c. 2003 Religion News Service
With or Without Tradition, Canadians Still Believe, Polls Find
TORONTO (RNS) Despite declining attendance at houses of worship and other traditional trappings of religion, Canada remains a nation of spiritual seekers, according to the results of two surveys published this week in leading magazines.
A poll commissioned by multifaith broadcaster VisionTV and published in this week’s TIME (Canada) magazine as a cover story, shows that more than 80 percent of respondents believe in God, and more than 60 percent believe in heaven and hell.
In addition, more than three-fourths think at least sometimes about spiritual questions, and significant majorities say various aspects of spiritual life _ such as having a frame of reference for moral decisions _ are important to them.
The second poll, published in the November issue of Reader’s Digest in Canada, found a gender split, with 70 percent of women, compared to 57 percent of men, definitely believing in God. It also found education levels play a part in a person’s beliefs. Among Canadians with a university degree, 60 percent believe in God, a number that jumps to 74 percent among those without a high school diploma.
The poll in TIME, conducted by Environics Research Group Ltd. on behalf of VisionTV, surveyed 1,202 individuals aged 18 and over. The new research updates the results of a similar survey done for VisionTV in 1993.
The poll suggests a vast majority of Canadians place a high priority on spirituality, even as they express little commitment to organized religion.
“Faith is strong in Canada: 81 percent of Canadians strongly (66 percent) or somewhat (15 percent) agree that they believe in God, a figure that peaks at 92 percent in Saskatchewan but drops to 75 percent in British Columbia,” the magazine said.
Seven out of 10 consider prayer to be very important. Six in 10 believe in heaven and hell, and a similar number think that children in the public school system don’t get enough religious or spiritual teachings.
“It’s evidence, if evidence was needed, that Canadians are not a godless people. Yet when asked about the importance of belonging to a religious group, only 5 in 10 said it was very or somewhat important,” the magazine said.
_ Ron Csillag
Ohio Episcopalians Elect New Bishop, Robinson Supporter
CLEVELAND (RNS) A church administrator from Massachusetts who is a strong supporter of diversity and a leader in parish development, won election Nov. 15 as the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.
The Venerable Mark Hollingsworth Jr., archdeacon of the Diocese of Massachusetts since 1995, won election on the third ballot to replace retiring Bishop J. Clark Grew II as the spiritual leader of some 24,000 Episcopalians in northern Ohio.
Hollingsworth, who overcame struggles with alcoholism earlier in his life, won a majority of votes from the 269 lay delegates on the first ballot, but it took until the third ballot to win a majority of the 128 clergy delegates.
The clergy split their first two votes largely between Hollingsworth and the Very Rev. James B. Lemler, president of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. The Rev. Patricia L. Merchant, rector of Indian Hill Episcopal Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, finished third.
Hollingsworth was not there, but delegates rose and cheered when Grew announced his election.
In a statement read by Grew, Hollingsworth said he and his wife, Susan, were “delighted and humbled” by the election results. “We accept the invitation with gratitude and excitement,” he said.
All three candidates supported the election of Canon V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay cleric, as bishop in the Diocese of New Hampshire.
Hollingsworth, in his pre-election remarks, was a passionate advocate of embracing diversity in the church as a gift from God.
“The diversity of human sexuality is not going to split up the Episcopal Church,” he assured area Episcopalians in a recent meet-and-greet session at Trinity Cathedral.
_ David Briggs
Appeals Court: Federal Law About Religious Inmates Is Unconstitutional
(RNS) A federal appellate court has declared unconstitutional a 2000 federal law that permitted inmates to follow religious dietary practices and gather for worship.
The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act bars the government from limiting the religious freedom of people in federally funded institutions such as prisons unless there is a compelling reason.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Nov. 7 that the law violates the separation of church and state because it has “the primary effect of advancing religion,” the Associated Press reported.
It does not affect a part of the law that gives religious organizations some protection against zoning regulations.
The ruling by a three-judge panel in Cincinnati applies solely to Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. Several other federal courts across the nation have found that the law is constitutional.
Ohio prison officials said they were worried that inmates were using the law as a guise for gang gatherings and sought to have the law thrown out.
“What we need to be able to do is regulate group behavior, and this ruling certainly makes it a lot more feasible to do that,” said Greg Trout, a lawyer for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
David Goldberger, who represents 156 Ohio inmates in the case, said he is considering an appeal.
“We think that it’s a mistaken reading of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” he said.
Judges in five federal appellate courts and two U.S. District courts have said the law is constitutional, while the 6th Circuit and at least two federal district courts ruled otherwise, the judges noted in their ruling.
Anthony Picarello, vice president and general counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a group that has closely followed cases involving the federal law, called the Sixth Circuit’s ruling “an engraved invitation to reversal.”
