c. 1996 Religion News Service

China seeks to”re-educate”Tibet’s Buddhist monks

(RNS) The Chinese government, in an apparent effort to eradicate the influence of the Dalai Lama, has launched a political”re-education”campaign in Tibetan monasteries.”This is an education campaign for the whole Tibet region,”Reuters quoted a Chinese foreign ministry official in Tibet as saying Friday (Aug. 16).”It was launched about one month ago to effectively maintain the security of China and the stability of society, to protect normal religious activities and to build up religious order.” The official said that government officials had found that”in some monasteries, some lawless persons made use of the monks and monasteries to engage in activities to try and split China _ even including criminal activities.” But the London-based Tibet Information Network (TIN), a human rights group that supports the Dalai Lama, said the campaign amounted to a purge of so-called dissident monks, those who continue to maintain allegiance to the exiled Dalai Lama, their god-king who in their view remains the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet.

According to the report, monks are being required to sign a written promise of political allegiance to China or face expulsion from their monastery.

A number of monks have fled across the border into India rather than sign the pledge.”They said that we must support the Panchen Lama recognized by the Chinese government and that we must condemn the Dalai Lama,”one monk told the TIN.

The Panchen Lama is the second most important spiritual figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Last year, the Dalai Lama enraged Beijing by announcing the discovery of a”soul boy,”the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, who died in 1989. Chinese authorities later named and enthroned their own candidate.

Texas church mails thousands of letters urging Clinton’s defeat

(RNS) A Lake Jackson, Texas, church has mailed more than 7,000 letters to voters urging them to defeat President Bill Clinton and other candidates in favor of abortion rights.

Officials at Second Baptist Church consider the mailing to be educational, reported Associated Baptist Press, an independent Baptist news service.”Anyone who has knowledge of what a partial-birth abortion is, and also knows that President Clinton approves of this procedure, and then votes for Mr. Clinton, is guilty before God, just as Mr. Clinton is,”the letter said.

Congress approved a ban of the controversial abortion procedure except in cases that threatened the mother’s life, but the president vetoed it because it did not include an exception for instances that posed a”serious adverse health consequence”to the mother.

The July 20 letter also stated,”Our church is leading a campaign against abortion, and it is our intention that any candidate who endorses abortion will not be elected in November.” A cover letter on Second Baptist Church letterhead said the mailing, which includes information from National Right to Life News about the late-term abortion procedure, is being sent to churches in as many states as possible.

Ronnie Whitehead, associate pastor of the church, said he knew the mailing might prompt inquiries about the church’s tax-exempt status, but he sought legal counsel before sending out the letters.

Phil Strickland, director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, questioned the legality of the church’s action. He compared it to”dancing in quicksand hoping you don’t hit the soft spot.””It is clear that churches can’t support or oppose a specific candidate and remain a tax-exempt organization,”Strickland said.

An Internal Revenue Service spokesman said churches are prohibited from involvement in any political activity and may not support or oppose candidates for public office.

In 1993, a New York church lost its tax-exempt status after it placed newspaper advertisements four days before the 1992 election urging Christians to vote against Clinton. That case is being appealed.

Wisconsin judge continues ban on public funds for religious schools

(RNS) A Wisconsin state judge Thursday (Aug. 15) rejected a request from state officials to lift a court order barring tuition vouchers for use in private religious schools.

Dane County Circuit Judge Paul Higginbotham rejected a request that the state be allowed to begin the voucher program for religious schools, approved by the state legislature, before the start of the school years.

In his ruling, the judge said the Wisconsin state constitution forbids the use of state money for religious instruction even if the money is funneled to the schools through the conduit of parents.”The state cannot do indirectly what it can’t do directly,”Higginbotham’s ruling said.

Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, a strong supporter of the voucher plan, said the state would appeal the ruling and take it all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary.

Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State in Washington, D.C., which, along with the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the program, hailed the ruling.”This is a tremendous victory for church-state separation and public schools,”Lynn said.”This means Wisconsin taxpayers will not be forced to pay for religious instruction.” Thompson, who was attending the GOP convention in San Diego when the ruling came down, told the Associated Press that Higginbotham’s refusal to lift the ban is merely”the first skirmish, but the war isn’t over.” Thursday’s hearing before Higginbotham only concerned lifting the temporary injunction blocking the program’s beginning. He is expected to rule on the merits of the case later this year.

World Methodists name first woman to chair council

(RNS) Frances Alguire, a retired nurse from New Buffalo, Mich., has been elected chairwoman of the World Council, an international agency of Methodist churches with more than 32 million members.

Alguire is the first woman to head the council in its 115-year history.

She has long been active in Methodist affairs and has served on the council’s executive committee since 1981.

At a news conference after her election, Alguire said that she was a product of church summer-camp meetings and was baptized when she answered an altar call as a child.

Alguire, who succeeds the Rev. Donald English of Great Britain, will serve a five year term as president.

Quote of the day: United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert on abortion and choice.

(RNS) During the Republican National Convention, supporters of legal abortion held a worship service not far from the convention hall where delegates gave overwhelming support to a party platform plank calling for a constitutional amendment to ban the procedure. At the service, United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert, president of the National Council of Churches, described abortion as”one of the most volatile and controversial issues.”Because its 33 member churches have diverse views of abortion, the National Council of Churches takes no official position on the issue. As he shared reflections on the meaning of choice, Talbert said he was speaking as an individual and as a leader of his denomination, but not on behalf of the NCC.”My sisters and brothers, to be for `choice’ is to be willing to enter into the pain and struggle of life in the real world, and in the face of that reality choose. It is in this context that we are challenged to face the ambiguity and complexity of conflicting values and judgments. To choose abortion is not a rush to judgment. To choose or not to choose abortion can be the greatest and most difficult decision one can make.”

MJP END RNS