c. 2006 Religion News Service
Quebec Says Private Schools Must Teach Evolution or Close
TORONTO (RNS) Quebec’s education ministry has warned private, unlicensed evangelical schools in the province they must teach Darwin’s theory of evolution and sex education or face closure.
The education ministry said Tuesday (Oct. 24) that the province will negotiate for several weeks with an unspecified number of evangelical schools to determine whether they can meet provincial standards that include the teaching of evolution.
“Schools must, of course, follow the curriculum, which includes the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution,” Education Minister Jean-Marc Fournier said in a statement.
The directive came following a complaint from a school board in Quebec’s southwestern Outaouais region that children at a small evangelical school near Saint-Andre-Avellin were not being taught the full provincial curriculum.
But supporters of the school, which enrolls 20 students, counter that it teaches a “worldview” that is essential for their students.
“We offer a curriculum based on a Christian worldview rather than a humanistic worldview,” said Alan Buchanan, a former public school teacher and head of a committee that reorganized the school’s administration this past summer.
Buchanan told the National Post newspaper that the school teaches evolution as well as intelligent design, the idea that the natural world is too complex to be explained by natural selection.
“We want the children to understand what they’re going to meet in the outside world, and also what’s wrong with the theory,” he said. “We also teach a better theory _ that God created the universe and so on.”
_ Ron Csillag
Survey: Half of Evangelicals Oppose Federal Funding of Religious Groups
WASHINGTON (RNS) Half of the nation’s evangelical Christians do not support government funding of faith-based organizations, a survey shows.
New data released Wednesday (Oct. 25) from the Baylor Religion Survey show that 50 percent of evangelicals, and 65 percent of the total population, think federal funding of religious organizations is inappropriate. Twenty-six percent of the total respondents surveyed said they agree with such funding.
Byron Johnson, a sociology professor at Baylor University, said the finding about evangelicals may be the product of misinformation and rumors about the work of faith-based initiatives.
“For example, a lot of groups will not even entertain the idea of applying for public funds because they feel like if they do that the cross or the menorah or the Star of David has to come down,” he said. “I think it reflects a horrible miscommunication about the initiative.”
Johnson said others fear recipients of faith-based services might have to pray or be proselytized.
In addition to being a member of the research team on the Baylor study, Johnson has served as an intermediary in a $3 million Justice Department program that supports small faith-based and community programs addressing domestic violence.
A team of researchers from Baylor University, a Baptist university in Waco, Texas, released the initial findings of their study in September. They define evangelical respondents as those who belong to evangelical denominations or state a belief in the authority of the Bible, salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus and the need to evangelize.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Opera Canceled Over Muhammad’s Head Is Back On in Berlin
BERLIN (RNS) The show will go on, even if it includes Mohammad’s severed head.
Scarred by worldwide riots earlier this year over Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad and a global backlash over perceived anti-Muslim statements by the pope in September, the Berlin Opera didn’t hesitate to shut down a potentially controversial opera when police warned them of a potential threat.
The production of Mozart’s “Idomeneo” includes a scene with the severed heads of Jesus, Buddha, Poseidon and Muhammad as an indictment of organized religion.
But Berlin police gave the all-clear on Thursday (Oct. 26), meaning two performances are set to go, according to the German magazine Der Spiegel.
The decision to call off the performances had been met by cries of self-censorship from German officials as high up as Chancellor Angela Merkel. Thomas Flierl, Berlin’s senator for culture, greeted the decision to perform as a chance for Berlin to show its commitment to artistic freedom.
Reaction was mixed from Berlin’s Muslim community. Kenan Kolat, head of the German Turkish Association, greeted the opera’s opening, saying art cannot be influenced by politics or religion. He said he saw no potential for violence.
But in September, when the show was originally cancelled, Ali Kizilkaya, head of the Islamic Council, was quoted in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Southern German Newsaper) as saying “It would be intolerable for me to watch a scene where the prophet’s head was knocked off.”
Still, German police said they thought it was “highly unlikely” that anyone would attack the opera and noted that they could see no “concrete danger.”
_ Niels Sorrells
Archbishop of Canterbury Says No to Restricting Religious Symbols
LONDON (RNS) Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has stepped into the furor over religious symbols, saying he opposes any government interference with the rights of a Muslim to wear a veil, a Christian to wear a cross or a Sikh to wear a turban.
In a letter to The Times newspaper in London on Friday (Oct. 27), Williams put himself at odds with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian Premier Romano Prodi, both of whom have criticized the wearing of veils by Muslim women as socially divisive.
The archbishop, who heads the world’s 77 million Anglicans, warned that “the ideal of a society where no visible signs of religion would be seen _ no crosses around necks, no sidelocks, turbans or veils _ is a politically dangerous one.”
“It assumes that what comes first in society is the central political `licensing authority,’ which has all the resources it needs to create a workable public morality,” he added.
