Dignity in Diversity 2023
On March 23, 2023, the Las Vegas Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity held its first symposium at the moot court facility at UNLV. The theme was “Dignity in Diversity: Why Religious Freedom and Human Dignity Matter. “ The program featured several distinguished guest lecturers, led off by a welcome from Governor Joe Lombardo of Nevada. Participants in the first session included retired Judge Roger Hunt of Nevada, Dean Leah Chan Grinvald from the William S. Boyd School of Law, Tom Thomas, managing partner of the Thomas and Mack Development Company, and guest lecturer Bruce Woodbury, who has the distinct honor of being the longest serving county commissioner in the state of Nevada.
The day’s events began with a stirring opening prayer given by the Most Reverend Greg Gordon, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas. Judge Hunt, emcee and facilitator of the conference, shared his personal views on the importance of this topic. Following Judge Hunt, Tom Thomas presented an insightful history of the early beginnings of interfaith within the Las Vegas Community, founded by his father, Perry Thomas. He was proceeded by Dean Grinvald, who graciously welcomed the 100 plus symposium attendees to the UNLV campus. Dean Grinvald expressed her personal support for religious freedom, as a descendant of a parent raised under communist rule and as a spouse to her partner from the Jewish faith. Bruce Woodbury concluded by sharing examples of the complexities of this topic as it continues to be a matter of concern in government relations.
Following the introductory first hour, attendees listened to an informative interfaith panel moderated by Hannah Smith, Senior Fellow at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, on issues of religious freedom and its impact on diverse congregations. Panelists included Dr. Welton T. Smith and Reverend Debra R. Smith, of the Greater Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church, Rick Gordon, Partner at Snell and Wilmer, and member of the local Catholic Diocese, Rabbi Bradley Tecktiel, Rabbi at Midbar Kodesh Temple and current president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern Nevada, and Imam Mujahid Ramdan, founder and CEO of M.R. Consulting.
Panel questions related to religious freedom matters as it affects each congregation, currently and historically. Inquiries and possible solutions as to how to engage the rising generation were discussed. The consequences of religious freedom infringements during covid years were analyzed and possible solutions to promoting better interfaith relations were presented.
Angela Wu Howard, Senior Law Fellow at the Becket Institute, and West Allen, of Howard and Howard, and past President of the Federal Bar Association (FBA) spoke in the second session in reference to the history of religious freedom cases in the US and a call to increasing awareness and understanding of the U.S. Constitution as it applies to these rights. Angela gave a condensed summary of applicable cases over the past 50 years leading to our present condition. West encouraged increased study of rights inherent in the constitution, specifically the vested power of religious freedom and conscience spelled out in the first and fourteenth amendments.
The closing session featured two notable experts on Religious Freedom and Human Dignity as it applies to the current climate in a divided America, Director Brett Scharffs, International Center of Law and Religion Studies and retired Judge Thomas Griffith, United States Court of Appeals in the DC Circuit. Director Scharffs invited attendees to become “repairers of the breach” in our attempts to build bridges of understanding between diverse opinions in civil discourse. Judge Griffith followed Director Scharffs with an informative description of those elements that divide America which can be healed by improved understanding, through civil and complementary discourse.
The days events concluded with a benediction by Rabbi Tecktiel and a service event on behalf of Catholic Charities, led by Deacon Tom Roberts. Attendees of the conference teamed up to fill 500 “bags of hope” for marginalized community members, including the local homeless population.
The symposium and its final service event was a demonstration of how people of differing faiths, beliefs, and backgrounds can come together for the common good. It is the hope of the Alliance that this symposium encouraged the importance of building bridges of compassion and understanding, while instilling a greater conviction to advance and protect the blessings of religious freedom and human dignity for all people in all places at all times. The Alliance looks forward to future events where these truths can continue to be modeled and better understood.