c. 2006 Religion News Service
Progressive Groups Want `Left Behind’ Video Game Off Wal-Mart Shelves
(RNS) Progressive religious groups, concerned by the violence and theology in the “Left Behind” Christian video games, have asked Wal-Mart not to sell them.
The “Left Behind: Eternal Forces” game is a spinoff from the best-selling “Left Behind” apocalyptic series and carries a rating of T for “teen” because of its violent elements.
“What is at issue here is this is an instructional video teaching young Christian children about an ideology of religious violence,” said author Fred Clarkson, a member of the advisory board of the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, a liberal group that opposes the religious right, in a teleconference call with reporters Tuesday (Dec. 12).
Wal-Mart is continuing its plans to stock the game, and the company producing it said critics are mischaracterizing it.
“The game is about good vs. evil, not Christian versus non-Christian,” said Jeffrey Frichner, president of Left Behind Games. “When people understand that, they love what we’re doing because who doesn’t want to fight against evil?”
Clark Stevens, co-director of the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, said the protest is focusing on “the hypocrisy that exists within the religious right” because some affiliated with it, including Focus on the Family, have supported the game even though they generally speak against violent video games. The protest does not seek the removal of any other violent games.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the product has been selling in select stores and online.
“As always, the decision on what merchandise we offer in our stores is based on what we think our customers want the opportunity to buy,” said Tara Raddohl of Wal-Mart.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Judge Says Worship Song is OK at Public School
FRENCHTOWN, N.J.(RNS) A New Jersey elementary school student’s First Amendment rights were violated when her school district barred her from singing a religious song at an after-school talent show, a federal judge has ruled.
The parents of Olivia Turton sued the Frenchtown Elementary School District Board of Education in May 2005. Administrators had denied the then-second-grader’s request to perform “Awesome God,” saying its lyrics amounted to the “musical equivalent of a spoken prayer.”
U.S. District Court Judge Freda L. Wolfson issued a 26-page decision Monday (Dec. 11) calling the district’s actions inappropriate, saying Olivia’s song was one student’s “private speech” and could not legitimately be perceived as a public school’s endorsement of religion.
“We’re excited for Olivia that she’ll be able to sing her song,” said the Turtons’ lawyer, Demetrios Stratis. “A student doesn’t lose her First Amendment rights just because she walks onto school property. … To suggest that she at 8 years old is going to proselytize to this audience is nonsense, and the court saw through that.”
The song in question, by Christian writer Rich Mullins, includes lyrics such as the verse: “Our God is an awesome God/He reigns from heaven above/with wisdom, pow’r and love/Our God is an awesome God.”
Olivia, now a fourth-grader, will sing “Awesome God” at the next installment of the “Frenchtown Idol” talent show in May, Stratis said.
_ Claire Heininger
Woman Sues Ex-Husband for Withholding a Religious Divorce
TORONTO (RNS) A woman who sued her ex-husband for refusing to give her a Jewish divorce is looking to Canada’s Supreme Court for relief.
The case is being watched closely for how _ or even whether _ the high court will delve into the principle of separation of church and state, an area that secular courts have been generally reluctant to enter.
Observers say the main issue is whether religious obligations should be enforceable in courts.
The case involves Stephanie Bruker, who has asked the nine judges on the Supreme Court to restore her earlier victory that ordered her former husband to pay her damages for refusing for 15 years to give her a “get,” or Jewish divorce decree, despite promising to do so in their divorce agreement.
Under Jewish law, a woman may be divorced civilly, but without a get she is referred to as an agunah, or “chained woman,” meaning that she is bound to a dead marriage and cannot remarry within the Jewish faith.
Bruker and Jessel Marcovitz, both of Montreal, married in 1969 and divorced in 1980. In their divorce agreement, Marcovitz agreed to give his wife a get. But he reneged on the deal, arguing, among other things, that his wife had alienated him from their two daughters.
Marcovitz finally granted his ex-wife a get in 1995 _ when she was almost 47 years old, too old, she argued, to have any more children.
In 2003, a judge ordered Marcovitz to pay Bruker $47,500 in damages _ $2,500 for each of the 15 years he withheld a get, thereby depriving her of remarriage, and another $10,000 for restricting her from having more children.
But Quebec’s Court of Appeal overturned that decision, saying the husband’s obligation was “religious in nature” and therefore outside the purview of a civil court.
Now, Bruker wants her original claims enforced: $500,000 in damages for refusing to comply with the divorce agreement, another $500,000 for being restrained from getting on with her life, and the $47,500 ordered by the lower court.
In her brief to the Supreme Court, Bruker said people can’t be permitted to “brazenly invoke religion as both a shield and a sword” to get out of their contractual obligations.
_ Ron Csillag
Religion Writers Rate Amish, Muhammad Cartoons as Biggest Stories
(RNS) The Amish community, which inspired the world with acts of forgiveness after a Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting, has been named the newsmaker of the year by the Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) and Beliefnet.
