c. 2005 Religion News Service

Politicians, Pastors, Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Civil Rights March

SELMA, Ala. (RNS) Forty years after their historic voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, foot soldiers from that pivotal civil rights event returned to celebrate the anniversary and speak out on today’s voting issues for blacks.

On the steps of Brown Chapel AME Church on Sunday (March 6), nationally known politicians and civil rights leaders spoke to marchers before the re-enactment, as other leaders had done in 1965.

This time, they spoke of restoring voting rights for people convicted of felonies, voting problems blacks and others faced at the polls in recent presidential elections and renewal of the Voting Rights Act, which is not permanent and is up for renewal in 2007.

“All forms of devious tricks are being used to prevent us from voting,” said Coretta Scott King, wife of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Today blacks face long voting lines, misinformation over voters’ correct polling places, and inaccurate publicity of voting times, she said.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who marched on Bloody Sunday, blasted President Bush for proposing to cut money for federal programs that benefit many blacks, such as college Pell Grants, community project grants and low-income housing.

On Sunday, several thousand bystanders lined the streets and the bridge to welcome the re-enactors.

The commemoration was a far cry from the Bloody Sunday march. On March 7, 1965, about 600 peaceful protesters were met by state troopers and Dallas County deputies who used clubs and tear gas to drive them back from the Edmund Pettus Bridge. News footage shocked the nation and the world.

The march was successful two weeks later, when some 4,000 people crossed under the protection of the National Guard and made the 54-mile trek to Montgomery, spurring the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Shirley Floyd of Smithville, 52, helped carry the rope that stretched across the front line of the marchers. Having missed the chance to march in 1965, she wept as she made her way toward the bridge.

“I just can’t help it; it is emotional,” said Floyd, a leader in the Civil Rights Activist Committee to preserve civil rights history. “So many people died. It is like I can feel all of them.”

Floyd is among the marchers who will re-enact the successful Selma-to-Montgomery march, which began Monday (March 7) and concludes later this week at the capital.

_ Kelli Hewett Taylor

Lutheran Theologians Criticize Gay Policy Recommendations

(RNS) Seventeen theologians say a proposal to continue banning same-sex unions and active gay clergy while at the same time allowing dissenters to flout the rules would “destabilize” the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The open letter signed by 17 Lutheran theologians from 12 seminaries and colleges rejected recommendations issued Jan. 13 by a task force that had spent three years studying the ELCA’s gay policies.

The proposal “threatens to destabilize the unity and constitution, as well as the historical, biblical and confessional teachings and practice of the church,” the theologians said.

The proposal to maintain current policy while tolerating dissent faces a final vote by delegates at the Lutherans’ Churchwide Assembly in August. The church’s bishops were scheduled to consider the plan during their meeting in Dallas that began Thursday (March 3).

The task force’s recommendations have been criticized by liberals for not going far enough and by conservatives for going too far. Conservatives say it is pointless to maintain a policy against same-sex unions and active gay clergy while allowing it to be violated.

The theologians said allowing local churches to violate national policy would weaken the structure and authority of the 4.9 million-member church.

“If the report before us were to be implemented, the ELCA … would abdicate its theological and moral constitutional responsibility by relegating the decisions for which it alone is responsible to regional and local components,” the theologians said.

The statement was drafted by the Rev. Karl Donfried, professor of religion at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Other signers include Jean Bethke Elshtain, an ethicist at the University of Chicago, and the Rev. James Nestigen from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., who was a finalist in the election for ELCA presiding bishop in 2001.

_ Kevin Eckstrom

French National Assembly Adopts Religious Education Clause

PARIS (RNS) France’s National Assembly has passed an education bill that includes a clause calling for religion and its history to be taught in French public schools.

The bill, which still must be examined by the French Senate before becoming law, also makes learning France’s national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” obligatory in French primary schools.

Two years ago, ethnic Arab youths stirred national furor by whistling in derision as the French national anthem was played during a soccer match between France and Algeria.

The religious education measure passed Wednesday (March 2) appears surprising in a country that last year banned public school students from wearing head scarves, crosses and other conspicuous religious symbols to class.

But like many other countries in Western Europe, France is facing seemingly paradoxical trends of increasing secularity and increasing acts of anti-Semitism and other forms of racism.

Many experts attribute a large part of a five-year rise in attacks against Jewish institutions and Jews in France to disenfranchised French Muslim youths angry over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But neo-Nazi groups have also been blamed for some attacks, including the desecration of some Muslim cemeteries and mosques.

Recent anti-Semitic remarks by far-right politicians and by a prominent French humorist, Dieudonne _ who described this year’s 60th anniversary commemorations of the Holocaust as “pornography” _ have also outraged Jewish associations and human rights groups.

Last fall, France’s center-right government launched a drive for public high schools across the country to air excerpts of a six-hour documentary on the Holocaust.

The education bill was passed by 346-171, with opposition Socialist and other leftist parties voting against it.

But the two amendments on the teaching of religion and the “Marseillaise” in school were passed unanimously, according to French news reports that cited Education Minister Francois Fillon.

