c. 2007 Religion News Service

Surgeon general nominee opts out of transgender hearing

WASHINGTON (RNS) President Bush’s nominee for surgeon general will recuse himself from his role as head of the United Methodist Church’s top court as it considers a case on transgender clergy.

Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr., whose nomination has stalled over comments he made in 1991 that called gay sex abnormal and unhealthy, said he was concerned his nomination could be an “unnecessary and unproductive distraction” to the court’s business.

“In order to maintain the integrity of the proceedings of the Judicial Council and in order for Council members to focus solely on the cases in front of them, I have chosen not to participate in the meeting,” he said.

While Holsinger said he remains “dedicated to fulfilling” his role as president of the Judicial Council, he said “this is a time in which my service to the Council can best be demonstrated by my absence.”

During its meeting this week (Oct. 24-27) in San Francisco, the court will review Baltimore-Washington Bishop John Schol’s decision earlier this year to reappoint the Rev. Drew Phoenix, a transgender pastor who was formerly the Rev. Ann Gordon.

Although the United Methodist Church does not appoint actively gay ministers, Schol reappointed Phoenix because the church has no explicit rules against transgender clergy.

In 1991, Holsinger, a current professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky and former leader of Kentucky’s health care system, wrote a paper describing gay sex as abnormal and unhealthy, which has since been criticized by gay and lesbian groups.

During a July confirmation hearing, senators grilled Holsinger about that paper. Holsinger said the paper was primarily written in response to questions from a church committee and does not represent his current viewpoint on the issue.

_ Heather Donckels

Faith groups rally to aid victims of California fires

SAN DIEGO (RNS) Buddhist nuns, Mormons and Salvation Army volunteers were among the hundreds of volunteers distributing food and blankets to Californians seeking shelter from the state’s runaway wildfires.

“In the human being, we are the same; we would like to share so that they are not so lonely,” said the Venerable Tien Lien, one of six Vietnamese Bhikkhuni Buddhist nuns who handed out $2,000 worth of canned food at Qualcomm Stadium, the temporary home to thousands of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes.

Wal-Mart sent 27 tractor-trailer trucks to the stadium with tents, folding chairs, cots and food. Volunteers not affiliated with any church groups simply showed up at Qualcomm to work on distribution lines overflowing with granola bars, toothbushes and sun block. A small box of Bibles stood next to stadium bins of dog-eared magazines and Louis L’Amour novels.

“There’s a coordination with lots of not-for-profit groups,” American Red Cross president Mark Everson said as he toured the stadium. “The Red Cross has five shelters in the San Diego area but there are 14 others. You really see quite a number of groups lending a hand.”

Volunteer nurse Denise Mann came to the stadium energized by classic Mormon tenets of helping neighbors. “I’m here with, like, three girls from my (church) ward,” she said. “It’s like there’s more volunteers than there are people to stay here.”

Everson said the crime-free Qualcomm living arrangements showed that lessons were learned from 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, when the New Orleans Superdome football stadium spawned horrific, violent refugee living conditions.

“What happened a couple of years ago in the Gulf wasn’t a good model and I think Americans, particularly here, are anxious to show that they’re gonna pitch in and help each other,” he said.

A Chabad synagogue near the fire line in northern San Diego County saw its rabbi commandeer a lunch truck from Los Angeles to feed the stadium masses. “All kosher, for Jews and non-Jews!” said Rabbi Levi Raskin of Chabad Rancho Santa Fe, which so far has escaped the fires.

At least two evangelical Christians made balloon animals for children sleeping at Qualcomm; taxi driver Christopher Ward, 42, skipped work Tuesday to put on clown’s face paint and do magic tricks while sporting a small button reading “I clown for Jesus.”

“If we feel in our heart that we should do something and we don’t do it,that’s a sin,” said Ward. But like virtually every other religious volunteer interviewed, Ward said he wasn’t there to proselytize.

“This isn’t a time to preach,” he said. “This is a time to lend a helping hand.”

_ David Finnigan

Oklahoma lawmakers refuse free Qurans

OKLAHOMA CITY (RNS) At least 17 Oklahoma lawmakers have refused gift copies of the Quran offered in honor of the state’s centennial by the Governor’s Ethnic American Advisory Council.

Marjan Seirafi-Pour, the council’s chairwoman, upset some lawmakers when she sent them an e-mail that said “the Holy Quran is the record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad.”

State Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, voiced objection to the gift, characterizing Islam as a violent religion. “Most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of theology,” Duncan said.

At least 16 other lawmakers _ all but one are Republicans _ joined Duncan in declining a copy of the Muslim holy book with the Oklahoma centennial seal and the elected official’s name imprinted on it, The Oklahoman and the Tulsa World reported.

But other lawmakers said they would welcome the gift from faithful Muslims.

“It’s a matter of intellectual exercise and understanding what’s going on in the world,” state Rep. Bill Nations, D-Norman, told the Norman Transcript. “All Muslims are not our enemies, just some radical ones, which are the problems.”

Jim Mishler, the executive director of Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, said lawmakers’ refusal to accept the Quran reveals “an appalling lack of awareness of religious history.”

“Most religious communities have had zealots who have acted violently out of their take on their scriptures, including our own Christian community,” Mishler told the Tulsa World. “We need to recognize that, and to affirm that we’re never going there again, and to invite Muslims of goodwill to continue the clarity of their comments that (terrorists) do not represent them.”

Muslim leaders said the idea for the gift came from Centennial Bibles, which the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma gave to lawmakers earlier this year.

The Rev. Anthony Jordan, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention, said he had no problem with lawmakers refusing the Centennial Qurans.

“America’s laws find their roots in the Holy Bible,” Jordan said in a written statement. “The freedom to openly practice faith, without discrimination, is one of the beautiful tenets of the American way. Likewise, true freedom provides the right to refuse the generosity of others.”

_ Bobby Ross Jr.

Quote of the Day: Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd

(RNS) “You look at some of the moves we made and didn’t make. You look at some of the games we’re winning. Those aren’t just a coincidence. God has definitely had a hand in this.”

_ Dan O’Dowd, general manager of the Colorado Rockies, in an interview with USA Today as the team prepares to face the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

KRE/PH END RNS