c. 1996 Religion News Service

Reform rabbis seek to tighten patrilineal descent policy

(RNS)-Reform Judaism’s rabbinic body is undertaking a review of its controversial policy of patrilineal descent because of concerns it has been misunderstood by the laity.

Patrilineal descent is the acceptance of a Jewish father’s children as Jews, even if the mother is a non-Jew. Until the Reform movement adopted the policy in 1983 in response to the rise of interfaith marriages, only those born to Jewish women or someone who had undergone a formal conversion were considered Jewish.

The review is not expected to result in a reversal of the policy. Rather, its intent is to lead to a tightening of standards, said Rabbi Elliot Stevens, executive director of the North American Reform movement’s Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR).

Meeting in Philadelphia, the CCAR on Wednesday (March 27) passed a resolution establishing a task force that will review the policy’s impact on the Reform movement. The panel was asked to report back at the CCAR’s 1998 convention.

In an interview, Stevens noted that patrilineal descent was always meant to apply only if a child received a Jewish education and otherwise participated in Jewish religious life. However, he said, many Reform Jews have”misunderstood”patrilineal descent to mean that any child born to a Jewish father is Jewish, even if the child is not raised as a Jew.”The current standards are vague,”added Rabbi Elyse Goldstein of Toronto.”It lacks clear standards on what raising a child to be Jewish really means. Is it enough for a boy, for example, just to have a bar mitzvah, or is that just one step in the process?” Patrilineal descent was a radical break from centuries of accepted Jewish practice and precipitated a major rift between the liberal Reform movement and the more traditional Conservative and Orthodox branches of the faith. Liberal Judaism’s small Reconstructionist movement has also adopted patrilineal descent.

Tenn. Senate kills bill that would penalize pro-evolution teachers

(RNS)-The Tennessee Senate defeated a bill Thursday (March 28) that would have allowed school boards to fire teachers who told students that evolution is a fact.

The bill had sparked memories of the 1925 Scopes trial, in which high school biology teacher John Scopes was convicted for violating a Tennessee statute banning the teaching of evolution in public schools.

In the more recent case, the proposed bill would have allowed, but not required, school boards to fire teachers who were considered offenders. It was defeated 20-13, the Associated Press reported.

Sen. Tommy Burks, a Democrat, said his bill was a”simple, non-complex piece of legislation,”but it became the subject of lengthy debate.

Some politicians voiced concern about voters’ interpretation of their stance on the issue.”I can’t vote for this bill, but I don’t want anybody to think I don’t know God,”said Lt. Gov. John Wilder, who presided over the discussion.

Civil rights leaders call black church fires”domestic terrorism” (RNS)-Civil rights leaders have condemned a rash of fires and vandalism at predominantly black Southern churches as”domestic terrorism”and have urged a stronger response from the public and authorities.

The Center for Democratic Renewal, which monitors hate crimes, issued a preliminary report showing that 33 cases remain unsolved in a list of 45 Southern black churches heavily vandalized or set afire since 1990, the Associated Press reported.

Twenty-five people have been charged in a dozen cases, the report said. All of them were white males ages 15 to 45.”This is domestic terrorism,”said JoAnn Watson, president of the Atlanta-based center.”It is not an isolated phenomenon. It’s an epidemic. It’s a pattern that’s very clear.” The Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, agreed.”They are attacking the soul of the black community,”he said at a meeting Wednesday (March 27) in Atlanta.

Others at the meeting said the attacks on the churches would rouse action.”I remember when church bombings was a method used to terrorize us in the 1960s,”said the Rev. C.T. Vivian, board chairman of the Center for Democratic Renewal.”What we did was raise the consciousness and the concern to stop it.” Federal authorities have placed a high priority on investigating the fires but say they lack evidence to conclude that there is a regional or national racial conspiracy behind the attacks.

Saudi officials issue warning against propaganda during Hajj

(RNS)-Saudi Arabian officials have again warned that anyone carrying political or ideological materials during the upcoming annual Muslim pilgrimage will be punished.

An Interior Ministry statement forbids carrying”books, pictures, and publications with political, propaganda or ideological intent”during the pilgrimage known as the Hajj, the Reuter news agency reported.

Violators would be punished and sent home.

In the past, authorities have issued a similar ban, noting that Islam calls for the pilgrimage to be dedicated solely to God.

Iranian officials have vowed that pilgrims from their country would defy the Saudi ban and hold rallies to denounce Israel and the United States during the Hajj, which will begin in late April.

Sister Helen Prejean of”Dead Man Walking”fame wins Laetare Medal

(RNS)-Sister Helen Prejean, the death penalty opponent portrayed in the movie”Dead Man Walking,”will receive the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame, the Associated Press reported.

A book by the 56-year-old New Orleans nun, who serves as a spiritual counselor to prison inmates facing execution, was made into the movie.

The medal, established in 1883 by the university in South Bend, Ind., honors a Catholic who exemplifies the ideals of the church.

Previous winners of the medal include President John F. Kennedy and Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin of Chicago, who won last year.

Victor Brown, 10th Mormon presiding bishop, dead at 81

(RNS)-Victor L. Brown, a former presiding bishop and emeritus general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Tuesday (March 26).

Brown, 81, had cancer, The Washington Post reported.

A former United Airlines executive, Brown was the church’s 10th presiding bishop. He was active in church administration until 1989.

Quote of the Day: Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

(RNS)-In a letter issued March 22, the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America discussed how the denomination is dealing with the issue of homosexuality, calling on the church for more civil dialogue. They said, in part:”The debates and controversy surrounding homosexuality sometimes have turned bitter. We have not always followed our Lord’s instruction to avoid being angry or insulting to one another. … We ask all our members to join us in repentance for hurtful actions toward others and in forgiving when we have been the objects of anger or hate. … The way we face our differences on the issues surrounding homosexuality can be an important expression of grace for our particular church body and for the communities in which we live.”

MJP END RNS