Rod Ryon

Roderick Ryon

International League of Religious Socialists meeting

The fifty representatives from fourteen countries who met August 1-4 1997, in Espoo, Finland, at the International League of Religious Socialists Congress were keenly interested when Dr. Harry Heino, former Prime Minister of Finland, described the work of the Interaction Council of former state and government heads under the chairmanship of Helmut Schmidt.

Judith Deutsch (a DSA member from Sudbury, MA) was the official delegate from the United States, which Andrew Hammer, Rod Ryon and Joan Stanne also represented. All were Democratic Socialists of America.

For the first were Muslims included. They came from Algeria, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Sweden. Only Christians, and Judy Deutsch, a Jewish Unitarian Universalist, had attended previous ILRS conferences.

Paavo Lipponen, then Prime Minister of Finland, gave an informative address on the future of the Nordic state, and Ahmed Al-Rawl, President of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe disturbed some participants when it stressed the value of traditional families, in contrast to other life styles.

This point highlighted the work that must be done to develop solidarity among people with differing approaches.

Religion & Socialism Commission

In 2000, the Democratic Socialists of America Religion & Socialism Commission consisted of;

Co-Chairs: Rod Ryon, Juanita Webster

Secretary: Maxine Phillips

Treasurer: John Cort

Executive Committee: Judith Deutsch, John Endler, Norm Faramelli, Mark Finkel, Andrew Hammer, Tharen Robson.

Left Forum 2005

The Challenge of the Rightist Values Agenda to Secular and Religious Socialists: Sponsor: Religion and Socialism Commission, Democratic Socialists America

• Chair: Rod Ryon, Religion and Socialism Commission, DSA
• Esther Kaplan, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
• Stephen Hart, SUNY Buffalo
• Norm Faramelli, Boston University School of Theology