our brothers and sisters have fought and died for will be just a fleeting memory.”
“Americans should not have to sacrifice their religious freedom, but that freedom is under assault--legally and otherwise--as never before in our 237 years as a nation,” said Sears. “If we fail to take a stand, the God-given liberty that millions came to this country to find and that countless of our brothers and sisters have fought and died for will be just a fleeting memory.”
The Manhattan Declaration initiated the forum three years ago with the Diocese of Phoenix to cultivate awareness and support of the Manhattan Declaration, a 4,700-word declaration in defense of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Since November 2009, more than 543,336 people have signed the declaration.
Key speakers at the event will include the following:
· Eric Metaxas, New York Times best-selling author and radio commentator, BreakPoint
· Ryan Anderson, The Heritage Foundation
· Jennifer Marshall, The Heritage Foundation
· Eric Teetsel, The Manhattan Declaration
· Marjorie Dannenfelser, Susan B. Anthony List
A live broadcast of the forum can be viewed at www.dioceseofbrooklyn.org or www.ny-archdiocese.org.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
# # #
Related Resources
ABOUT Alan Sears
Alan Sears was the first president, CEO, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, leading its efforts from 1993-2017. Across those nearly 25 years, he built an ADF team committed to a comprehensive legal strategy that includes training, funding, and legal advocacy. Sears earned his Juris Doctor from Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. While serving in numerous positions within the Reagan and Bush administrations, he worked for the Department of Justice under Attorneys General William French Smith and Edwin Meese III, including service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Section. Sears was appointed as director of the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography and served as associate solicitor with the Department of Interior under Secretary Donald Hodel. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Sears has continued his education with professional instruction at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, and Pepperdine University. He is a member in good standing with the American, Arizona, California, District of Columbia (inactive), and Kentucky bar associations.