Complete Blog Index

Christian Animal Rights Movements Seeks Supporters
Sharpton Continues to Lash Out at Mormons
Sharpton Is an Anti-Mormon Bigot
Media Shows Bias in Kent State Coverage
Sharpton Has No Right to Slam Imus
Purim Reflections: It Happened Again
Finding the Art of Joy
A Father's Tribute to His Late Son
Why Does Pope See Bob Dylan as False Prophet?
In San Diego, a Disingenous Start to Lent
Master of the Jinn, by blog contributor Irving Karchmar, is now available as an e-book.
Is Ted Haggard on the Straight and Narrow?
No War on Christmas? Think About It
Pat Robertson Claims Super Strength By Lisa Haddock
McKellen Lambastes Vatican; Critics Pan 'Code' By Lisa Haddock
Putting 'DaVinci Code' Outrage in Context By Lisa Haddock
'DaVinci Code' Looms on Film Horizon By Lisa Haddock
Meeting the Master (A True Story) By Irving Karchmar
Read Samples of My Published Work
What's So Bad About the March of Dimes?
Novel Explores Sufi Mysticism By Irving Karchmar
Baptist Press Addresses Gay Sex Scandal
Ding, Dong NBC's 'Book of Daniel' is Dead
Gay Marriage Foe Accused of Lewdness
Shut the 'Book of Daniel' By Lisa Haddock
Stopping the Tragedy of Modern Slavery
Why Did Child Molesters Remain on the Altar?
Nation of Islam Beliefs vs. Mainstream Islam By Lisa Haddock
Farrakhan's Baggage: What's All the Fuss? By Lisa Haddock
A Kinder, Gentler Louis Farrakhan? By Lisa Haddock
How Much More Can U.S. Catholics Take? By Lisa Haddock
Seasons of Faith and Fasting
Healing With Animals By Jan Fredericks
Gays Said to Dominate Seminaries
Will Barring Gay Priests Solve Abuse Problem? By Lisa Haddock
Sex-Abuse Victims Suffer Legal Setback
Beyond the High Holidays By Rabbi Baruch Price
Victims’ Group Weighs in on Sex Abuse Report
Cardinal’s Remarks Upset Catholic Reformers By Lisa Haddock
Cardinals Implicated in Sex Abuse Cover-up By Lisa Haddock
Investigation Targets Unitarians, Racism By Lisa Haddock
Archbishop Wants Seminaries to Bar Gays By Lisa Haddock
Faith Demands Compassion Toward Animals By Dr. Richard Schwartz
PETA Ad Blitz Angers Religious Groups By Lisa Haddock
New Orleans: A Disaster Waiting to Happen By Nancy Palmstrom, M.S.
Where is God When Disaster Strikes? By the Rev. Charles Austin
Is Racism to Blame for Hurricane Response?
Venezuelan Blasts President Chavez By Jackie
Robertson Apologizes for Chavez Remarks By Lisa Haddock
Pat Robertson Stands His Ground
Robertson Calls for Political Assassination By Lisa Haddock
Demonizing the Enemy Subverts Peace Process By Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen

