c. 1998 Religion News Service
Clinton, pope top lists of makers of 1998 religion news
(RNS) President Clinton and Pope John Paul II tied for the designation of Religion Newsmaker of 1998 in a survey by the Religion Newswriters Association.
The two newsworthy men also ranked at the top of a list of news events by”Religion & Ethics Newsweekly,”the religion news program that airs on PBS stations nationwide.
In the RNA poll, reporters who cover religion for secular media chose Clinton because he”forced us to reflect on sin, broken promises and forgiveness”and because he contributed to an exposure of national fault lines on questions of repentance and morality.
An equal number of reporters chose the pope, citing his Cuban trip in January, the 20th anniversary of his pontificate, the Vatican’s statement on the Holocaust, his encyclical on”Faith and Reason”and the canonization of Edith Stein, a Jewish convert to Catholicism who was killed by the Nazis.
The RNA’s top 10 list of 1998 religion stories, based on 50 ballots cast, is as follows:
1. The Clinton-Lewinsky affair promoting a national conversation on sin and forgiveness; 2. As many as 1 million Cubans cheering the pope in Havana; 3. the United Methodist Church’s grappling with homosexuality _ with a church court falling a vote short of convicting the Rev. Jimmy Creech of violating church doctrine by performing a same-sex union ceremony and the church’s high court strengthening a rule against such ceremonies; 4. the Southern Baptist Convention declaring at its Salt Lake City meeting that wives should”submit … graciously”to their husbands'”servant leadership”; 5. The murder of gay student Matthew Shepard and the debate over ads suggesting that homosexuals can chance their orientation.
6. Vatican statements on the Holocaust and the pope’s canonization of Stein; 7. Anglican bishops, led by Third World bishops at their Lambeth Conference, declare homosexual practice to be incompatible with Scripture; 8. the continuing debate over assisted suicide, with Michigan seeking to prosecute Dr. Jack Kevorkian on charges of murder after airing of a tape on”60 Minutes”; 9. the Rev. Henry Lyons, president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, admits to an”improper relationship”with an employee and is indicted on 56 federal charges; 10. the execution of Karla Faye Tucker, pick-ax killer turned born-again Christian, despite appeals from such figures as religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and the pope.
Other than the two most significant events, the Religion & Ethics Newsweekly list of top 10 news events differed from the RNA poll in order and content.
That list, selected by the production staff of that program, is as follows:
1. The impact of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal on debates about moral consequences of public and private behavior; 2. the 20th anniversary of the papacy, highlighted by the pope’s visit to Cuba, the release of documents emphasizing his conservative interpretation of Catholic doctrine, and the controversial canonization of Stein; 3. the debate over assisted suicide, intensified by the implementation of Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide law and the murder charges leveled against Kevorkian; 4. biotechnological advances in cloning prompting questions about what it means to be human and potential ethical limits to research; 5. the grass-roots movement against the persecution of Christians worldwide.
6. The”Who is a Jew?”debate over Jewish identity; 7. the Southern Baptist Convention’s controversial declaration that wives should”submit … graciously”to their husbands, and the challenge to the Mormons through a door-to-door SBC evangelism campaign; 8. the release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa; 9. the struggle by mainline churches over the issue of homosexuality; 10. new pressures on denominational leaders, such as the Rev. Henry Lyons, who, though indicted, retains his presidency of the National Baptist Convention, USA, and Archbishop Spyridon, whose leadership style has led to calls for his resignation from many members of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Update: Octuplets’ names tell of God’s attributes
(RNS) The parents of the set of octuplets born recently in Houston have given their children names that translate to an attribute or act of God, following a tradition of their native Nigeria.
The first child was born on Dec. 8 to Iyke Louis Udobi (ee-KAY u-DOE-bee) and his wife, Nkem Chukwu (nih-KEHM chuhk-WOO) and the remaining seven were born Sunday (Dec. 20).
The couple, who have been described as deeply religious by their doctor, said they named the children in the tradition of the Igbo (EE-boh) tribe, a major Nigerian ethnic group.”We want to honor God and celebrate his gifts to us in the names we give our eight children,”the couple said in a statement, the Associated Press reported.
In his first public comments since the babies’ birth, the”stunned”father said he was still grasping the idea of his new, large family.”I’m OK, I’m OK. I’m blessed,”Udobi told reporters. “I’m excited and grateful to God for giving us these blessings. Me and my wife are elated. We thank God, the doctors, the therapists and the nurses who made this possible. “We thank the world who has been praying for us … (and) making donations to make sure these babies are taken care of.” The eight children, who previously were identified by letters of the alphabet, have the following names:
_ Baby A, the first to be born, is Chukwuebuka Nkemjika, which means”God is great.”Her nickname is Ebuka (pronounced uh-BOO-kuh).
_ Baby B, the first of the seven deliveries on Sunday, is Chidinma Anulika, which means”God is beautiful.”Her nickname is Chidi (CHEE-dee).
_ Baby C is Chinecherem Nwabugwu, which means”God thinks of me.”Her nickname will be Echerem (CHER-um).