Jack Straw, a former ranking minister in Tony Blair’s government, triggered the debate in Britain when he said he wanted Muslim women to remove their veils on visits to his office.
Blair backed his one-time foreign secretary, describing the veil as a “mark of separation.” He and Prodi said Muslim women’s wearing the face-covering garment made it difficult for Muslim communities and immigrants to integrate into western society.
But Williams said “the proverbial visitor from Mars might have imagined that the greatest immediate threat to British society was religious war, formented by `faith schools’ and cheered on by thousands of veiled women and the bishops’ benches in the House of Lords.”
_ Al Webb
Anti-Defamation Director Calls Muslim Dialogue a `Pipe Dream’
ATLANTA (RNS) The national director of the Anti-Defamation League said Friday (Oct. 27) that dialogue with moderate Muslims is a “pipe dream” because “there’s nobody to talk to.”
The comment by the ADL’s Abraham Foxman came after a challenge to Foxman’s keynote address at the ADL’s annual meeting in Atlanta. Foxman spoke about the dangers of Islamic extremism and, in particular, a nuclear Iran _ threats that he said the world has appeased as it did with Nazi Germany.
After the speech, Seymour Reich, president of the Israel Policy Forum, a think tank that urges U.S. involvement in brokering Arab-Israeli peace, pressed Foxman to focus more on finding moderate Muslims with whom to dialogue.
“There’s nobody to talk to yet,” Foxman replied.
The ADL conditions dialogue with Muslim groups on their rejection of terrorism in all cases. But Foxman said he has yet to find one group to accept those terms.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the charge “nonsense.”
CAIR has condemned terrorism “every which way from Sunday,” Hooper said in a phone interview, pointing to the group’s condemnation of attacks in Tel Aviv and its special anti-terrorism campaign, “Not in the Name of Islam.”
Hooper said the ADL defines moderation by a pro-Israel litmus test that requires “turning a blind eye toward the brutality of the Israeli occupation” that no mainstream Muslim group can pass.
“To us, that’s not moderation. That’s selling out the cause of human rights and justice in order to be accepted.”
_ Rachel Pomerance
Federal Judge Dismisses Suit By Air Force Critic
(RNS) A federal judge in New Mexico has dismissed a lawsuit by an Air Force veteran who charged that the Air Force was unconstitutionally permitting evangelism by evangelical Christians at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Senior U.S. District Judge James A. Parker of Albuquerque ruled Friday (Oct. 27) that Mikey Weinstein and other plaintiffs did not provide sufficient information to substantiate their claims against the military academy.
“Plaintiffs never allege a personal link or connection to any alleged future Establishment Clause violations,” Parker wrote in a 16-page decision. “Without that personal link or connection to future misconduct, plaintiffs have simply not shown that they will suffer an injury in fact that is `both concrete and particularized and actual or imminent.”’
In his court filing, Weinstein had pointed to a statement by Brig. Gen. Cecil R. Richardson, the Air Force’s deputy chief of chaplains, in which he was quoted as telling The New York Times: “We will not proselytize but we reserve the right to evangelize the unchurched.” The judge said Weinstein and others filing the suit did not explain how they were “personally affected” by the statement.
The Air Force welcomed the decision.
“We believe Air Force Academy officials performed properly, and this litigation is one important step in the judicial recognition of that,” said Dewey Mitchell, an Air Force spokesman.
Weinstein said he plans to refile his suit.
“Our fight is far from over,” he said. “Religious bias and the outrageous violations of the separation of church and state continue to spread rampantly throughout our military.”
_ Adelle M. Banks
Pope Vows `Whatever Steps Are Necessary’ in Combatting Abuse
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI said the Catholic Church must “take whatever steps are necessary” to address the clergy sex abuse scandal, but victims’ groups immediately accused the pope of not going far enough.
“It is important to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected and, above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes,” the pope said Saturday (Oct. 28) in a speech to Irish bishops making their regular “ad limina” visit to the Vatican.
The pope, making his most direct extensive remarks about sexual abuse in his young papacy, acknowledged the “heart-rending” sex abuse cases that have occurred in Ireland, which many have likened to the scandal that erupted in the U.S. church in 2002.
“The wounds caused by such acts run deep, and it is an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust where these have been damaged,” the pope said.
The Chicago-based Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests (SNAP), however, issued a statement urging “actions not words” and said “the pope is merely acknowledging what millions of Catholics have known for years.”
“He should call on all bishops in the world, asking them to reveal the names of the predators in all the dioceses throughout the world, most of whose names have never been made public, so children remain at risk of being abused by them,” SNAP president Barbara Blaine said.
“It’s understandable to forgive sick priests who have abused childen. It’s hard to forgive those (bishops) who have protected and shielded the molestors,” she said.
