c. 1996 Religion News Service
Spain ranked `most sinful’ nation in industrialized world
(RNS) Spain is the most sinful nation in the industrialized world, according to a new survey by a Swedish business journal.
The journal, Svensk Export Strategi, ranked 19 leading industrialized countries according to the seven”modern deadly sins”of smoking, drinking, drugs, gambling, over-eating, night life and prostitution.
Spain topped the list particularly because of its night life and gambling, the Reuter news agency reported.”Previously, Spaniards had a siesta to avoid the midday heat. These days they sleep late into the morning in order to recover from their nocturnal exploits,”Svensk Export Strategi said.
France was ranked the second most sinful nation because of its high consumption of alcohol. The United States was third because of the rate of drug abuse. Rounding out the top five were Great Britain and the Netherlands. The Nordic countries of Sweden, Finland and Norway were at the bottom of the list, as were Portugal and Japan.
The journal compiled the list as a guide for business travelers.
Religious leaders condemn hard liquor advertising
(RNS) Religious leaders are among those speaking out against the United States liquor industry’s decision to lift its six-decades-old voluntary ban against television and radio advertising.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States announced Thursday (Nov. 7) that the industry would seek the same broadcast access for advertising that beer and wine makers currently have. Council president Fred Meister said the hard liquor industry would advertise”responsibly”on local stations, as well as cable and computer outlets.
The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from many quarters, including government officials, civic groups and religious leaders.”Given the social problems that alcoholism creates, I’m extremely disappointed,”said Robert Dugan, vice president for governmental affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Reed Hundt called the decision”disappointing for parents and dangerous for our kids.” The Center on Alcohol Advertising expressed similar concerns, noting that”the fastest way for a product to take hold with the youth culture is to air ads on the broadcast media.” Mothers Against Drunk Driving warned that the move will open a”floodgate to alcohol ads on TV.” Many religious leaders agreed. “Instead of providing more inducements for young people to drink, we should work to reduce alcohol use and problems among teens,”said Dr. Thom White Wolf Fassett, general secretary of the Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church.
In a statement, Fassett noted that alcohol is the leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds in the U.S.
The Manassas, Va-based National Religious Broadcasters also came out against the liquor industry’s decision. The organization is writing to the FCC, urging the commission to encourage continuation of the voluntary policy. In addition, spokesman Ron Kopczick said the religious broadcasters”would support any actions the FCC might take to make a formal ruling against the advertising of hard liquor.” Dugan suggested that Congress consider stepping in.”I don’t look for a congressional cure for everything, but perhaps it would be a good idea in this case because the costs of alcoholism in our society are so horrendous,”he said in an interview Friday (Nov. 8).”If (the liquor industry) is going to persist in this, maybe Congress ought to take it up immediately when they come together in January,”Dugan said.
The voluntary ban on liquor ads has been in place since 1936 for radio and since 1948 for television. ABC, CBS and NBC said they are not planning to abandon their own policies against running liquor ads.
Italian judge rules blasphemy against Virgin Mary not a crime
(RNS) An Italian judge has ruled that blasphemy against the Virgin Mary is no longer a crime in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation _ although it is still illegal to curse God.
Judge Francesco Centofanti made his ruling Thursday (Nov. 7) in a case against a young motorist who uttered curses against Mary and several saints when he was stopped by police during a traffic check.
Centofanti acquitted the motorist, saying that cursing Mary and the saints”is no longer seen as a crime”in Italy, Reuter news agency reported.
However, the judge emphasized that cursing God was still considered a crime.
In Italy, blasphemy has long been a crime in the penal code. However, two months ago, the Constitutional Court issued a judgment saying that the provision only applies to God. Centofanti is apparently the first judge to apply the new ruling.
In an article Friday (Nov. 8), the semi-official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano acknowledged that blasphemy against the Madonna or the saints is not the same as blasphemy against God. However, the paper said that”freedom of religion demandsâÂ?¦protection for the whole `body’ of the religion professed by the people.”
Update: gospel singer listed in stable condition one week after fall
(RNS) Popular gospel singer Kirk Franklin was listed in stable condition in a Memphis hospital Thursday (Nov. 7), one week after he fell 10 feet into an orchestra pit during a concert.
Franklin, 26, has been at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis since his accidental fall on Nov. 1 after he introduced the opening act for his”Tour of Life”concert tour. The singer, also an ordained minister, remains hospitalized because of head injuries, but he has been conscious and alert since the fall, according to a statement from his promoters. Doctors said Franklin did not break any bones.
Franklin’s first album,”Kirk Franklin and The Family,”was certified platinum, the first debut Gospel music album by a gospel artist to sell over a million copies. His current release,”Whatcha Lookin 4,”has been certified gold, selling more than 500,000 copies in 14 weeks.
The”Tour of Life”concert tour has been postponed following the accident and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Quote of the day: Pope John Paul II
(RNS) Pope John Paul II, spoke about the danger of Third World debt Friday (Nov. 8) during a conference on democracy and values, sponsored by the Vatican’s Justice and Peace Council. The pope said it is the Christian duty of the international community to help address the problem:”The debt burden is inflaming social tensions in a number of countries, constituting a dramatic arrest of the democratic development of their political and economic systemsâÂ?¦Whether old or new democracies, they are in danger from viewpoints or forms of behavior inspired by indifference or moral relativism, which disregards the authentic value of the human person.” JC END RNS
