c. 1997 Religion News Service
Four Orthodox Jewish students sue Yale University over housing
(RNS) Four Orthodox Jewish students sued Yale University Wednesday (Oct. 15), saying the school’s campus housing requirement forces them to be exposed to lax sexual attitudes in coed dormitories that violate their faith’s support of modesty and chastity.”Sexual activity involving an unmarried male or female under the age of 18 is common in Yale’s residential college,”their lawsuit states.”If the plaintiffs are required to live in the Yale dormitories, they are likely to witness such activity, or to have firsthand evidence of such activity.” About 60 Orthodox Jewish students attend the Ivy League school in New Haven, Conn. The university requires all freshmen and sophomores to live on campus and does not have single-sex dorms, although the buildings housing freshmen have separate floors for men and women. Sophomores live in single-sex suites where members of the opposite sex sometimes share a bathroom and often live next door.
The students suing Yale say its on-campus housing policy violates their rights of free speech, religious exercise and equal protection under the law, the Associated Press reported.
They are seeking to be relieved of the housing requirement and they want to see the policy declared illegal. The students also hope to be repaid by Yale for rooms they were forced by the school’s policy to rent, but haven’t used.
Last year, two of the students paid $6,850 each to the university _ where tuition alone costs $23,100 _ to maintain a room in a dormitory, even though they actually lived off campus. Despite paying the fee, the students said they were threatened with disciplinary action. This year, they have declined to pay the fee.
A Yale spokesman declined to comment on the suit, but the university has maintained that immersion in dormitory life with a diverse body of students is part of”the Yale experience.”
China maintains independent status of its Catholic church
(RNS) China officially maintained the independent status of its state-backed Catholic church and criticized the Vatican’s”inglorious”role in Chinese history in a statement issued Thursday (Oct. 16).”The Chinese government will, as always, support Chinese Catholicism which holds aloft the banner of patriotism, sticks to the principle of independence and self-management, and stands for selection and ordination of bishops by itself,”China’s State Council said in a policy statement on religion.
The Vatican does not recognize bishops ordained by the Chinese church.
Beijing was ready to create ties with the Vatican if it abandoned official recognition of Taiwan, which China considers to be a renegade province, according to the statement.”The Vatican must not interfere in China’s internal affairs on the pretext of religious affairs,”said the White Paper on Religion.
Even if official ties were established, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which is officially sanctioned by China, would not take orders from the pope, according to the statement.
The statement also harshly criticized Protestant and Catholic missionaries for their treatment of China’s Qing Dynasty, which fell in 1911, and for supporting war as a way to convert the mostly Buddhist country to Christianity, Reuters reported.”While playing an inglorious role in modern Chinese history, Western Catholicism and Protestantism manipulated and controlled Chinese churches, turning them into the appendages to Western religious orders and mission societies,”it stated.
Pope hailed by Catholic leaders on 19th papal anniversary
(RNS) Pope John Paul II is being hailed by Catholic leaders on the 19th anniversary of his election as head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Cardinals, bishops and priests attending a conference at the Vatican sent a message to the pontiff urging him on”to many years.” Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro sent the pope a hand-written message cheering his”19 years which have seen your Holiness a pilgrim of brotherhood and peace, defender of the rights of all, intrepid messenger of fundamental human rights and tireless sower of truth.” The pope returned Oct. 6 from a four-day trip to Brazil, marking his 80th visit outside Italy since he was elected Oct. 16, 1978. His pontificate officially started six days later.”He is healthy, happy and in good spirits,”chief Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said at the end of the Brazil trip.
The pope celebrated his 50th anniversary as a priest in 1996.
But the pontiff shows no sign of easing his globe-trotting schedule. He plans a historic trip to Cuba next January.
In addition, when he marked his 77th birthday in May, John Paul told children that even though he was nearing the”sunset”of his life, he hoped to live to see his 100th birthday.
Baptist World Alliance head willing to work with SBC study group
(RNS) The top official of the Baptist World Alliance says he will work with a special committee of the Southern Baptist Convention studying the denomination’s relations with the global Baptist organization.”We always welcome every opportunity to discuss and share with our member bodies the great things the Lord is doing through our Baptist people worldwide,”Denton Lotz, general secretary of the McLean, Va.,-based alliance, said Oct. 9.
The executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention appointed the ad hoc study committee on Sept. 23.
In a statement issued at that time, SBC President Tom Elliff said the denomination has had”a positive and encouraging”relationship with the BWA, but that recently”questions have arisen regarding perceived changes in the mission, focus and doctrinal positions of the BWA.” Elliff said the study will aim to make sure that Southern Baptists are”fully aware and in accord with their objectives, doctrinal positions and operational procedures.” Lotz, in his statement, declared there haven’t been any changes in his organization’s basic philosophy.”We welcome this opportunity to listen to the concerns of this SBC special study committee and to share with them the constant and unchanging commitment of the BWA to uniting Baptists worldwide in our evangelistic task, social responsibilities, and defense of human rights and religious freedom,”Lotz said.
The SBC has allocated $417,000 to BWA this year, which amounts to about 35 percent of the alliance’s total budget, reported Associated Baptist Press, an independent Baptist news service.
Founded in 1905, the BWA has 191 Baptist unions and conventions as members.
Quote of the Day: Southern Baptist executive Richard Land
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, cheered the decision to mark ABC-TV’s”Ellen”_ a sitcom featuring a lesbian main character _ with a TV-14 rating, which means it may not be appropriate for children younger than 14:”I am delighted that the TV rating system that we earnestly sought is doing what we knew it would do _ flush the camouflaged mind-benders and mind-changers in the media out into the open and reveal their true colors. It’s called honesty in advertising.”
DEA END RNS