Archives

Passover Reflections on Oppression By Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen
Should Jerusalem Temple Be Rebuilt? By Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen
Other Views on Gaza Pullout
Synagogue Burnings Compared to Nazi Pogrom
Palestinians Speak Out on Gaza Burnings
Palestinians in Gaza Torch Synagogues By Lisa Haddock
Is Gaza Pullout a Victory for Islam?
Newsweek Explains the Real Problem in Iran
Reality TV Ups the Ick Ante By Lisa Haddock
Pope Warns Against 'Do-It-Yourself' Faith By Lisa Haddock
New Support for Girls Who Choose Modesty By Lisa Haddock
Justice Comes Too Late for Georgia Woman By Lisa Haddock
Another Scandal for Catholic Church By Lisa Haddock
Anti-Gay Preacher Pickets Soldiers’ Funerals By Lisa Haddock
Pro-life Group Targets Planned Parenthood Donors By Lisa Haddock
Presbyterians Push Cure for Mideast Tension By Lisa Haddock
ABC’s 'Brat Camp' Misuses Native American Spirituality By Lisa Haddock
Counselor Has Misgivings About 'Brat Camp' By Jan Fredericks
Christian Group Targets Pro-Gay Companies By Lisa Haddock
Tears of Mourning on the 9th of Av By Lisa Haddock
Grappling With the Problem of Evil By Mark D.R. Stern
International Slave Trade – Where’s the Outrage? By Lisa Haddock
Peace Comes From the Almighty By Rabbi Baruch Price
Applying the Torah to today's terrorist attacks
Free Speech or Discrimination? By Lisa Haddock
A university employee is punished for voicing religious views on homosexuality
Islamic Court Condemns Gay Nigerian to Death By Lisa Haddock
Students Should be Taught 'A Lot of Science' By Gregory J. Rummo
Intelligent design belongs in the classroom.
Pope Benedict XVI on Evolution
Catholic Urges Compassion for Animals By Jan Fredericks
The Unleavened Imagination By Ruchama King Feuerman
A novelist explores "Who is an outsider" in Jewish fiction
Tripping Over Jefferson's 'Wall of Separation' By Gregory J. Rummo
Fair journalists are a rare breed in today's newsrooms

Passover Reflections on Oppression

By Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen

SHABBAT SHALOM FROM TEMPLE BETH TIKVAH
Wayne, N.J.
TORAH PORTION:
Shabbat Hol HaMoed Pesah

HAGGADAH:
A tale is told of Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon, that they were reclining at the seder service in B’nai Brak, and they spent the entire night telling the story of the exodus from Egypt, until the sun came up and their pupils came to them and said, “Teachers, it is time for morning prayer.”

COMMENTARY:
On Seder night we do not stick to the facts of the biblical story. Taking our cue from the five rabbis of Bnai Brak who went on all night, we are urged to expand on the Torah’s version of the Exodus. .... The Hagaddah includes one classic version of midrash, the rabbinic art of interpretation, but the door is open to innnovations.

LESSON:
The significance of the seder celebration lies in two factors:

1) Our ability to empathize with the feelings of the oppressed, beginning with our own ancestors in Egypt.
2) Our ability to apply the lessons of empathy to recognize where redemption is needed in the contemporary world, and to devise strategies for bringing about that redemption.

The text of the haggadah gives our heart an opening to empathy.

Our discussion of the text around the table is our opportunity to convert empathy into concern and hence to action.

For example, the five rabbis at Bnai Brak were planning the Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire in the time of Emperor Hadrian, their response to Hadrian’s persecution of the Jews and, most outrageously, Hadrian's plan to rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city, Aelia Capitolina.

In our day there are still oppressors against the Jews, and there are still those who enslave others around the world.

At our seder table we might expound on the Exodus by considering the enslavement and oppression of the black Africans of the southern Sudan in Darfur. We might consider the anti-Semitism of the radical left in America and Western Europe, which disguises itself as humanitarian concern for Palestinians, but which in practice is just another form of hate-mongering. At our seder table we might consider the seemingly intractable problem of political and social relations between the Western secular world and the Islamic world.

How can we bring peace or at least accommodation between these two world-views, thus advancing the redemption?

These are just a few thoughts. In what other ways might we also expand on the story of the Exodus as we recline at our seder this year?

Return to Current Issues and Controversies

Other Views on Gaza Pullout

"About Disengagement"

The Anti-Defamation League

"The Disengagement That Isn't"

Iviews.com

To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Synagogue Burnings Compared to Nazi Pogrom

Read Paula Stern's article "The Face of Islamic Religious Intolerance."

Israpundit.com

To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Palestinian Speak Out About Gaza Burnings

Varied views from Arabs are expressed in this Al Jazeera news account:

Aljazeera

Official Palestinian positions and policies:

Palestinian National Authority

To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Anti-Gay Preacher Pickets Soldiers’ Funerals

The Rev. Fred Phelps displaying signs at a funeral protest.

