c. 2005 Religion News Service

Religious Conservatives Express Concern Over Korean Stem Cell Research

(RNS) Two leading religious groups expressed concern over reports of scientific advances in South Korea that may make it easier to clone human embryos for stem cell research.

“Up until now, people were beginning to wonder whether human cloning for any purpose was feasible at all. This development makes it feasible enough to be a clear and present danger,” Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of the pro-life activities division of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told The New York Times.

The researchers from Seoul National University wrote about their findings in the journal Science, which was published Friday (May 20).

With the technique created by the researchers, it would be possible to produce embryos that are exact genetic matches of individuals. Supporters of stem cell research and therapeutic cloning think this would make it possible to replace cells that have been damaged by injury or because of disease.

Many groups opposing stem cell research contend that using embryos to treat patients is unethical, since extracting the stem cells kills the embryo.

“We believe a cloned embryo is a human being. We should not be the kind of society that kills our tiniest human beings in order to seek a treatment for older and bigger human beings,” Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, told the Times.

A recent poll commissioned by the bishops’ conference found that more than 77 percent of those questioned did not think scientists should be allowed to create human embryos to be destroyed in scientific research.

That same poll found more than 84 percent of participants think scientists should not be allowed to use cloning to create children for infertile couples.

The survey data from International Communications Research, a Pennsylvania-based research firm, were compiled from responses of more than 1,000 adults through telephone interviews in May and have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The Korean researchers said they do not intend for the method to be used to create babies, which is the fear of many cloning opponents.

_ Yogita Patel

Robertson Says His Comments About Judiciary Were Mischaracterized

(RNS) Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says that he never compared judges to terrorists, and blames “liberal media” and “left-wing groups” for misinterpreting comments he made in a TV interview.

His May 1 interview on ABC News’ “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” sparked criticism from a prominent Chicago judge whose husband and mother were recently murdered.

According to Robertson and a transcript from ABC News, Stephanopoulos asked the religious broadcaster if an “out-of-control judiciary” was a more serious threat than the al-Qaida terrorist organization.

“I really believe that,” Robertson answered. “I think they are destroying the fabric that holds our nation together. There is an assault on marriage. There is an assault on human sexuality.”

When Stephanopoulos asked Robertson about his response, the broadcaster said of the last century, “I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that’s held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings.”

His comments prompted U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow of the Northern District of Illinois to remark at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday (May 18) that “gratuitous attacks on the judiciary, such as the recent statement of Pat Robertson,” should be repudiated.

“Whether liberal or conservative, I have never encountered a judge in the federal judiciary who can remotely be described as posing a threat, as Mr. Robertson said, `probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings,”’ said Lefkow, whose husband and mother were recently murdered. She spoke at a congressional hearing on judge and courthouse security.

“In this age of mass communication, harsh rhetoric is truly dangerous,” she said.

Robertson replied to the judge’s remarks on his “700 Club” television program, saying Lefkow’s comments were based on a “mischaracterization” of his words.

“What I was clearly saying was that over the course of a hundred years, the long-range impact of court decisions can be worse than our current battle against terrorists,” he said. “I never said that judges were terrorists. I never compared them to terrorists. Those were George Stephanopoulos’ words, not mine.”

_ Adelle M. Banks

American Bible Society President to Take Post With College Alma Mater

NEW YORK (RNS) Eugene B. Habecker, the current president of the American Bible Society (ABS), is leaving the New York-based organization to become the 30th president of his alma mater, Taylor University in Indiana.

In an announcement of his resignation, which he described as “bittersweet,” Habecker, 58, said his return to Taylor, an evangelical Christian school, was “not about a diminished passion for the Bible cause, it’s about a calling.”

Lamar Vest, the ABS chairman of the board, praised Habecker’s tenure, saying he had “built an incredible foundation” for the society’s future.

“Under Gene’s helm, ABS’ reputation has grown, not only in America, but around the world, in countries where we continue to lead the way in Bible distribution, youth outreach, literacy and advocacy,” Vest said.

The mission of the society, founded in 1816, is making the Bible widely available throughout the world. Among the initiatives Habecker is credited with are the formation of the new Museum of Biblical Art, formerly the Gallery at the American Bible Society; forging relationships with other groups, including the United Bible Societies; and helping institute 25 Bible societies in the former Soviet Union and in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Habecker’s return to Indiana is a homecoming of sorts in a number of ways. Habecker met his wife, Marylou, while both were students at Taylor, and prior to his taking the helm of the ABS, Habecker had served 10 years as president of Huntington College in Indiana.

