Source: huffingtonpost.com

International Director of Interreligious Affairs at the American Jewish Committee Rabbi David Rosen

What is the biggest danger facing religion today? One could make an argument for declining numbers or morality debates, but Rabbi David Rosen says there’s something else that looms largest.

The International Director of Interreligious Affairs at the American Jewish Committee, Rosen spoke with HuffPost Live’s Alyona Minkovski during the World Economic Forum in Davos about the major challenges facing religion today.

“The most dangerous thing for religion is when it’s married to political power,” Rosen argued. “When it’s an instrument of political power then it betrays its own message.”

The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as well as the increasing presence of far-right parties in several European countries, have brought home the danger the world faces when religion becomes politically radicalized. One thing that can prevent religion from falling into this trap, the rabbi said, is a healthy pairing with secularism.

“Secular and religion shouldn’t be seen as antithetical,” Rosen said. “I think the secular society is critically important for religion, just as religion needs to give moral content and spiritual direction to secular society.”

Watch Rabbi Rosen’s talk about the dangers facing religion in the video above, and click here for his full HuffPost Live conversation.