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

The Rev. Fred Phelps, head of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., is known for in-your-face, no-holds-barred protests against homosexuality. His latest tactic is to protest at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq.

On a flyer distributed at an Army sergeant’s funeral, Phelps states: “Thank God for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).” These weapons are used to attack coalition forces in Iraq.

Phelps’ flyer states that because a bomber attacked his church, God is now punishing American soldiers in the field. “God Himself has become America’s terrorist, killing Americans in strange lands.”

Ultimately, God is targeting the U.S. because of its tolerance of homosexuality, Phelps states.

To learn more about Phelps and his church, click below. (Warning: This site contains language and images that might be considered crude and offensive.)

Phelps’ site
To read Anti-Defamation League’s opinion of Phelps, click below:

ADL
To read Topeka Capital-Journal articles about Phelps, click below:

Capital-Journal
To read Southern Baptist statement on Phelps, click below:

Baptist Press

Note: Phelps' church is not affiliated with the Southern Baptist denomination.

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Palestinians in Gaza Torch Synagogues

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

After the pullout of Israeli troops on Monday (Sept.12), Palestinians flooded into abandoned Jewish settlements and set synagogues on fire, the Associated Press reported.

Palestinian police stood by as crowds wrecked the buildings and fired guns into the air in celebration of Israel’s withdrawal. One officer was quoted as saying that the people had a right to do what they were doing.

The houses of worship were the only buildings left standing after the pullout. The Israeli government had bulldozed houses and other structures and had intended to raze the synagogues. But rabbis pressed the government not to do so; the rabbis sought international or Palestinian protection for the buildings. The Palestinian Authority refused.

The U.S. criticized the Israelis for failing to demolish the synagogues themselves; failure to destroy the buildings would make the Palestinians look bad, no matter what they did, the U.S. said.

Meanwhile, the Guardian, a British paper, reported that Hamas is claiming that their terrorist measures forced the Israeli departure. One Hamas poster in Gaza proclaimed: "We are celebrating the victory of the bomb."

To read the Associated Press story, click below:

AP Report, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

To read the Guardian story, click below:

The Guardian

To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Should Jerusalem Temple Be Rebuilt?

By Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen
Aug. 30, 2005
Temple Beth Tikvah, Wayne, N.J.

TORAH PORTION: RE’EH
TORAH:
Look only to the place that Ad-nai your God will choose amidst all your tribes to reside, to establish God’s name there. There you are to go, and there you are to bring your burnt offerings and other sacrifices ... (Deut. 12:4b-5a)

COMMENTARY:
It is a mitzvah from the Torah to build God’s Temple in Jerusalem. Why, then, don’t we rebuild the Temple? The law is that we only need fulfill this mitzvah when the majority of the Jewish people are living in the Land of Israel. But if that is so then why did our ancestors build the Second Temple in the time of the Persian Empire? We are taught that the righteous bring salvation to themselves and to others as well. Those righteous Jews who returned from exile in Babylon fulfilled the mitzvah for their brothers and sisters scattered amongst the nations. We do not consider ourselves to be so righteous, however, and so we leave our Temple unbuilt. - based on the Yeshuot Malko, quoted in Itturei Torah 6:85

LESSON:
Will there ever be a third Temple in Jerusalem? The traditional Jewish belief is that when the Messiah comes he will rebuild the Temple. Until that time, the Jews are not to take matters into our own hands. Some Jews believe that there will never be another Temple, that prayer, Torah study and mitzvah have replaced sacrifice forever, and this pleases God more. Some Jews believe that the modern State of Israel is, so to speak, the Third Temple. I am one of these Jews.

Read more of this article
Return to Current Issues and Controversies

Students Should Be Taught "a Lot of Science"

By Gregory J. Rummo
(Copyright Greg Rummo, All Rights Reserved)

This appeared in the Sunday New Jersey Herald on July 17, 2005. It also appears on the American Family Association Web site.

American Family Association

Earlier this year, the issue of teaching alternate theories for the origins of life in the public schools in the state of Kansas bobbed to the surface once again.