The multi-faith spirituality Web site Beliefnet.com said Thursday (Dec. 14) the Amish community topped its list of newsmakers for demonstrating “courage, forgiveness, self-sacrifice and love” after a gunman entered an Amish schoolhouse in October and shot 10 girls before taking his own life. The Amish community reached out to the killer’s family, offering monetary and emotional support. Several attended his funeral.
The Amish were also rated the year’s top individual newsmaker in a separate poll of RNA members. One hundred forty-nine journalists voted between Dec. 8 and 12 to select the 10 most important stories of the year, and the single biggest newsmaker.
The RNA’s top 10 stories were ranked as follows:
1. Muslims throughout the world react violently after the publication of Muhammad cartoons in several European nations. Christians and Muslims are killed when riots erupt in Nigeria.
2. Pope Benedict XVI touches off more Muslim anger by referencing a centuries-old quote linking Islam and violence during a speech. He apologizes and calms the uproar during a trip to Turkey.
3. The Episcopal Church infuriates conservatives during its General Convention by electing Katharine Jefferts Schori _ who supported the consecration of an openly gay bishop _ as the first woman to its top post. Several dioceses throughout the nation adopt measures that set the stage for secession from the denomination.
4. Evangelical Ted Haggard resigns as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and is dismissed as pastor of his Colorado Springs, Colo., megachurch after he is accused of engaging in gay sex and using drugs.
5. Many Republican candidates backed by the religious right are defeated in the fall elections, with a significant number of voters claiming morality was one of the strongest motivators in their decision-making at the polls.
6. Religious voices grow louder for peace in Iraq as conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims rises. Israeli incursions in Lebanon aimed at curbing attacks by Hezbollah ignite more strife in the Middle East, and Christian churches reconsider efforts to pressure Israel on the Palestinian question.
7. The schoolhouse murder of five Amish girls in Nickel Mines, Pa., highlights the Amish community’s ethic of forgiveness when several Amish attend the killer’s funeral.
8. (tie) The film “The Da Vinci Code” hits theaters, prompting more outrage over Dan Brown’s novel. Religious critics cite controversial plot lines, including Jesus marrying Mary Magdalene and conceiving a child.
8. (tie) Same-sex marriage bans pass in seven of eight states voting on the issue during the midterm elections. Arizona becomes the first state to defeat such a ban. New Jersey’s Supreme Court decides that same-sex marriage couples deserve the same rights as heterosexual couples.
10. President Bush vetoes a bill calling for expanded stem-cell research. Progress is reported in efforts to create stem-cell lines without destroying embryos.
_ Jason Kane
Study Says Incense Threatened by Over-harvesting
LONDON (RNS) The production of incense _ used in Catholic, Orthodox and many Anglican service _ is threatened by extracting too much of the precious substance from the trees that produce it, according to a study by Dutch and Eritrean scientists and published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
Frankincense is a resin produced by trees of the genus Boswellia, found mainly in Oman, Yemen and the Horn of Africa. It is obtained by cutting the bark of the tree and leaving the resin to solidify into small lumps, which are harvested every three weeks when the cuts are reopened to ensure a steady flow of the resin.
The harvested incense costs between $22 and $26 a pound. The study, conducted in Eritrea, found that repeated tapping of the trees to produce incense threatens the trees’ ability to reproduce.
“Despite its economic importance, Boswellia papyrifera (the species found in Eritrea) is a threatened species in Eritrea,” the authors write. “The natural Boswellia woodlands have been and are being converted into agricultural fields, while low production of viable seeds, uncontrolled livestock grazing and recurrent droughts hinder the natural regeneration in the remaining stands.”
They suggest reducing the number of points where the bark is cut from the current six; allowing trees to rest for periods of four years without being tapped for resin; and banning livestock grazing to allow young trees to grow.
_ Robert Nowell
Egyptian Court Rules Against Baha’is on ID Cards
(RNS) In a move described by many as an assault on religious freedom, an Egyptian court ruled Saturday (Dec. 16) against including the Baha’i faith on government-issued identification cards and other official documents.
The Higher Administrative Court concluded that the government could continue its policy of recognizing only the nation’s three official religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
While religious freedom is guaranteed as a right in the Egyptian constitution, the Baha’i faith is not an option when citizens list their religious affiliation on mandatory state identification cards.
The case originated with a lawsuit filed against the government by a married couple when the government confiscated their passports and refused to allow them to register their daughters as Baha’i.
A lower court ruled in April that the couple had the right to list their religion on official documents even if the government refuses to recognize the Baha’i faith. After an onslaught of pressure from Islamists and religious conservatives, however, the government appealed that ruling.
The policy has so far proven troublesome to individuals dealing with any form of official documentation, including those associated with education, financial services and medical care.
Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations, issued a statement saying the decision “threatens to make non-citizens of an entire community, solely on the basis of their religious belief.”
Dwight Bashir, a senior policy analyst at the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom, also called the ruling a basic denial of rights and urged the U.S. government to pressure Egypt to reverse the policy.
“There’s no doubt the commission deeply regrets the decision,” he said. “This is a clear violation of both Egypt’s constitution and international standards.”
The Baha’is split from Islam more than 150 years ago and are still considered heretical by most Muslims. There are more than 6,000 practitioners of the faith in Egypt, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives.
_ Jason Kane
Harvard Drops Proposed Mandatory Religion Course
BOSTON (RNS) Harvard College students don’t need a religion requirement after all, following a recommendation of a key faculty panel which had proposed in October making coursework in “reason and faith” mandatory for all undergraduates.
Now, after soliciting professors’ feedback, the Task Force on General Education is calling instead for required coursework in the area of “what it means to be a human being.”
“Courses dealing with religion … can readily be accommodated in other areas,” the nine-member panel wrote in a Dec. 7 letter to members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
To satisfy the newly suggested requirement, students could take courses in such areas as evolutionary biology, cognitive sciences, social sciences, religious thought, art, literature or philosophy.
In October, the panel noted in its preliminary report: “religion is a fact that Harvard’s graduates will confront in their lives both in and after college.” A “faith and reason” requirement would have made sure they “examine the interplay between religion and various aspects of national and/or international society and culture.”
For Harvard, the current curriculum review marks the first major overhaul in about 30 years. Proposed changes to the curriculum will take effect only after a majority vote among assembled members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. That group includes 713 full-time faculty members as well as several dozen community members with voting privileges.
After receiving the panel’s letter, members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences met Dec. 12 but declined to take a vote.
Task force co-chair Louis Menand cautioned that more changes are likely.
“We’re in the middle of working this program out,” Menand told Religion News Service. “Things are very fluid, and there are many competing imperatives.”
_ G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Jews Use Hanukkah to Focus on Environmental Protection
(RNS) As Jews celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, synagogues around the country are changing their light bulbs. It’s not housekeeping _ it’s one small step to stop global warming.
“We are helping to get energy-efficient and cost-effective compact fluorescent light bulbs to congregations and individuals around the country,” said Barbara Lerman-Golomb, executive director of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish life (COEJL).
The effort, known as “How many Jews does it take to change a light bulb?” is sponsored by COEJL and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. It’s being promoted in connection with Hanukkah, which began Dec. 15 at sundown.
Almost 500 synagogues and Jewish institutions from all the major Jewish movements will participate in the Hanukkah light bulb program. It’s part of a larger campaign, “A Light Among Nations,” a Jewish response to global warming that also encourages energy efficiency and the examination of public policy.
“Change is hard, changing a light bulb is easy,” Lerman-Golomb said. “The goal is that simple step will lead to larger actions, such as greening their homes, greening their congregations and purchasing more energy-efficient cars.”
While the goals reach far beyond light bulbs and Hanukkah, the connection to the holiday is significant, said Rabbi Steve Gutow, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees, and that the oil in the temple judged sufficient for one day lasted for eight days.
“This idea of using the light to wake up people and that this is the kind of energy that will last much, much longer than any regular light bulb and use much less energy is the perfect metaphor,” he said.
_ Ansley Roan
Update: British Muslim Calls Off Planned `Alternative’ Christmas Message
LONDON (RNS) A Muslim woman who had planned to deliver an “alternative” Christmas Day message while wearing a full-face niqab veil on one of Britain’s mainstream television networks has backed out of the project after apparently receiving a number of abusive letters.
Khadija Ravat was to have aired her six-minute broadcast at the same time Queen Elizabeth II was delivering her own, traditional Christmas Day message on another of Britain’s main TV stations.
Channel 4 said it would search for another Muslim woman to take her place on the show “to provide space for voices that would otherwise not receive air time.”
“After careful consideration, I have decided not to appear on the program,” Ravat said in a statement issued Friday (Dec. 15). She had been expected to defend the wearing of the full-face Islamic veil in public.
Ibrahim Hewitt, head teacher at the Muslim school where Ravat worked, said she had “erred on the side of caution” after receiving numerous letters, some of which were abusive.
“Some people think she is trying to upstage the queen, which is certainly not the case,” Hewitt told journalists. “But I think she feels it would rub people up the wrong way.”
_ Al Webb
Quote of the Week: Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
(RNS) “If some people decide they need to go, then our best recourse is to bless their journey and to remind people that the door will remain open and the porch light on.”
_ Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Katharine Jefferts Schori on the recent decision of eight Episcopal parishes in Virginia to leave the national church. She was quoted by Episcopal News Service (Dec. 18).
KRE/PH END RNS
