c. 1998 Religion News Service
Report: Mormons studying repudiation of past teachings about blacks
(RNS) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is reportedly studying a secret plan to repudiate historical church doctrines once used to justify white superiority and keep blacks out of the Mormon priesthood.
The Los Angeles Times reported Monday (May 18) that the proposal is under review by the church’s Committee on Public Affairs, which is composed of high-ranking Mormon officials. The newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying they hoped the proposal could be”issued as early as next month,”the 20th anniversary of the landmark church”revelation,”or announcement, that blacks could now become Mormon priests.
The newspaper said the proposal to repudiate the racial doctrines stemmed from a concern on the part of”black members of the church in the United States as well as some Mormon scholars”that the”racist legacy”was hampering efforts to attract blacks into the church in Africa and elsewhere.
The newspaper also said church leaders were searching for a way to repudiate the doctrines without undercutting church credibility.
In response to the story, the church’s First Presidency, composed of Mormon President Gordon B. Hinckley and his two counselors, issued a brief statement expressing”surprise.””We have read the story which appeared in the May 18, 1998, Los Angeles Times, and we are surprised at its contents,”said the statement.”The matter it speaks of has not been discussed by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the church’s second highest administrative body).”Since the 1978 revelation granting the priesthood to all worthy males, millions of people of all races have embraced the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and are enjoying full blessings of membership in the church. The 1978 official declaration continues to speak for itself.” The statement did not address whether the Committee on Public Affairs has discussed the matter, although church spokesman Don LeFevre noted in an interview with RNS that”only the First Presidency has the authority to issue official church decisions.” The Times article also said William S. Evans, a public affairs committee staff member, had confirmed the group had discussed the proposal. LeFevre said Evans has denied doing so.
Until 1978, the church taught that Africans were descendants of the biblical figures Cain and Ham, both of whom are said in the Bible to have displeased God and are cursed because of it. The church also taught that blacks did not fight valiantly enough on God’s behalf in a”pre-existence”heavenly war between God and the devil.
Those teachings were generally used to keep blacks out of the all-male Mormon priesthood until 1978. Despite the current teaching on racial equality, the church has never directly addressed the earlier doctrine.
World Council urges Indonesian restraint against protests
(RNS) The World Council of Churches on Monday (May 18) called on the Indonesian government to exercise restraint and”make every effort to prevent any further escalation of violence”in dealing with political demonstrators.
The statement, issued by the Rev. Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the the Geneva-based ecumenical agency with more than 300 member churches, came as the turmoil in Indonesia escalated and news reports from Jakarta suggested the possibility of a confrontation between the military and the parliament.
Demonstrations have rocked Indonesia since late winter when the impact of the Asian financial crisis were first felt in the country, fueling demands for social and political reforms.
On Monday Parliamentary Speaker Harmoko issued a statement at the House of Representatives calling on President Suharto, 76, to step down from power. But the army has rallied around Suharto, Reuters reported.
On May 12, six student demonstrators were shot _ apparently by military snipers _ sparking three days of riots that left some 500 dead. The casualties were mostly civilians and, according to reports, many were looters who were burned to death. Student leaders are calling for a new round of demonstrations Wednesday.”The root cause of the present socio-economic and political crisis in Indonesia lies in years of misrule, corruption and human rights violations, which over the years have come to symbolize the military and the ruling elites,”Raiser said.
Raiser said the Indonesian government should take”immediate steps”to introduce political reforms and”to stop kidnappings, the forced disappearances of citizens and violations of human rights.”
Nigerian Christian groups unified against military regime
(RNS) Christian denominations in Nigeria spoke with a nearly unified voice over the weekend (May 16-17) by calling for democracy in the African nation that is currently under military rule.
Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians and Pentecostals each produced statements criticizing military ruler General Sani Abacha, Reuters reported.
Some also encouraged their congregations not to participate in a national multireligious prayer session for the military’s plan to restore civilian rule. Abacha’s supporters arranged the prayer session, scheduled for May 20 to 24.
