the Glocal Trekker Blog

I fly early this morning to Manhattan for a workshop Richard Haas is leading with other speakers on religion and foreign policy. There is no such thing as a secular world. The old days of diplomats trying to develop foreign and public policy apart from faith is over. There was the idea that faith was a private matter. Does anyone believe that anymore? When you see our current world situation and the future prosepects only dialogue and new ways of thinking about faith in the public sector can save us from all out destruction. I still believe what Jefferson wrote is our best hope of learning to live together. In his "wall of separation" between the church and the government - it was never a denial of faith or a minimalization of it - only a way to allow people of different faiths to communicate without making it public policy. I'm excited about some of the people who will be there and the presenters. At a time globally when we need "religious" statesmen the most - who is there? Why are they not there?