c. 1997 Religion News Service

Disney’s Eisner calls notion of anti-Christian bent `ridiculous’

(RNS) Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner called charges that his company promotes an anti-Christian agenda”ridiculous”and said a Southern Baptist-led boycott has not affected the entertainment conglomerate financially.

When delegates to the June meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention voted to boycott Disney, they voiced concern about what they believed was the corporation’s anti-Christian direction.”That’s ridiculous,”Eisner said during a”60 Minutes”interview scheduled to air on Sunday (Nov. 23).”We’re not pushing any agenda.” Eisner also said of the boycott:”It hasn’t had a financial effect.” Portions of the interview were made available Wednesday (Nov. 19), the Associated Press reported.

Baptists have been upset about Disney’s offering of health benefits to same-sex partners of employees, permitting”Gay Days”at Disney theme parks and having a prominent lesbian character on”Ellen,”which airs on Disney-owned ABC. Some also have objected to the Disney production of”Pocahontas”because it did not address the historical character’s Christian conversion.”When somebody says Pocahontas is anti-Christian or anti-Jewish or anti-black or anti-Native American, I say inside deep down, `They’re nuts.’ They really are,”Eisner said.”She didn’t become a Christian in the legend until after our story ended.” Eisner said he thinks the homosexual story line on”Ellen”has been handled well. He said an advisory placed before a recent episode in which the star, Ellen DeGeneres, kisses another woman, was not a response to the boycott. Rather, it was intended to warn viewers who might be uncomfortable and parents who don’t wish their children to watch something they don’t support.

Addressing the”gay days”at Disney theme parks, Eisner said it is arranged by the homosexual community and he added,”I think it would be a tragedy for us to exclude anybody.” Dwayne Hastings, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said he wasn’t surprised by Eisner’s remarks, but wondered if the boycott might be more evident during the holiday shopping season.

Meanwhile, another Disney critic, William Donohue, announced Thursday (Nov. 20) his Catholic League for Religious Rights has garnered 1 million signatures on a petition requesting that Eisner remove”Nothing Sacred”_ ABC’s hourlong drama depicting a Catholic priest’s struggles with contemporary times _ from the air.

Cardinal: Energize parish life to compete with Protestants

(RNS) Dancing in the aisles is not likely to become routine in Roman Catholic parishes anytime soon, but Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles thinks a strong dose of energy could give the church a needed lift.

With the clear aim of competing against the growing appeal of spirited Protestant evangelicals and Pentecostals in North and South America, Mahony told bishops from the two continents Thursday (Nov. 20) to get with it.”Our church’s spiritual riches will be missed by many if we do not become more intentional, innovative and expansive in our evangelizing efforts,”he said at the monthlong Vatican consultative assembly, or synod, of 242 bishops from North and South America.

Sprinkling his speech with words like”marketing”and the”Internet,”Mahony, president of the U.S. delegation, said,”We must embrace the reality that we are in the information age.” That means giving priests better training in how to communicate with the laity to energize their parishes, the Los Angeles archbishop said.

Mahony called for”parish revitalization seminars”throughout the hemisphere next year”to learn what pastoral methods are proving to be the most effective in creating dynamic, active and vital parish communities.” Certainly church services should be a”grand spiritual and religious experience for parishioners,”he said, but”preaching must be emphasized for those who have the charisma for it.” It was unclear whether these suggestions would be met with skepticism or open arms. Many bishops, particularly in poor regions, do not have the resources or the know-how to introduce such innovations. What’s more, many clergy are skeptical of introducing”modern methods”of worship that go beyond the progressive reforms set by the Second Vatican Council 32 years ago.

Nonetheless, Mahony pointed out that the Catholic Church faces some powerful competition.”A challenge that we must keep in mind is that throughout the Americas high-powered, well-trained evangelizing groups are quite intentionally evangelizing Catholics of all ages and backgrounds in ways that result in their abandoning the Catholic Church for other churches,”he said.”Often these churches are high in spirit and energy, but lacking in the rich tradition, our Sacramental life, and the scriptural scholarship of the Catholic Church.”