The crux of the controversy was explained in the school board’s Recommendations for Further Revision to the Second Draft of Kansas Science Education Standards: “…[A] disagreement continues to exist within the Science Writing Committee with respect to very substantive issues relating to the inherently controversial issue of teaching students about the origin of life and its diversity. There is general agreement that standard biological evolutionary theory must be presented. However, Draft 2 continues to implicitly discourages (sic) any critical analysis of the theory that would ‘weaken’ it. This implication is reinforced by the absence of any learning objective that would inform students of important evidence inconsistent with evolution’s critical assumptions and historical narratives. This is in spite of agreed upon standards that explicitly state that students should critically analyze all scientific theories and consider competing alternatives.”

To read MORE click below:

More

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Grappling With the Problem of Evil

By Mark D.R. Stern
Public School Educator

Many people believe that God is simultaneously omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and compassionate. If all of these are true, then why would God let bad things happen to good people?

This is a question that has forever captured the imaginations of philosophers, theologians, and thinking people in general. The rational conclusion is: God is not omnipotent or God does not care. You have to abandon one to keep the faith.

In the 1939 novel “As a Driven Leaf” by Rabbi Milton Steinberg (1903-1950), the book’s protagonist concludes God does not care. In the 1981 book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” Rabbi Harold S. Kushner (born Brooklyn, N.Y., mid-1930s) chose a caring God who is not omnipotent. Fundamentalists say that when God lets the faithful down, it is a test: hence the book of Job (the oldest confrontation of the paradox). If you are wrestling with these issues, these two books are a great place to examine the problem of evil.

For more information about “As a Driven Leaf,” click below:

Steinberg

For more information on “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” click below.

Kushner

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Newsweek Explains The Real Problem in Iran

The problem in Iran goes far beyond its desire to make nuclear weapons, according to Amir Taheri of Newsweek. The Islamic nation is determined to reshape the Middle East in its image.

Read Taheri’s article:

Newsweek International
To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Pope Warns Against ‘Do-It-Yourself’ Faith

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

“Religion sought on a ‘do-it-yourself’ basis cannot ultimately help us,” Pope Benedict XVI preached at the final Mass during World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany.

“It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves,” the pontiff said during his Sunday (Aug. 21) homily, which focused on the Eucharist.

“Freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness, so that we ourselves can become true and good. This gesture is necessary even if initially our yearning for freedom makes us inclined to resist it,” the pope said to the hundreds of thousands of young people in his audience.

Submission to God brings true freedom, Pope Benedict said. “He to whom we submit is Love. In this way submission acquires a meaning, because it does not impose anything on us from the outside, but liberates us deep within.”

He urged the young people to study their faith by reading The Catechism of the Catholic Church. But knowledge is not enough. He urged them to build communities based on faith.

To read about the closing Mass, click below:

CNN

Catholic News Service
To read the pope’s homily, click below:

Vatican Web site
To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Reality TV Ups the Ick Ante

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

When it comes to reality TV, it’s hard to tell when a new low has been achieved.

After all, Fox’s “Cops” (now in its 18th season) has shown law officers tangling with assorted lowlifes: drunks, wife-beaters, psychos, crack heads, and various mullet-wearing, toothless criminals.

Since 2001, NBC’s “Fear Factor” has broadcast gag-producing stunts -- forcing contestants to eat pureed insects and even live snails.

And this year, the Discovery Channel launched “Dirty Jobs.” High on the TMI (too much information) scale was the episode showing host Mike Rowe inseminating a mare.

But “Big Brother” producer John de Mol may have set the bar higher or lower – depending your perspective. He is planning "I Want Your Child ... and Nothing Else!" The series will focus on a woman’s search for a sperm donor. The show will be shown in the Netherlands on De Mol’s new Talpa network. I send regrets to our Dutch friends.

I’m as guilty as the next person. I have watched “The Osbournes,” “Family Plots,” “The Anna Nicole Show,” “Brat Camp,” “Intervention,” “Celebrity Fit Club,” “Nanny 911” – and innumerable crime documentaries. But where are our morals when we watch people degrade and expose themselves – all for a little fame and cash? Sometimes, it’s too much for me and I switch channels. But I admit it’s harder to trigger my ick response.

