c. 1998 Religion News Service
Jewish group reaffirms opposition to school vouchers
(RNS) Following a year-long review, a leading Jewish public policy agency has reaffirmed its opposition to school vouchers, maintaining that the use of taxpayer funds to help students attend private schools would undermine public education.
The action came during the annual meeting of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), which ended Wednesday (Feb. 25) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. JCPA coordinates community relations activities for 13 national and 122 local Jewish groups.
School vouchers _ which enable parents to use tax dollars to help cover their children’s tuition costs at private secular or religious schools _ have long been opposed by most American Jewish organizations.
In recent years, however, political conservative and religiously Orthodox Jews have sought to get the organizations to reverse themselves. These supporters have argued, among other things, vouchers would enable more Jewish parents to send their children to Jewish day schools.
JCPA acknowledged the need to make Jewish schools more afforable, but said vouchers are not the way.
In a policy statement, JCPA said vouchers would”drain precious resources from public school systems (and) result in the best students and/or those with the most actively involved parents being `skimmed’ from public schoolsâÂ?¦”The result would be to further depress public education, said JCPA.
The statement also said that since vouchers would not fully cover tuition costs, only those students whose families can afford to pay the difference would be able to attend private schools.
JCPA also concluded, as it had in the past, that allowing taxpayer dollars to be used for religious school education would violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
Greek Orthodox leader warns dissident groups
(RNS) Archbishop Spyridon of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America _ faced with growing opposition to his leadership _ has warned against dissident church groups he labeled”self-proclaimed arbiters of church governance.” In an encyclical published Wednesday (Feb. 25), Spyridon said”organizations which call the faithful away from the Body of Christ, in order to randomly critique the Body of Christ, are neither edifying to the faithful, nor contribute to building up the unity of the church.” Spryridon said the church”is not comprised of parties, camps and factions, but the many members of the one, united Body of Christ.” While the encyclical mentioned no names, it comes just weeks before a planned Chicago-area meeting that is expected to bring together a number of leading Greek Orthodox dissidents dissatisfied with what they view as Spyridon’s heavy-handed approach.
Some 300 disidents are expected to attend the meeting of Greek Orthodox American Leaders (GOAL) set for March 20-21 in Rosemont, Ill.
Harry Coin, a leader of the what he termed”the loyal opposition,”said it was impossible to discern from the vaguely worded encyclical whether Spyridon’s remarks were aimed directly at GOAL. He noted a number of other Greek Orthodox lay and parish groups have also been critical of Spyridon’s leadership.
Spokesmen for the 1.5-million member archdiocese did not respond to requests by Relgion News Service for further information.
While the encyclical said the church”lovingly encourage(s) every member of our community to speak their mind,”it also urged Greek Orthodox believers to work within the”established order of the archdiocese.””It is of great concern for the church that different groups are attempting to establish themselves as separate and self-proclaimed arbiters of church governance. Some of them have organized themselves outside and above the church as overseers of the life of the church in America,”Spyridon wrote.
Critics have charged Spyridon, 57, who assumed the leadership of the archdiocese in 1996, with wanting to scrap democratic reforms instituted by his predecessor, Archbishop Iakovos, and to stop the Americanization of a Greek Orthodox Church that over the decades has gradually moved away from its Old World roots.
Update: U.S. religious end China visit; Fides charges manipulation
(RNS) American religious leaders Thursday (Feb. 26) ended their 18-day investigation of alleged religious persecution in China amid charges that underground Catholic Chinese believers were forcibly prevented from meeting with the Americans.
The Rev. Don Argue of the National Association of Evangelicals, Roman Catholic Archbishop Theodore McCarrick of Newark, N.J., and Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation arrived in Hong Kong after visiting Tibet, which is occupied by China.
The trio, appointed by the White House, were investigating longstanding claims by some religious officials, human rights groups and others that Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims are routinely persecuted by Beijing.
Religious expression is tightly controlled in China, where people are legally only allowed to join state-sanctioned churches or other religious organizations. However, many others attend underground churches, which are said to be more popular than the state-sanctioned religious organizations.