_ Elizabeth Bryant

Australian Lawmakers Protest Replacing B.C. in Dating

(RNS) A school exam’s attempt to replace the dating system term B.C. (“Before Christ”) with B.C.E. (“Before Common Era”) has created a stir among government officials in the Australian state of New South Wales.

“This is political correctness gone mad,” said Jillian Skinner, shadow education minister in the New South Wales parliament, according to Australian news sources.

Skinner said Wednesday (March 2) she had received complaints from parents of some of the 150,000 seventh-grade students who took the English Language and Literacy Assessment on Tuesday.

“The government is indoctrinating their children against terminology that has been around for centuries,” Skinner said of why parents’ ire was aroused.

The exam featured a question about Nile River flooding in Ancient Egypt, marking the event as occurring in 590 B.C.E. A footnote to the question explained the term means “Before Common Era,” an alternative to “Before Christ.”

Carmel Tebbutt, education minister of the New South Wales Parliament, ordered the change in the exam reversed, according to the Daily Telegraph in Sydney.

Tebbutt said “Before Common Era” is appropriate for academics and museum curators, but not for schools.

“It should have been left as `B.C.’ with a footnote explaining that `B.C.E.’ is an alternative,” Tebbutt told Parliament, the Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

While some Australians are opposing the use of “B.C.E.,” the words “Before Christ” have been removed from history education in some United States classrooms without causing a stir.

Michael Pons, spokesman for the Washington-based National Education Association, a professional organization representing 2.7 million educators, said he has not come across guidelines for chronology terms in tests or textbooks.

“There are books in the United States that use the term `Before Common Era,”’ Pons said. “I’m not aware of this being a controversy.”

_ Celeste Kennel-Shank

Catholics and Politicians Lambast Newspaper’s Jokes About Pope’s Death

(RNS) An off-color column in a Manhattan newspaper that lists the “52 Funniest Things About the Upcoming Death of the Pope” has been lambasted as “disgusting” by New York politicians and Catholic leaders.

The column, by New York Press writer Matt Taibbi, pokes fun at Pope John Paul II’s illness. It imagines, among other things, the pope’s thoughts after death and the decomposition of his body.

“Beetles eating pope’s dead brains” is listed as No. 46. “Upon death, pope’s face frozen in sickening smile, eyes wide open and teeth exposed, like a baboon” is listed as No. 47.

John Paul, 84, remains hospitalized after an emergency tracheotomy on Feb. 24 to help him breath. The ailing pontiff, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, has been fighting off the flu since Feb. 1.

Taibbi’s column was called “the most disgusting thing I’ve seen in 30 years of public life” by Sen. Charles Schumer, according to the New York Daily News. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called it “outrageously offensive.”

“As disgusting as this is, it’s sadly par for the course for this publication,” a spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the Daily News’ gossip columnist, Lloyd Grove.

Grove called the free weekly “a handout that is best used to line birdcages.” The paper’s editor in chief, Jeff Koyen, did not return phone calls for comment.

Bill Donohue, the president of the New York-based Catholic League, called the list “crude and vulgar.” The pope is “the one man whose commitment to the truth has literally driven them over the edge,” Donohue said in a statement.

_ Kevin Eckstrom

Moscow Lawmakers Seek Ban on Occult Activities

(RNS) Moscow city lawmakers are calling on the Russian government to impose a ban on fortune tellers, magicians, witches and others who offer occult services. But some Russian experts in the United States are concerned that the measure may limit religious freedom.

The Moscow city government health commission has sent a draft law to national legislators that would criminalize uncertified individuals who sell medical or psychological advice to customers, reported MosNews, a Russian online newspaper. Lawmakers say the law will target occult services, which they consider a threat to consumer health.

A 1993 law in Russia banned mass healing _ particularly healers claiming they could cure individuals through television and radio broadcasts. The current draft law would amend the 1993 law to ban all occult activities and fine violators.

More than 100,000 occult service providers currently work in Russia, according to unofficial estimates cited by Novosti, the Russian News and Information Agency.

“This phenomenon is definitely widespread and popular,” said Vera Shevzov, professor of religion at Northampton, Mass.-based Smith College, who has traveled to Russia to study the religious landscape.

Lawrence Uzzell, president of the Fisherville, Va.-based International Religious Freedom Watch said the Moscow officials’ effort is one of several proposals for national legislation in Russia limiting non-traditional religious practice.

“If you’re not careful how you draft a law you can end up affecting all kinds of respected religious traditions involving prayer and healing,” said Uzzell, who lived in Moscow in the early 1990s.

A 1997 law _ supported by the Russian Orthodox Church _ banned religious organizations not registered with the government that have practiced in the country fewer than 15 years.

Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Says Moose Organization Unbiblical

(RNS) The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has announced that it continues to object to the practices of the Loyal Order of Moose, saying the fraternal organization compromises aspects of the Christian faith.