To read Reuters story about De Mol, click below:

CNN
To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Is Gaza Pullout a Victory for Islam?

Above, a Hamas poster issued during Israel's pullout from Gaza states: "Our Koran proves that we were right and your Talmud proves that you were wrong." A smiling Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Hamas founder and leader (right), is juxtaposed against a photo of a grieving observant Jew. Israeli helicopters used missiles to assassinate Yassin in 2004.

Read article by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook. Search for headline "Palestinians: Gaza Withdrawal is Victory for Islam"

Palestinian Media Watch

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Justice Comes Too Late for Georgia Woman

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

The state of Georgia has pardoned Lena Baker, an African-American woman executed 60 years ago for killing a white man, a government spokeswoman stated Monday (Aug. 15).

In her one-day trial before an all-male, all-white jury, Baker claimed that she had shot the man in self-defense. Baker, who was a maid, was hired to care for E.B. Knight. Knight held Baker against her will in a grist mill and threatened her with a gun, the maid said in court. According to her testimony, Baker got control of the gun, and Knight came after her with a metal bar; that's when she fatally shot him.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles found that its decision to deny Baker clemency "was a grievous error, as this case called out for mercy," the spokeswoman said.

We may think we've come a long way from the overt racism that pervaded U.S. society in Lena Baker's day. But statistics kept since 1977 show that the attitudes that sent Baker to the electric chair still influence the justice system. In short, the penalty is harsher when the victim is white, especially if the perpetrator is black. African-Americans make up 50 percent of U.S. murder victims. But in 81 percent of capital cases, the victim is white. Since 1977, 12 whites have been killed for killing black victims; 202 blacks have been executed for killing white victims. A total of 979 people, 330 of them black, have been executed in the U.S. since 1977.

Why does our justice system continue to value white lives over black lives? It's a question all of us should be asking.

To read Associated Press story posted on CNN.com, click below.

Pardon

To find more death penalty statistics, click below:

Death Penalty Information Center

To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

New Support for Girls Who Favor Modesty

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

Wendy Shalit, author of “Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue,” recently established a Web site to help young women follow principles laid out in her book.

The site urges visitors: “Join forces with other young women who are tired of power struggles between the sexes. Believe in the possibility of real intimacy.”

The site’s mission statement says: “Modesty Zone is an informal community of young women who don’t have a voice in the mainstream media.

“Whether you’re a virgin waiting until marriage, or just against casual sex more generally, you can find a safe harbor here to share your ideals, interests, and goals for the future."

Amazon.com says about Shalit’s book: “In an age when women are embarrassed by sexual inexperience, when sex education is introduced as early as primary school, and when women suffer more than ever from eating disorders, stalking, sexual harassment, and date rape, Shalit believes a return to modesty may place women on equal footing with men.”

To learn more about the Web site, click below:

Modesty

To learn more about Shalit’s book, click below:

Amazon.com

To return to index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Another Scandal for Catholic Church

Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

When will it end?

The wave of sexual scandals in the U.S. Catholic Church is rolling on and on and on.

Yet another sordid story has surfaced. And I’m not even talking about the female Catholic schoolteacher accused of improper sexual behavior with four teenage boys at Christian Brothers Academy in Colonie, N.Y.

This time, a prominent Manhattan priest has been accused of having an affair with his secretary, the New York Times and several other media outlets are reporting.

The priest, Monsignor Eugene V. Clark, 79, resigned his post as rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday (Aug. 11), The Journal News reported. In any Catholic diocese, the cathedral is the bishop’s church. But the rector runs the church on behalf of the bishop -- in this case Cardinal Edward Egan. Clark will not be allowed to say Mass until the Archdiocese of New York has completed an investigation.

The accusations came to light in court papers filed by Philip DeFilippo of Westchester County, N.Y. DeFilippo says he has a videotape showing his wife, Lauren, 46, and the priest checking into and out of a Long Island motel. Stills from the video have appeared on television news programs. Ironically, Clark performed the couple’s wedding 20 years ago. DeFilippo is in the process of divorcing his wife.