_ Baby D is called Chimaijem Otito, or”God knows my way.”She will be known as Chima (CHEE-muh).
_ Baby E, whose birth weight was just 10.3 ounces and who is in the most delicate condition, is Chijindu Chidera, or”God has my life.”Her nickname is Odera (oh-DARE-uh).
_ Baby F is Chukwubuikem Maduabuchi, which means”God is my strength.”His nickname is Ikem (EE-kem).
_ Baby G, the largest one at 1 pound, 10 ounces, is Chijioke Chinedum, which means”God is my leader.”His nickname is Jioke (YOH-kee).
_ Baby H, the last one born and the sixth girl, is Chinagorom Chidiebere, which means”God is merciful.”Her nickname is Gorom (GORM).
Meanwhile, AP also is reporting that the 41-year-old father was charged Sept. 21 with misdemeanor assault after a scuffle with his 63-year-old mother-in-law during a domestic dispute with his wife. Chukwu, 27, who was admitted to Texas Children’s Hospital Oct. 1, was not injured, police said.”These charges are bogus,”said Rick Castleberry, Udobi’s lawyer. A trial for Udobi, who was jailed and released, is scheduled for February.
Indonesian president seeks meeting with East Timor Catholic bishops
(RNS) Indonesian President B.J. Habibie is reportedly seeking to meet with the Roman Catholic bishops of East Timor in an effort to end strife in the territory.
Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony of East Timor in 1975, triggering a separatist guerrilla war that has persisted ever since amid charges of widespread human rights abuses by the Jakarta government. Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, while East Timor is a Catholic enclave.
The invasion was ordered by former President Suharto, who fell from power after 32 years of authoritarian power and was replaced by Habibie in May. Since then, Habibie has taken a more conciliatory approach to East Timor.
Lopes Da Cruz, Indonesia’s ambassador to East Timor, said after a meeting with Habibie Thursday (Dec. 24) that the president is seeking a meeting with the territory’s two bishops, Carlos Belo and Basilio Do Nascimento.
Da Cruz said he hoped such a meeting might take place soon after the start of the new year. There was no immediate response from the bishops.
East Timor Gov. Abilio Osorio Soares said Habibie wants the bishops to promote the idea of greater autonomy for East Timor under continued Indonesian sovereignty, the Associated Press reported.
East Timor separatists want a vote on self-determination. The United Nations has never recognized Indonesian rule over East Timor.
Iranian hard-liners issue warning after airline ends ban on Rushdie
(RNS) British Airways says it will again allow author Salman Rushdie to fly on its airplanes after a nine-year ban, prompting a hard-line Iranian newspaper to say the airline was doing so at”a great risk.” Rushdie, who was born in India but lives in Great Britain, had been kept off British Airways because of security concerns after the late Iranian ruler, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, condemned the writer to death for allegedly insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad in his novel,”The Satanic Verses.” In September, the Iranian government, led by moderate President Mohammad Khatami, said it would no longer seek Rushdie’s death. That prompted Britain to restore diplomatic relations with Iran and the author to come out of hiding and proclaim his ordeal over.
However, Iranian hard-liners quickly contradicted the government and raised the reward for killing Rushdie by $300,000 to $2.8 million.
Thursday (Dec. 24), the English-language Tehran Times, which has ties to the hard-liners, quoted unnamed Islamic sources as saying:”British Airways has taken a great risk. Such an announcement confirms that BA has no respect for the feelings of 1 billion Muslims.”
Update: Police evict monks from Korean Buddhist temple
(RNS) South Korean police clashed with monks during a raid on a Buddhist temple that had been the focus of a 40-day standoff over control of the nation’s largest Buddhist order.
About 20 police and monks were injured in the Wednesday (Dec. 23) melee, that lasted about 30 minutes and ended with the monks’ removal.
The Chogye temple in Seoul has been the scene of frequent clashes since November, when a leadership dispute erupted within the 1,600-year-old Chogye Order. Some 100 dissident monks had controlled the temple since early November, and had refused police requests to vacate the structure despite court orders mandating their exit.
The dispute involves the order’s head, who is seeking a third four-year term despite the order’s rule that chief monks can only serve two terms. His opponents took over the temple, which serves as head monk Song Wol-ju’s headquarters, in an effort to prevent his continuing in office.
A court will now decide the outcome of the dispute, which involves control of the order’s temples and income, the Associated Press reported. The Chogye Order has an estimated 8 million followers.
Quote of the day: Emory University professor Jon P. Gunnemann
(RNS)”It can be argued that much of the modern economy depends on religious capital in more than one form. It depends, for example, on individuals being renewed in their worship and community life in order to face yet another week of work. Singing a hymn builds capital by virtue of its potential for replenishing exhausted individuals. So does prayer and meditation.” _ Jon P. Gunnemann, professor of social ethics at Emory University, writing in the fall issue of”Religion and Values in Public Life,”a publication of the Harvard Divinity School.
DEA END RNS
