c. 1997 Religion News Service
Vatican official calls Buddhism”erotic spirituality” (RNS) The chief custodian of Roman Catholic doctrine has ridiculed the rising appeal of Buddhist practices among Christians, saying the church must do all it can to combat the challenge.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said in an interview with the French news weekly L’Express published Friday (March 21) that”if Buddhism seduces it is because it seems possible to reach the boundless and the bliss without having concrete religious obligations. In that sense it is an erotic spirituality.” Ratzinger reiterated a prediction he said he made years ago: that Buddhism would replace Marxism as the church’s greatest challenge by the year 2000.
The German prelate’s office did not refute the published comments.”It’s causing a lot of conversation in the corridors today,”said a Ratzinger aide.
And not only in the Vatican.
Mariangela Fala, secretary of the Italian Buddhist Union, called the remarks”uninformed and provincial.”She said it would chill dialogue between the church and Italian Buddhists, who are scheduled to hold a conference in May on efforts to improve relations.
Ratzinger, one of Pope John Paul II’s closest advisers, also ridiculed Buddhist and New Age notions of reincarnation that conflict with Christian ideas.
This is not the first time the Vatican has reacted negatively to Buddhism.
The church has become increasingly anxious about the growing attraction of Buddhism, which has been popularized in the West by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, and others.
In 1989, Ratzinger issued a document on Christian meditation that warned the faithful not to stray from accepted models of prayer.
In his book,”Crossing the Threshold of Hope,”the pope called Buddhism a”negative”and”atheistic system.”Buddhism, he said,”offers a doctrine of salvation that seems increasingly to fascinate many Westerners as an `alternative’ to Christianity or as a sort of `complement’ to it.”But, the pope added,”the doctrines of salvation in Buddhism and Christianity are opposed.”
Americans say prime-time TV gives religion short-shrift
(RNS) Most Americans think television does not give enough prime-time attention to religion, according to a new poll commissioned by TV Guide.
The nationwide telephone poll found that 56 percent of those surveyed believe prime-time television doesn’t devote enough attention to religion. Thirty percent said prime-time TV contains the right amount of religious content and 8 percent believe there is too much religion.”Americans, it can be safely said, watch television religiously,”wrote Joanne Kaufman in a special report on”God and Television”to be published in the TV Guide for March 29-April 4.”But when it comes to prime-time viewing, people don’t believe there’s very much of a religious nature to watch.” Asked which of the Ten Commandments was most often violated on television, 32 percent cited the edict prohibiting adultery and 30 percent cited the one against murder.
Twenty percent of survey participants said Montgomery Burns, the amoral tycoon on”The Simpsons,”was the character most destined for hell. Dr. Michael Mancini of”Melrose Place”and the Cigarette Man on”The X-Files”came in second and third, with 15 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
On the positive side, CBS’ drama”Touched by an Angel”was chosen by 66 percent of the respondents as the”most spiritually rich”program, with the sitcom”Family Matters,”coming in at a distant second with 6 percent.
Asked which character they would most like to have a conversation with about God, 49 percent of the respondents chose Tess, the supervising seraph on”Touched by an Angel.”Jerry Seinfeld’s character on”Seinfeld”came in a distant second with 10 percent.
Tess also was chosen by 50 percent of those polled as the character they would most like to see as their child’s Sunday-school teacher. Seinfeld and Dick Solomon (played by John Lithgow) of”3rd Rock from the Sun,”tied as the second choice, each with 6 percent.
Eighty-two percent of those surveyed said they would like to see moral issues addressed more on television and 72 percent said they thought prime-time television had become less moral in the past five years.
The poll of 804 adults was conducted Feb. 21-22 by Peter D. Hart Research Associates of Washington, D.C. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
Officials disagree over calling disasters `acts of God’
(RNS) Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and the state legislature are battling over whether a bill designed to help storm victims should refer to tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters as”acts of God.” Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister, has refused to sign a bill protecting the insurance rights of storm victims because the measure calls destructive storms”acts of God.” In a letter to state lawmakers, the Republican governor said he could not in good conscience sign the bill because he does not believe a law should designate”a destructive and deadly force”as an act of God. “I feel that I have indeed witnessed many `acts of God,’ but I see His actions in the miraculous sparing of life, the sacrifice and selfless spirit in which so many responded to the pain of others,”he said.