Lauren DeFilippo and Clark deny the allegations.

Clark frequently appears on the Catholic television network EWTN. The network has placed Clark's program on hiatus.

In 2002, Clark argued that immorality prevalent in U.S. society was largely to blame for the priest pedophilia scandal. He also faulted seminaries for admitting gay men.

To read EWTN press release about Clark, click below.

EWTN

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Tears of Mourning on the Ninth of Av

The second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.
By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

The 9th of Av (Tisha B’Av) is a solemn day on the Jewish calendar. On this date, the ancient Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed – twice. Jews mark this day (which this year runs from sundown Aug. 13 to sundown Aug. 14) with mourning and fasting.

A story is told about Napoleon passing a synagogue on the 9th of Av. He questioned his aides about why the people inside were mourning. He was told they were grieving the loss of the Temple.

Napoleon replied: "If the Jews are still crying after so many hundreds of years, then I am certain the Temple will one day be rebuilt!"

To learn more about Tisha B’Av, visit Aish.com:

Aish

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Presbyterians Push Cure for Mideast Tension

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor
The Presbyterian Church (USA) announced Aug. 5 that it will pull its investments out of five companies that it says serve the militaristic goals of either the Palestinians or Israelis. Caterpillar, Citigroup, ITT Industries, Motorola and United Technologies are on the hit list. Four of the five companies supply the Israeli military. Citigroup is accused of helping route funds to suicide bombers.

The Presbyterian announcement said, in part: “Church policy calls for corporate engagement to be a phased and selective endeavor, using dialogue, shareholder action, and as a last resort, divestment, as distinct phases in the process of working with companies to bring about change which reflects the mission of the Church.”

Some Jewish leaders oppose the action. In an earlier statement about the divestment issue, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews said: “Why should Jews care about criticism of Israel leveled by a mainline denomination that represents a relatively small number of Christians? First, because Jews believed these people shared their values and would stand with them through thick and thin. After all, Jews represent less than 2 percent of the population, and need all the friends they can get. They were, accordingly, most grateful for the friendship of this well-regarded mainline constituency. Second, because the U.S. Jewish community fears -- rightly, I believe -- a snowball effect as other denominations jump on the anti-Israel bandwagon. We already are seeing this in the Episcopal Church’s decision to consider divestment from Israel and in reports that the United Church of Christ and other denominations are doing likewise. And third, for the PCUSA to insinuate that Israel in any way resembles a racist, pariah state like apartheid-era South Africa is inexcusable, and deeply offensive to Jews.”

To read Presbyterian statement, click below:

PCUSA

To read Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein’s statement, click below:

IFCJ

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Pro-life Group Targets Planned Parenthood Donors

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

Life Decisions International of Washington, D.C., has added several new companies to its list of Planned Parenthood Federation of America donors. Life Decisions asks supporters to boycott companies that donate to Planned Parenthood.

According to a story released on Aug. 3 by LifeNews.com, Ernst and Young, Merck, Time Warner, Wells Fargo, Neiman Marcus, Oracle, Epic Systems, Emmis Communications, and Highsmith were added to Life Decision’s list. As of Aug. 8, this action had been reported by pro-life groups and Women’s eNews, which describes itself as a source “covering issues of particular concern to women and providing women's perspectives on public policy.”

To read MORE click below:

More

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Counselor Has Misgivings About “Brat Camp”

By Jan Fredericks
Licensed Professional Counselor
Founder, God’s Creatures Ministry

(This piece was originally written as a comment on “ABC’s ‘Brat Camp’ Misuses Native American Spirituality.)

When I watched “Brat Camp,” I wondered how breaking the will of teenagers by obeying adults would make them better people. After reading this article it seems that we are teaching them to disrepect the Native Indians' deep-rooted culture. I wonder how these teens' self-esteem is better off (permanently), when real life begins after leaving this made up adventure.
They are at a point in life when they are trying to figure out who they are and what life is about. Not only does the show exploit the sacredness of the Indians' beliefs, but it is another made-up reality show with counselors who are combining vacationing with “work.”