Czech schools to get new guidelines on teaching religion

(RNS) Czech state schools will be given new guidelines on teaching religion in the wake of alleged anti-Semitic remarks by a teacher.

Czech Chief Rabbi Karol Sidon received a letter earlier this month (November) from 25 seniors at a high school in Prague, charging that their teacher, Vera Vesecka, said the Holocaust and other cases of Jewish suffering were a”just result of the role Jews played in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.” The students also asserted that the 70-year-old teacher said the only way Jews can have a”fully meaningful existence”is to become Christians, reported the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, an independent Jewish news agency.

Tomas Kraus, executive director of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, said he is aware of similar statements made in churches outside Prague but was”surprised a person with these views was permitted to teach. It is not the fault of the teacher, but of the (education) system.” Vesecka, a Seventh-day Adventist who has lectured on religion in Prague schools since 1990, called the students’ letter”a lie.””I love Jews,”she said.”I do not want to harm anyone.” She was quoted in a Czech newspaper as saying,”If Jews want to be saved, they must accept that (Jesus) is the Messiah.” Sidon met with Education Minister Jiri Grusa Nov. 13. After the meeting, the ministry announced plans to develop a”decree redefining conditions of religious lessons at state schools.”

CRC may be suspended from conservative group over women’s ordination

(RNS) The North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) voted Wednesday (Nov. 19) to begin suspension proceedings against the Christian Reformed Church because the church ordains women.

The motion, which passed in a 6-1 vote during NAPARC’s annual meeting in Atlanta, will now go before the governing bodies of the organization’s seven member-denominations for a vote. If two-thirds of the denominations ratify the measure, the CRC will be booted from the fellowship of conservative denominations it helped start 23 years ago.”In our opinion, they are saying that Scripture no longer governs the CRC on that issue,”the Rev. Ric Perrin, chairman of interchurch relations for the Presbyterian Church in America, told United Reformed News Service, an independent news agency covering Reformed and Presbyterian denominations.”We are not suggesting that the Christian Reformed Church has suddenly ceased to be an evangelical body,”said Perrin, who referred to dramatic shifts in church practices as”a creeping away from the Reformed faith.” The CRC was the only church to vote against the suspension proceedings.”We do not want to be accused or even described as giving in to a subtle cancer of an insidious nature that is pulling us away from the word of God,”said the Rev. Leonard Hofman, interchurch relations administrative secretary for the CRC.

The NAPARC is limited in membership to denominations that affirm the Westminster Standards of Presbyterianism or the Three Forms of Unity of the Dutch Reformed tradition. The Christian Reformed Church has about 300,000 members.

Chavis Muhammad gets new post in Nation of Islam

(RNS) Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has named Benjamin Chavis Muhammad, former NAACP executive director, to a top position in his organization and plans a 50-nation”friendship tour”that will include Cuba and Iraq.

Farrakhan said he will leave Dec. 1 on his tour that includes visits to Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Egypt and Cuba, the Associated Press reported Thursday (Nov. 20). The controversial Farrakhan has been criticized in the past for visiting nations the United States considers sponsors of state terrorism, including Iran and Iraq.

Chavis Muhammad, 49, a former United Church of Christ minister who was fired by the NAACP for financial improprieties, will become the Nation of Islam’s eastern regional minister. He also will lead the Harlem Nation of Islam mosque once headed by Malcolm X.

Chavis Muhammad has become a close ally of Farrakhan and in February joined the Nation of Islam.

Quote of the Day: Sociologist Wade Clark Roof

(RNS)”My own experience interviewing hundreds of baby boomers over the past decade is that the people most excited about telling you about … their spiritual lives _ and often the most articulate _ are those with hyphenated labels: charismatic Catholics, nondenominational Christians, vegetarian Unitarians, recovering Presbyterians, eco-spiritualists, and yes, one or two Lake Wobegon Lutherans.” _ Wade Clark Roof, outgoing president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, giving his presidential address Nov. 8 in San Diego at his organization’s annual meeting.

MJP END RNS