Presented by
Rachel Laser, President & CEO, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Katherine Stewart, Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy
In this discussion, Katherine Stewart and Rachel Laser offer a rare look inside the machinery of the movement that brought the current administration to power. They will explore its successes -- but also highlight its weaknesses. Along the way, they will reveal a disturbing truth: religious nationalism is a deeply anti-democratic movement that rejects the ideals of religious pluralism, equality, and the rule of law.
Join us in pulling back the curtain on the inner workings and leading personalities of the movement that has turned religion into a tool for domination. Over the last decades, it has evolved into an interconnected set of think tanks, legal advocacy groups, and policy organizations that seek control of the judiciary, elected legislators, and the political agenda. Bankrolled by a subset of America's super-wealthy conservatives, it is far more organized and better funded than most people realize.
This talk will also explore, as an example, and top of mind for our community, the movement’s complicated and often contradictory stance towards American Jews.
While the movement’s successes to date have been stunning, a determined pro-democracy movement has many advantages that can be used to meet the challenge.
Register to receive the Zoom link for this webinar. Barring technical issues, the recording will be posted on our Program Archive.
Thank you to our generous program sponsors for helping bring this talk to the Haberman Institute community.
Rhoda Ritzenberg and Ken Heitner
Irene and Dick Spero
Rachel Laser is the President and CEO at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. As a lawyer, advocate, and strategist, she has dedicated her career to making our country more inclusive. As a thought leader and freedom fighter, Rachel has written op-eds for major publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, and appeared on high-profile media outlets, including MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, PBS News Hour, CNBC, and ABC News.
Before joining AU, Rachel built bridges between disparate groups on a host of issues that connect to church-state separation. As the deputy director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC), Rachel ran interfaith campaigns on LGBTQ+ equality, immigration reform, gun violence prevention, and paid sick, family, and medical leave.
A graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago Law School, she is also a former national board member of Reproductive Freedom for All (previously NARAL Pro-Choice America). Rachel lives in Washington, D.C. She and her husband have three children and a dog, Teddy.
Katherine Stewart has covered the intersection of faith and politics for over 15 years. Her most recent book, Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (February 2025) has been praised by Congressman Jamie Raskin as “An indispensable citizen's guide to the anti-democratic MAGA Right in America.”
Her last book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, was voted first place for Excellence in Nonfiction Books by the Religion News Association, among other awards, and forms the basis of the documentary feature film God and Country, produced by Rob Reiner.
Stewart’s work appears in The New York Times, New Republic, Religion News Service, and many others.
The Haberman Institute extends a special thank you to Andrew R. Ammerman for sponsoring our Spring 2025 program lineup and for being the lead sponsor of this Day of Learning. He dedicates the semester’s learning in loving memory of Josephine and H. Max Ammerman and Stephen C. Ammerman.