To read MORE click below:

More

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

ABC’s “Brat Camp” Misuses Native American Spirituality

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

I am from Oklahoma, the heart of Native American country. Oklahoma was once Indian Territory, and some 70 tribes from all over the country live in my home state.

I’m not a Native American, but I did grow up with Indian kids, and I learned a fair amount about their cultures. As you see in the photo above, I am standing next to the sign marking entry into Oklahoma. And for those of you who don’t know, the symbol in the sign is the Osage battle shield.

That’s why I am disturbed by the recent “naming ceremony” on the ABC reality show “Brat Camp,” which airs at 8 and 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

To read MORE click below:

More

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

The Unleavened Imagination

By Ruchama King Feuerman
(This article originally appeared in The Jewish Week in February 2005. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.)

In Wendy Shalit’s essay, “The Observant Reader,” which appeared in the New York Times Book Review, I was described, along with Risa Miller, as an insider’s insider – one who writes from the inside of Orthodox Judaism. Other writers were described as outsiders masquerading as insiders.

What is an insider? What is an outsider? This is a discussion which is complex and frustrating.

To read MORE click below:

More

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Christian Group Targets Pro-Gay Companies

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

The American Family Association (AFA) announced a consumer alert targeting the top 10 pro-gay U.S. companies.

In an announcement released July 14, AFA chairman Donald E. Wildmon stated: “These are companies which endorse and financially support the homosexual lifestyle, including homosexual marriage.”

While not directly calling for a boycott, Wildmon stated: “We will continue urging our supporters to voice their disapproval of these companies financing the homosexual agenda and same-sex marriage and encourage them to consider this information when making consumer decisions.”

The companies targeted by AFA are Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor Co., Citigroup, D&T USA, PepsiCo, Merck & Co., Kaiser Permanente, Visteon Corp., Allstate Insurance, and Coca-Cola.

The list comes from the Web magazine DiversityInc., which on May 31, 2005, announced the Top 50 companies for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered workers.

Diversity Inc.’s editorial mission “is to provide education and clarity on the business benefits of diversity.” It is based in Washington, D.C., and New Brunswick, N.J.

The AFA is a conservative Christian group based in Tupelo, Miss. “The American Family Association exists to motivate and equip citizens to change the culture to reflect Biblical truth,” the group’s mission statement says.

To learn more visit:

American Family Association

DiversityInc.

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

International Slave Trade – Where’s the Outrage?

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

Do you think slavery is a relic of the past?

Think again.

Around the world, roughly 27 million people—including 8.4 million children—are trapped into lives of slavery by threat of violence. By comparison, that's the combined populations of New Jersey and New York state. According to the CIA, 100,000 slaves live in the U.S. The typical U.S. slave is lured from a poor nation with a promise of a good job. Upon arrival, organized crime ring members force captives to work as prostitutes, domestics, garment workers, and farm hands.

To read MORE click below.

More

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Peace Comes From the Almighty, Not From Humanity

By Rabbi Baruch Price
Director, Jewish Learning Experience, Teaneck

Weekly Torah Portion Explanation
This week we read the Torah portion of "Pinchas" (Numbers 25:10-30:1). It contains 6 positive commandments (“do’s”) and 168 verses.

Our portion begins with G-d rewarding Pinchas, grandson of Aaron, with priesthood. This reward is referred to as a “covenant of peace”.

What did Pinchas do to receive this “peace prize”?

Last week’s Torah portion concluded with a tragic episode. Some among the Children of Israel were seduced by Moabite and Midianite women and worshipped an idol. One leader from the tribe of Shimon had the temerity to engage in a sexual act with a Midianite woman in the presence of Moses and the entire assembly. The shock appears to have paralyzed the bewildered audience. Pinchas stood up, grabbed a spear and skewered the couple in flagrante delicto.

We are presented with a great paradox: an act of brutal violence is rewarded with a covenant of peace! The man, Zimri, had certainly committed an outrage, but was the retribution commensurate with the crime?