The St. Louis-based denomination released Friday (March 4) a new evaluation of the lodge by its Commission on Theology and Church Relations. It acknowledges that the fraternal organization “is engaged in many commendable humanitarian efforts” but questions the religious content of the organization’s activities.

“Regrettably, however, the rituals and ceremonies of the lodge continue to require and assume acceptance of religious truths that conflict with our Synod’s understanding of what is taught in the Holy Scriptures, and they do so in ways that compromise the Christian’s confession of the biblical gospel,” the six-page statement reads.

It notes that there are references to a Supreme Being in enrollment ceremonies when a new member is admitted to the organization and that Psalm 23 is read at a tribute service when someone dies.

“Nowhere does the ritual _ in spite of numerous religious references _ mention Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world,” the evaluation states.

Kurt Wehrmeister, director of publications for Moose International, said the Lutheran denomination has correctly noted the lack of references to Jesus.

“There is not a reference nor, in our view, would it be appropriate for there to be one, simply because we have members of the Jewish faith and we have members … of other faiths as well,” he said. “That would be unfair … for any leader of this organization to incorporate that into the ceremonies of this organization simply because that would not be allowing others the same freedom, if you will, to worship in their own way.”

Wehrmeister recalled that a former executive and the Protestant chaplain of the organization visited Missouri Synod officials about 15 years ago to discuss their differences and concluded they should “respectfully agree to disagree.”

The Moose organization includes about 1.4 million members in the United States, Canada and Britain, including about 950,000 men in the Loyal Order of Moose and 450,000 women in the Women of the Moose.

_ Adelle M. Banks

Israeli Airline Policy May Mean Seat Shortage During Passover

JERUSALEM (RNS) Thousands of people wishing to come to Israel for the Passover holiday, which begins April 23, may be unable to do so due to a lack of airline seats and exorbitant prices, according to Israel’s Ministry of Tourism.

The country’s tourist offices abroad have received “thousands” of complaints about the dearth of flights and high prices, the ministry said in a March 1 statement. Passover is traditionally considered a peak season in Israel, when hotels are almost fully booked with local and foreign Jews.

A ministry spokesman said in an interview that the “capacity crunch” stems from a long-standing Ministry of Transport policy that has permitted El Al _ until recently government-owned _ to dominate the Israeli market by alloting fewer flights to other airlines.

“The government’s policy continues to protect El Al, despite its recent privatization, which has limited competition between the airlines. This has created a major tourism crisis. It is time to implement an `Open Skies policy,” the spokesman said.

Tourism Ministry Director General Eli Cohen concurred that “planes from the U.S. are full during Passover, and the price of an El Al flight starts at $1,200.”

Abraham Hirchson, Israel’s minister of tourism, met last week with airline company heads in a bid to increase capacity on flights to Israel. The minister said that if the matter is not resolved with the airlines, he will “seek a solution at the government level.”

An El Al spokeswoman said in an interview that “like every year, El Al is the only company to add more flights in order to supply the demand of flight seats from the United States during Passover season.”

El Al has added 7,400 more seats this year compared to last year on flights from North America, she said. “Should there not be enough seats,” she said, “El Al will act in order to meet the demand.”

_ Michele Chabin

Peace Churches Concerned About `Back Door’ Draft Among Poor, Minorities

(RNS) A coalition of historic “peace churches” says they were told that the Pentagon does not plan to reinstate a military draft, but they remain concerned about a “back door draft” that targets the poor and minorities.

Leaders of a dozen Mennonite, Quaker and Brethren churches that shun military service held a two-day meeting (March 4-5) outside Chicago to plan for “alternative service” programs for conscientious objectors should a draft be reinstated.

The meeting was prompted by an unannounced visit last October by a draft official to a Church of the Brethren facility in Maryland. Several churches were concerned the impromptu visit signaled that a draft may be imminent.

After the meeting, the churches said they will draw up plans to allow conscientious objectors to serve in two-year domestic service projects in lieu of military service. They also promised to urge members to “reject violence in all its forms.”

“We are called to a clear allegiance to Christ above all allegiances, and a recognition that it is only through Christ that we can show love to our enemies,” said a joint statement by the Church of the Brethren, U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, the Mennonite Church USA and the Conservative Mennonite Conference.

During the meeting, Selective Service official Dick Flahavan said “the administration’s position on the draft is quite simple: there isn’t going to be any,” according to a news release.

Despite those assurances, church leaders said they are concerned about “intensified, high-pressure military recruitments … where poverty and racism exclude our brothers and sisters from the opportunities that give life meaning and hope.”

The churches said they hope to provide alternatives to military service, as well as ways to shelter “undocumented church members” who may not want to serve in the military.

_ Kevin Eckstrom

Quote of the Week: President Bush

(RNS) “If you’re the Methodist church and you sponsor an alcohol treatment center, they can’t say only Methodists, only Methodists who drink too much can come to our program. All drunks are welcome, is what the sign ought to say.”

_ President Bush, speaking to 250 religious leaders on March 1 on efforts to revive his faith-based initiative.

MO RNS END