Huckabee sent the bill back to the Arkansas legislature, suggesting that the phrase be taken out and substituted with”natural disasters.” On Thursday (March 20), the state House of Representatives refused to remove the words”acts of God,”but instead added to it the phrase”or natural disasters.”The new version will now be considered by the Senate.”We’ve used the term `act of God’ in insurance since there has been insurance _ before there was insurance,”said State Rep. Dennis R. Young, Democratic sponsor of the bill, according to The New York Times.
On March 1, 26 people were killed and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed by tornadoes that swept through Arkansas.
Germans call for international ban on human cloning
(RNS) The German parliament Friday (March 21) unanimously passed a resolution calling for an international ban on the cloning of human beings.
Prompted by the announcement last month that scientists in Scotland had successfully cloned a sheep, German lawmakers went on record stressing that any attempt to clone human beings would violate Germany’s constitution, the Reuter news agency reported. Article One of the German constitution states that”the dignity of man shall be inviolable.” The resolution urged German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to work for international global restrictions against human cloning.
Research Minister Juergen Ruettgers told parliament”there is no research going on in Germany with the aim of cloning human beings.” Ruettgers said some of the arguments in favor of human cloning reminded him of”Nazi barbarism.” According to Reuters, German debate over human cloning has resurrected still sensitive memories of Nazi attempts to scientifically engineer an Aryan”master”race.”A society in which people create other people according to their wishes is no longer based on the foundations of human civilization,”Justice Minister Edzard Schmidt-Jortzig said in a statement to parliament.
Germany has enacted strict laws restricting genetic engineering and other forms of biomedical research.
Church leaders call for end to global `blight’ of racism
(RNS) In a joint statement marking Friday (March 21) as the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, four international Christian organizations called for an end to the continuing global”blight”of racism.”The continuing existence of the blight of racism is an affront to the ministry of Jesus Christ, which was accomplished to reconcile all people to God and to each other,”said the statement.”We view, with deep misgiving, the growing acceptance by individuals and political parties of organizations which promote racist views.” The anti-racism message was signed by World Council of Churches General Secretary Konrad Raiser; Jean Fischer, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches; Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation; and Milan Opocensky, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.
The church leaders, who all have offices in Europe, noted that 1997 has also been proclaimed the European Union Year Against Racism. “Migrants, immigrants and refugees become scapegoats for unemployment, crime and a host of other problems throughout Europe,”the statement said, adding that many”individuals born in Europe of mixed parentage are also discriminated against because of their color.” The statement said that many local churches have been outspoken against continuing racism.”But despite the activities of the international community … racism seems as prevalent, and as diverse, as ever,”it said.
MovieGuide winners:”Touched by an Angel,””The Preacher’s Wife” (RNS) The CBS TV series”Touched by an Angel”and Walt Disney Company’s feature film”The Preacher’s Wife”were the top winners of the Fifth Annual MovieGuide Awards.
The annual awards presentation of the Christian Film and Television Commission, held Wednesday (March 19) in Beverly Hills, Calif., honors feature films and TV shows for their social and spiritual values.
Two Epiphany Prizes, of $25,000 each, will be divided equally among the top responsible filmmakers and executives.
Quote of the day: William R. Mattox Jr. of the Family Research Council
(RNS) Writing in USA Today, William R. Mattox Jr., chairman of the Cultural Renewal Initiative at the Washington-based Family Research Council, said scholarly disagreements will not keep him from celebrating the year 2000 as the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ birth _ even if the actual anniversary day has already passed, as some scholars believe. He said:”I have always been taught that Christ didn’t come just for the fastidious folks who always celebrate special occasions on time, but also for sinners like me who keep the Hallmark line of Belated Birthday Cards in business.”
MJP END RNS