Survey: U.S. Religious Investors Rank Sweatshops as Top Ethical Concern
(RNS) American religious investors cite the use of sweatshops as their top concern within the realm of business ethics, a new survey shows.
“The Ethical Issues Report: What Matters to Religious Investors,” was released Nov. 12 by Mennonite Mutual Aid.
After sweatshops the rest of the top five concerns are, in order: product safety record, high CEO pay, environmental record and adult entertainment.
“These data may serve to demolish the stereotype that religious investors are narrowly concerned with only traditional `sin’ issues, such as pornography and abortion products,” said John L. Liechty, senior vice president of financial services for MMA, in a statement.
“While those topics certainly are a factor in the thinking of many religious investors they do not preclude concerns about far-ranging ethical issues in the `secular’ business world.”
Opinion Research Corporation International conducted the survey on behalf of the Goshen, Ind.-based Mennonite organization. It polled 2,096 Americans including 1,199 investors.
Eighty percent of the investors surveyed said they considered themselves to be religious or spiritual.
MMA President Howard L. Brenneman said the findings on the religiosity of investors could have broad implications.
“… it is apparent these investors are paying attention to the ethical practices of the world around them, including the businesses in their mutual funds and stock portfolios,” he said in a statement.
The report found that 33 percent of religious investors would dump a mutual fund if it involved companies that they consider unethical. Another 33 percent of them said they would consider dumping such a fund.
MMA is an organization that helps Anabaptists and others include biblical perspectives in their decisions about insurance, finances and charitable giving.
The survey conducted Sept. 11-15 has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
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Following information suitable for a graphic:
Top Five Business Ethics Concerns of Religious Investors
1. Sweatshops
2. Product safety
3. High executive compensation
4. Environmental record
5. Adult entertainment
Source: Mennonite Mutual Aid
_ Adelle M. Banks
Steven Curtis Chapman Named Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist
(RNS) Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman was named the favorite contemporary inspirational artist at the American Music Awards.
Chapman won the honor Sunday (Nov. 16), marking the third time the inspirational category was included in the program, which aired live from Los Angeles on ABC.
“Thank you very, very much American Music Awards,” he said in his turn at the podium of the Shrine Auditorium. “Thank you all for acknowledging guys like Third Day, MercyMe. We represent a whole bunch of folks who make music inspired by the love and grace of God.”
Third Day and MercyMe were the other artists nominated in the category.
Chapman chose not to abide by host Jimmy Kimmel’s “rule” that winners not thank God during their award acceptance.
“God does not watch television and if he did he would not watch this show,” Kimmel, a late night talk-show host, said in opening remarks. “He would be watching `Tarzan’ on the WB.”
Two “American Idol” celebrities, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, also chose not to shy away from matters of faith. After singing individually, they sang “Jesus is Love” as a duet, backed by a robed choir.
Chapman appeared later in the show as a presenter with Sara Rue of ABC’s “Less Than Perfect.”
Past winners in the category are Yolanda Adams and Avalon.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Internet Web Site Opens Macabre Sweepstakes on Pope’s Death and Successor
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A new Internet Web site has started a macabre sweepstakes offering a free trip to Rome to whoever correctly guesses the date of Pope John Paul II’s death, the length of the conclave that will elect his successor and the successor’s name.
The site, http://www.PopeCountdown.com, opened earlier this month, registered in the Netherlands. It calls itself “the ultimate resource for information on the upcoming change of guard in the Vatican.”
Visitors are invited to register their guesses on when John Paul will die, how long the conclave will last and whom it will choose as the next pope. They can also read information about 15 possible new popes, catch up on news from the Vatican and send good wishes to John Paul.
As of late Tuesday (18 Nov.), 85,000 visitors had logged on from more than 100 countries and 5,053 people had submitted their bids for a free trip to Rome, a note said.
The note said that Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium had received the most votes as John Paul’s potential successor _ 1,680, followed by Dutch Cardinal Adrianus Johannes Simonis with 667, Italian Cardinals Pio Laghi with 301 and Carolo Maria Martini with 289 and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico with 253.
_ Peggy Polk
Quote of the Day: Auburn Theological Seminary President Barbara Wheeler
(RNS) “The most critical reason for us Presbyterian `strangers’ to struggle through our disagreements is to show the world that there are alternatives to killing each other over differences. As long as we continue to club the other Presbyterians into submission, with constitutional amendments, judicial cases and economic boycotts, we have no word for a world full of murderous divisions _ most of them cloaked in divisions.”
_ Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Theological Seminary, on the need for the Presbyterian Church (USA) to stay united. She was quoted by Presbyterian News Service.
DEA END RNS