_ Kristine Crane
Massachusetts Episcopalians to Ask for Church Rites for Gay Weddings
(RNS) Massachusetts Episcopalians voted Saturday (Oct. 28) to seek authorization from the national Episcopal Church to use the church’s official marriage rites in same-sex marriage ceremonies.
The 324-43 vote came as more than 500 delegates considered a series of proposals related to same-sex marriage at their annual convention, held at Trinity Church in Boston.
On another hot issue, delegates called for a task force to study “the nature of Christian marriage and civil marriage” in light of a tabled proposal for clergy to stop officiating civil marriage ceremonies.
Massachusetts Episcopalians have wrestled with same-sex marriage since May 2004, when the Bay State became the first in the nation to make the practice legal. The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts is on record supporting same-sex marriage, but priests can’t perform same-sex weddings unless the national church changes rules for the use of rites in the Book of Common Prayer. Those rites are currently limited to heterosexual couples.
Saturday’s request for a new policy from the national church aims to bring local church practice into alignment with diocesan statements on the issue.
“This change would give same-sex couples the same access to the church’s marriage rites as heterosexual couples,” said a written explanation from the resolution’s sponsors, “and end this disturbing exclusion of same-sex couples from the church’s sacramental life.”
The soonest the Episcopal Church U.S.A. could act on the Massachusetts request would be at its next General Convention in 2009. If approved at that time, the resolution would permit adjustments to marriage rites in order to reflect a couple’s common gender. The policy would be applicable in all jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal.
On the question of whether clergy should keep officiating civil marriage ceremonies, same-sex marriage was again an underlying issue. Supporters of the original resolution had argued that the best way to treat all couples equally would be merely to administer blessings, which the Diocese of Massachusetts permits for same-sex couples, once the couple has been married by a civil authority.
_ G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Gay Megachurch Cathedral of Hope Welcomed into UCC
(RNS) The Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, which calls itself the world’s largest gay-friendly congregation, has been accepted as a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC).
Officials at the UCC’s North Texas Association granted the 4,300-member church congregational standing on Saturday (Oct. 28), making it the fourth-largest congregation in the 1.2 million member UCC.
“This is a historic day in the life of the Cathedral of Hope,” said the Rev. Jo Hudson, senior pastor and rector of the cathedral, in a statement. “We are blessed to be a full partner in ministry with … the United Church of Christ. We celebrate that our values of compassion, inclusion, tolerance and hope in service to the world by following Jesus are consistent with those of the United Church of Christ. We are proud to be a part of such a diverse body of churches and people.”
Until 2002, the church was affiliated with the predominantly gay Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Church officials say the congregation has been looking at the UCC since 1997. In 2005, the UCC endorsed civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
By early 2005, the Cathedral’s board of directors urged the church to either end the process or affiliate with the UCC. The church voted to join the UCC last October.
_ Chansin Bird
Abstinence Money Expanded to Include 20-Somethings
WASHINGTON (RNS) Famous for targeting teens with “no sex before marriage” campaigns, the federal government is now reminding Americans that waiting can work for adults, too.
In a recent program announcement, the Administration for Children and Families highlighted the possibility that federally funded programs to promote abstinence can be used among 19- to 29-year-olds.
Wade Horn, the administration’s assistant secretary, said the shift was simply an attempt to clarify 2007 guidelines for states receiving millions of dollars in grant money through the Title V program.
“What the law says is that Title V funds should be targeted to those age groups that are most likely to bear children outside of wedlock, and this is between the ages of 19 and 29. We wanted to clear up any confusion about whether these funds could be used for this age group,” he said.
No states have complained about the revised guidance so far, he said, adding, “It would be absurd for a state to complain because if they don’t want to follow our guidance, they don’t have to.”
Some opponents say the change is an ideologically driven ploy to alter adult sexual practices. They also warn that promoting abstinence among adults is simply ineffective.
“Given the limited pot of money, the abstinence funding should be spent on teens. If you focus on adults, the overwhelming majority of which have already had sex, you’re not going to be very effective,” said Bill Albert, deputy director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
While the government may simply be “clarifying” the rules, Albert said, its emphasis on the older demographic will likely shift programming in that direction.
“Obviously, those states who apply for that money _ and 49 of them have _ pay very close attention to what the federal government decides to emphasize,” he said.
_ Jason Kane
Quote of the Week: Rev. Paige Blair, Episcopal Priest and U2 Fan
(RNS) “Bach and Handel were the popular music of their day, and they had trouble getting played in church. The Methodist hymn writers once wrote contemporary music. Are we worshipping Bono? Absolutely not. No more than we worship Martin Luther when we sing `A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”’
_ The Rev. Paige Blair, an Episcopal priest in York Harbor, Maine, who has developed the “U2 Eucharist” that involves using the music of the Irish rock band led by Bono as the hymns during a traditional Episcopal liturgy. She was quoted by USA Today.
KRE/PH END RNS
