c. 2007 Religion News Service

Student Honored for Publicizing Teacher’s Proselytizing

KEARNY, N.J. (RNS) The high school student who blew the whistle on a history teacher who was proselytizing in the classroom is slated to receive an award that puts him in distinguished company.

The New York Society for Ethical Culture plans to give 17-year-old Matthew LaClair its “Ethical Humanist Award,” the organization’s highest honor, in November.

Past recipients include Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for his work on campaign finance reform; Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, for switching party affiliation from Republican to independent; and David Kaczynski, who turned in his brother Ted, the notorious Unabomber, to authorities.

“This (award) is given to people who show courage and go against the grain, sometimes to the detriment to their own well-being,” said Jerry Chamlin, chair of nonprofit’s awards committee. “They’ve preferred an extraordinary act of moral courage.”

LaClair, now a senior, said he is “really excited” to receive the honor. “But it (standing up for one’s beliefs) should be something that’s more common among people and among students,” he added. “Over time, if people actually start to do these things, it will become second nature.”

As a junior, LaClair surreptitiously taped his history teacher David Paszkiewicz and publicly exposed some Paskiewicz’s claims, including that dinosaurs were on Noah’s Ark, and that anyone who didn’t believe Jesus Christ suffered and died for them _ as depicted in Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ” _ “belonged in hell.”

As a result of LaClair going public, he was threatened and shunned by some of his fellow students. Last year, LaClair and his parents agreed to not to sue the school district in return for establishing training for students and teachers in the separation between church and state.

_ Ken Thorbourne

Churches Urged to Join Anti-gun Campaign

(RNS) Churches across the nation will dedicate one weekend this month to educating the faithful about the dangers of guns.

“God Not Guns,” a project sponsored by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, is set to take place on Sept. 28-30 at New York City’s Riverside Church and in other congregations throughout the nation.

Rachel Smith, an ordained Baptist minister in North Carolina, is one of the founders of the event, and says the weekend is about trying to get people to think about gun violence in much the same way they would think about any other social justice issue.

Smith, who works for a non-profit agency that helps the homeless, says addressing gun violence is as important as tackling problems surrounding housing or food.

She also says people’s desire for guns is at the brink of turning into a form of idolatry. “To put your faith into guns, I think it does turn it into a religious question,” she said.

Alicia Horton, a member of the anti-gun group founded by former Reagan White House press secretary James Brady, said the organization hopes churches will be able to come together to address the spiritual issues that are at the core of gun violence.

“This blatant disregard for life … is indicative of some kind of move away from humanity and respect for humanity,” she said.

She said the center is working with Riverside Church in specific because it is multidenominational and known for its social justice work.

They are calling on other churches to participate in the campaign in a variety of ways, including sermons, art exhibits and workshops. Most crucial, she said, is maintaining faith that gun violence is a problem that can be solved.

“There is still a possibility, and we can’t give up on it,” she said.

_ Lilly Fowler

Priest Could Lose His Job After Losing His Temper

LONDON (RNS) A senior Church of England vicar faces the prospect of losing his job over accusations that he is a “bully and a liar” and that he spat at a woman parishioner who had complained about changes he planned for the church, including installing toilets.

A church tribunal in London is hearing charges against the Rev. Thomas Ambrose, vicar of the 13th-century St. Mary and St. Michael Church in Trumpington, near the English university town of Cambridge.

Justin Gau, testifying for the parish’s Parochial Church Council, described Ambrose as “intelligent and learned,” but he added that “he is also a bully and a liar. He would lose his temper if he did not get his own way.”

“Churchwarden after churchwarden resigned (and) volunteers left” since Ambrose took over as vicar of the parish of 200 homes eight years ago, “and his answer was always to attack,” Gau said.

The vicar’s feud with his traditionalist parishioners reached new heights about four years ago, when he decided to install toilets on the premises and to remove pews to create a coffee area in the church. Worshippers complained to the bishop of Ely.

One, former churchwarden Marilyn Orson, told the tribunal that Ambrose reacted by storming to her house, where he “called me a liar and spat at me as he left.”

Earlier this year, according to news reports, the vicar told his critics that “this is not doing the Church of England any good, to see behavior like this.”

Gau told the tribunal that Ambrose “always saw conspiracies where there were none, he told bold lies and ordered people to leave the parish if they didn’t agree with him.” He dismissed the cleric as “a square peg in a round hole.”

According to one published estimated, the case could cost the Diocese of Ely about $1 million for the hearing, any appeals and the vicar’s legal fees.

_ Al Webb

Quote of the Day: President George W. Bush

(RNS) “I’ve got God’s shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot. I do a lot of crying in this job. I’ll bet I’ve shed more tears than you can count, as president. I’ll shed some tomorrow.”

_ President George W. Bush, in an interview with journalist Robert Draper for his new book, “Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush.” Bush’s comments were quoted by the Associated Press.

KRE/LF END RNS