To read MORE click below.

More

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Free Speech or Discrimination?

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

Is it fair for a university to punish an employee for articulating his religious beliefs about homosexuality?

The Record of Hackensack, N.J., reported July 21 that a William Paterson University employee was censured for describing a film about a lesbian relationship as a perversion.

The controversy began in March when a Hackensack resident who repairs computers at the state university in Wayne complained after he received a university-wide, unsolicited e-mail promoting a lesbian-themed film named “Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House.”

The computer tech, who is a 68-year-old Muslim, asked the women’s studies professor promoting the film “not to send me any mail about ‘Connie and Sally’ or ‘Adam and Steve.’ These are perversions,” The Record reported. The computer worker further lamented: “The absence of God in higher education brings on confusion.”

The professor forwarded the Muslim’s e-mail to the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity. She stated that she regarded the tech’s comments as threatening.

After the incident was investigated in June, university President Arnold Speert reprimanded the Muslim employee on the grounds that he had violated a state policy against harassment. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education appealed the Muslim employee’s case to State Attorney General Peter Harvey, who backed Speert’s decision.

Read more about the case and then post your thoughts.

Find The Record's story on the Web:

Record site

To read the International Movie Database description of the film, click below:

Plot summary

To read William Paterson’s non-discrimination policy, click below:

Policy

To learn more about the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), click below:

FIRE

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Islamic Court Condemns Gay Nigerian to Death

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum editor

A Nigerian Islamic Court sentenced a man to death by stoning for homosexual activity, Reuters reported on July 9.

Without doubt, homosexuality is the cause of great division in the religious world today. The three major monotheistic religions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- have condemned homosexual activity for thousands of years. Conservatives within Christian and Jewish traditions argue that homosexuals can be cured (turned heterosexual) through through marriage, therapy, or ministries and support groups. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints employs aversion therapy to treat gay Mormons. The Catholic Church calls for homosexuals to refrain from sexual activity.

Meanwhile, liberals within these traditions push for full participation of gays within congregations, blessings of same-sex unions, civil marriage, ordination of actively gay clergy, and equal rights under the law. For example, the advocacy group Dignity USA "works for a time when gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society."

Liberals turn to modern scriptural interpretations and social science to push for more tolerance. Traditionalists point to sacred texts to bolster their argument against further permissiveness for gays. Many denominations are at the verge of splitting over these issues.

Under Islamic law (Sharia), homosexuality is punishable by death. Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen all mete out capital punishment for homosexuality. Islamic law governs or heavily influences each of these countries.

To read about the Nigerian case, click on headline. For traditional condemnations of homosexuality, click on link below.

Traditional condemnations

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

To return to archive index, click below:

From the Archives

Pope Benedict XVI on Evolution

"We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary."

So stated Pope Benedict XVI at the Mass of the beginning of his ministry as the Bishop of Rome. To read MORE, click on headline.

Catholic Urges Compassion for Animals

By Jan Fredericks
God's Creatures Ministry

In the beginning, God intended all life to be plant-eaters (including humans) and gave humans 'yorade', dominion over His animals (see Gen. 1:26-31).

As we've evolved, God allowed divorce because of our hardness of hearts, and he allowed us to eat meat after the flood. If God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, we need to realize that He is still compassionate towards all He has made (see Psalm 145:9).

To read MORE click below:

More

To return to main index, click below:

Current Issues and Controversies

Tripping Over Jefferson's "Wall of Separation"

By Gregory J. Rummo

Copyright Gregory J. Rummo (All Rights Reserved)

On April 22, I was presented with the 2005 Media Award by the New Jersey Family Policy Council at their annual banquet. While honored to receive such recognition, upon deeper reflection, I can’t help but ask myself the question: Was there no one else more qualified?

Is there really such a dearth of professional, family-friendly journalists in newsrooms across our state that the Family Policy Council felt compelled to award a businessman moonlighting as a columnist?

Apparently the answer is yes.

Read more of this article.

Current Faith Issues and Controversies
Complete Blog Index