Habecker, who graduated from Taylor University in 1968, also holds a degree from Ball State University and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. He also has a law degree from the Temple University School of Law.

Vest said the ABS trustees would begin an international search for Habecker’s successor. Meanwhile, Ken Flanigan, chairman of the Taylor board of trustees, welcomed Habecker’s appointment, describing him as “a godly man, an experienced leader and an outstanding administrator with a passion for equipping the next generation of Christian leaders to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.”

Marylou Habecker, a Taylor trustee, will be stepping down during her husband’s presidency, the university announced.

_ Chris Herlinger

Pope Tells Future Vatican Diplomats to Emulate John Paul II’s Speech

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI told future Vatican diplomats Friday (May 20) to follow the example of the late Pope John Paul II and speak to the hearts of non-Christians as well as Christians.

The German-born pontiff addressed young priests enrolled in the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which trains candidates for posts in Vatican embassies throughout the world. He urged them to “cultivate a missionary longing.”

“All of us have been struck by the fact that, as various apostolic nuncios (ambassadors) have said in their reports, the witness of Pope John Paul II aroused a deep echo in non-Christian countries too,” Benedict said.

Benedict said this confirmed that “where Christ is announced with the coherence of life, he speaks to everyone’s heart, including brothers of other religious traditions.”

“The mission of the church does not conflict with respect for other religious traditions and cultures,” he said. “Christ does not take anything away from man but gives him the gift of the fullness of life, of joy and of hope. You too are called to explain this hope in the various contexts to which Providence will destine you.”

To carry out their mission, the pope said, Vatican diplomats must acquire a solid grounding in languages, history and law “with a wisdom open to other cultures.”

At a still deeper level, Vatican diplomats must display lives of “holiness and salvation of the soul” to everyone with whom they come in contact, Benedict said.

“To that end, try untiringly to be exemplary priests,” he said. “Do not let yourselves ever be tempted by the logic of career and power.”

The Vatican has full diplomatic relations with 174 countries and exchanges representatives with the European Union, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Russian Federation and Palestine Liberation Organization.

_ Peggy Polk

Poll: More in U.S. Find Death Penalty, Embryonic Stem Cell Research OK

(RNS) A survey shows an increasing percentage of Americans consider the death penalty, embryonic stem cell research and having a baby out of wedlock “morally acceptable.”

Seventy percent of Americans _ the highest rate since the Gallup Organization began conducting its Values and Beliefs survey in 2001 _ said the death penalty is morally acceptable. In 2004, 65 percent said it was morally acceptable.

Pollsters also found record-high levels of moral acceptability on the following issues:

_ Medical research using stem cells from human embryos (60 percent).

_ Having a baby out of wedlock (54 percent).

_ Medical testing on animals (66 percent).

_ Buying or wearing clothing made from animal fur (64 percent).

_ Cloning animals (35 percent).

According to the survey, 66 percent of Americans say divorce is morally acceptable and 64 percent of them say gambling is permissible.

The four issues that Americans are least likely to find acceptable are suicide (13 percent), cloning humans (9 percent), polygamy (6 percent) and adultery (5 percent).

Americans are pessimistic that the state of moral values in the country will improve in the future: 77 percent said moral values are getting worse. Only 16 percent said they are improving. These results were the same as last year.

Approximately 20 percent of Americans viewed the general state of moral values in the United States as excellent or good. Forty percent of Americans rated the current state as “only fair” and 39 percent said it was poor.

The survey results are based on telephone interviews with 1,005 adults ages 18 and older throughout the United States from May 2 to 5. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

_ Heather Horiuchi

Quote of the Day: Christian Singer Rebecca St. James

(RNS) “Apart from a return to God’s values encouraged by programs such as Silver Ring Thing and True Love Waits, there is no real definitive answer in convincing young people why they should remain sexually abstinent until marriage.”

_ Grammy Award-winning singer Rebecca St. James, an advocate for sexual abstinence before marriage, commenting on the American Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its funding of Silver Ring Thing, a Pennsylvania-based Christian program.

MO/PH END RNS