Abacha took power in 1993 during political unrest. Elections are scheduled for August 1, but all five registered parties adopted Abacha as their candidate in April. Abacha, a Muslim, has not yet said whether he will stand for election as a civilian president and has asked Nigerians to pray he makes the right decision.
Christian groups see the prayer session as a ploy.”The church notes that the arrangement has not come through the Christian Association of Nigeria or any of the major Christian denominational heads and therefore views it as a ploy to manipulate the church of God,”a statement from Nigeria’s Anglican communion said. The Roman Catholic bishops and the Pentecostal Fellowship also issued similar statements.
Nigeria, a major producer of oil, is viewed as a pariah state by many Western nations because of the large number of political prisoners held there.
But Abacha’s supporters claim only the Abacha brand of democracy can keep the ethnically divided country together. Some 1 million Nigerians died in the 1960s during a civil war when the southeast attempted to secede.”What we have is not even a `desert grown’ democracy but a woeful farce neatly packaged to keep Nigeria in perpetual political slavery,”said Anglican Archbishop of Abuja Peter Akinola.
Pope celebrates 78th birthday
(RNS) Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, celebrated his 78th birthday Monday (May 18) but for the aging pontiff it was just another work day.”I am an … old priest,”he told well-wishers during a parish visit on Sunday.
Despite failing health, the pontiff shows no signs of slowing down and clearly wants to lead the Catholic Church into the next millennium, Reuters reported. John Paul plans to visit Austria in June, Croatia in October and Mexico next January with a scheduled stop in St. Louis.
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus stopped by the Vatican Monday for talks on church-state relations and offered the pope birthday wishes. Besides a dinner with close friends and aides, the Vatican did not have big plans.
Methodist leader urges international nuclear test ban
(RNS) The Rev. Thom White Wolf Fassett, general secretary of the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society, Monday (May 18) called on all nations _ including the United States _ to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.”All nations must also continue to work toward implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which would move the world toward the goal of nuclear disarmament,”Fassett said.
Fassett issued his statement in the wake of India’s setting off five nuclear weapons tests last week and amid reports that Pakistan is close to responding to the Indian tests.
In his statement, the Methodist leader took note of India’s argument that the tests would provide”reassurance”to the Indian people that their national security interests will be promoted and protected.”However, the development of more nuclear weapons actually contributes to further destabilization of the region and the world,”Fassett said.”Therefore, the current declared nuclear weapons nations must continue vigorously in good-faith toward total nuclear disarmament,”he said.
Fassett said that”as United Methodists, we confess the sin”of allowing the development and testing of nuclear weapons in the past, adding:”It is immoral to use God-given resources for human activities that are murderous and destructive and have caused the poverty and deaths of millions of people.”
Knights of Columbus gives $750,000 to bishops anti-abortion effort
(RNS) The Knights of Columbus has given a grant of $750,000 to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops to help fund the bishops’ Pro-Life Activities Committee.
The new grant by the Roman Catholic fraternal organization brings to more than $8 million the Knights have contributed to the committee’s work since 1990.
The grant covers the expenses of the office of the bishops’ top officials in their fight against legal abortion, including that of spokeswoman Helen Alvare and the Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family Planning.”The Knights of Columbus has been a proud leader in the pro-life movement for more than a quarter century,”said Virgil C. Dechant, head of the organization.”Our latest contribution is just one way, among our many substantial grassroots programs of showing where our 1.6 million members and their families stand on the sanctity of life from conception to natural death.”
Quote of the day: Single parent Holly Haff
(RNS)”It’s a conflict. I love what the church offers my son, but I’m a single mom and there is so little time and space around the city to fit games in that parents have to abide by the schedules. It’s not like we have anything against taking our kids to church.” _ Holly Haff, commenting on New York Roman Catholic Cardinal John O’Connor’s recent complaint that Sunday Little League games interfered with church, while watching her son, Henry, play in a Sunday Little League game in Manhattan. She was quoted in The New York Times on Monday (May 18).
DEA END RNS