Fides, the weekly news agency of the Vatican’s Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples, said it received reports that”several”members of China’s underground Catholic Church _ which is loyal to Rome despite Chinese opposition _ were”under police control”and prevented from meeting with the U.S. religious leaders.
Fides said the Americans’ visit had been manipulated by China to enable Beijing to receive favorably publicity.
The Americans have been tightlipped about what they found in China, releasing no details. They are scheduled to issue a report on their trip in mid-March in New York.
Court-appointed monitor hopes not to be a policeman for Ala. schools
(RNS) The court-appointed monitor in charge of enforcing a federal judge’s order dealing with religious activities in public schools in DeKalb County, Ala., says he hopes he won’t have to act as a policeman.
Chriss Doss, a law professor at the Cumberland Law School at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., said he will first give local school officials a chance to develop a system to deal with conflicts.”But in cases where I’m needed, I will step in,”Associated Baptist Press, an independent news service, reported Tuesday (Feb. 24).
Doss has been appointed to enforce a controversial ruling by U.S. District Judge Ira DeMent that blocked vocal prayer, Scripture readings and Bible devotionals in public school classrooms when they are conducted as”school-organized or officially sanctioned”activities. He said school officials, parents and students will be told how to make inquiries or file complaints about religious activities in the schools.
If problems cannot be resolved within the school system he will investigate and report his findings to the judge.
Doss, who thinks DeMent’s decision is”right on target,”hopes education about religious expression”will mitigate some of the problems.” Oliver Thomas and Charles Haynes, authors of”Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Education,”will train school officials about religion in the public school setting.
Thomas, who also is special counsel for the National Council of Churches, and Haynes will work on behalf of The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Christian artist Bob Carlisle wins Best Country Song Grammy
(RNS) Contemporary Christian singer Bob Carlisle walked away with a Grammy Award for Best Country Song for”Butterfly Kisses,”a ballad he co-wrote about a father watching his daughter grow up.
Randy Thomas, a former member with Carlisle of the Christian rock band Allies, also received the honor for co-writing the song.
In addition to Carlisle, country performers Jeff Carson and the Raybon Bros. have performed the song.
Although Carlisle and winners in the gospel categories received their awards outside the televised portion, Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir performed”How Come, How Long?”, a piece that condemns domestic violence, with secular artists Stevie Wonder and Babyface.
Winners in gospel categories included:
Best Rock Gospel Album:”Welcome to the Freak Show: dc Talk Live in Concert,”by dc Talk.
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album:”Much Afraid,”by Jars of Clay.
Best Southern Gospel, Country Gospel or Bluegrass Gospel Album:”Amazing Grace 2: A Country Salute to Gospel,”various artists.
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album:”I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray,”by the Fairfield Four.
Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album:”Brothers,”by Take 6.
Best Gospel Album by a Choir or Chorus:”God’s Property From Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation,”God’s Property.
Muslim activist M.T. Mehdi dies
(RNS) M.T. Mehdi, a controversial and longtime American Muslim activist and an adviser to the radical sheik linked to the World Trade Center bombing, has died.
Mehdi, 70, died Monday (Feb. 23) of cardiac arrest in New York, where he lived.
Born in Iraq, Mehdi was president of the American-Arab Relations Committee and secretary general of the National Council on Islamic Affairs. He was instrumental in getting the Islamic star and crescent symbol displayed during the December holiday period alongside the Christian cross and the Jewish Hanukkah menorah.
He also worked with Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, the Egyptian Muslim leader who was convicted in connection with the World Trade Center bombing.
Mehdi’s approach to activism often drew critizism from Jewish groups because of his harsh attacks on Israel and Jews. Mehdi’s obituary in The New York Times noted he had once said in an interview that”most Jews are sick people and would benefit from Dr. Freud’s couch.”
Quote of the day: Pope John Paul II
(RNS)”At the beginning of Lent, we pray … we can accept God’s invitation for conversion. … Let us pray for our hearts to open up to dialogue with God.” _ Pope John Paul II in an Ash Wednesday statement marking the beginning of the observance of Lent.
END DEA RNS
