Can we be a pluralistic society when it comes to…the holiday stamp?

That’s what Tracy Simmons of USA Today wants to know.

Simmons recently published an article about the typical holiday stamp – the secular kind that include things like Santa, snowmen, etc.

Of course, Simmons notes that the U.S. Postal Service offers a Christmas stamp along with Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps. The government has also developed an Eid stamp (to celebrate Islam’s Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays).

The Eid stamp controversy

Apparently a forward has been making its way around the Internet recently, claiming that the Eid stamp was developed after 9/11 and therefore celebrates Muslim terrorist attacks. The e-mail claims that the stamp is a threat to Americans.

The original e-mail can be traced to Mayor Johnny Piper of Clarksville, TN. What the mayor didn’t realize is that the stamp was actually developed by the Bush administration ten days prior to 9/11/01. Its intentions were the same as the Christmas and Hanukkah stamps — to give Americans a way to celebrate their religions, not to promote terrorism.

What about Buddha?

Simmons asks, should the government also develop a Buddhist stamp and a Hindu stamp? It probably comes down to supply and demand. If there is a demand for the stamps, the government will be more likely to develop those stamps that will sell. But in principle, a government that produces stamps for one religion ought to produce stamps for all religions – or leave religion out of postage altogether. What do you think?

Created by ReligionTranscends.com, 2009

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You’ve probably heard by now that Pope Benedict XVI has authorized groups of Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church. The measure is part of an “Apostolic Constitution.”  Basically this measure allows certain Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining certain traditions – the Book of Common Prayer, married priests, etc.

Why are Anglicans leaving?
The Anglican community has had a bit of a shake-up across the world, the result of a series of controversial decisions:
• The ordination of women (to become deacons/priests)
• The blessing of same-sex unions
• The election of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopalian Church (U.S. Anglicans)

Learn more about the sexuality/clergy debate on ReligionTrascends.com.

Some Anglicans prefer that the Anglican Church reform itself rather than lose its members to the Catholic arena. If changes are not made, as many as 1,000 Anglican priests could be heading to the Catholic Church.

What’s the big deal?
The big deal is that this flies in the face of history. The Anglican Church began in the 6th century as a part of the Roman Catholic Church (the English portion, since Anglican means “of England”). When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Catholic Church in 1517, he sparked a number of reformations and separations that would later come to be called the Protestant Reformation. It was around this time that discontent among Anglicans came to a head. Then in 1536, Henry VIII formally separated the Anglican Church from Roman rule. Some like to point to the Pope’s refusal to grant Henry VIII a divorce as the final straw. But the Anglican Church points to a number of issues Henry VIII had with Roman rule, divorce being just one issue among the many.  Reuniting the churches or merely pulling dissatisfied Anglicans into the Catholic fold seems to indicate a reversal of heated positions taken in the 16th century. But the Vatican seems to be attempting to ignore the politics of the past to bring unhappy church-goers into a church they can enjoy. Of course, this brings up a number of questions:
1. How will priests who have taken a vow of chastity feel about preaching alongside married priests?
2. Is this really just about getting numbers into the Catholic Church?
3. Should the ordination of women and the election of openly gay bishops be enough to cause Anglican priests to break with their tradition?
4. At what point should an Anglican priest give up the prayer books and adopt Catholic practices?

Despite stark differences, both groups do share roots in the Bible and in historical Christianity. We hope the two churches can continue to work together to realize their similarities and find compromise amidst politics. Perhaps in the process they can also bring members who have been flung aside back into the fold, transcending exclusivity in favor of love.

Created by ReligionTranscends.com, 2009

Filed under: Catholicism, Christianity, Religion and Ethics | 1 Comment »

September 11 was personal.

A national tragedy in the United States, September 11 also represented a world-wide awakening. It demonstrated that terrorism and religious rhetoric were not relegated only to specific pockets of the world or particular sects. Terrorism, particularly terrorism that employs the name of God, offends us all.

The events of September 11 resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, a direct offense to family and friends of the victims. But those same events also offended the entire population of religious adherents throughout the world. Attackers hijacked the name of God and used it for horrific purposes. Their acts claimed the name of love and used it for hate. They took the sacred and made it profane. Such blatant abuse of sacred texts and religious symbolism certainly offends each and every one of us who respect and uphold the world’s religions.

Yet God (Brahman, Allah, the invisible unifying substance) has a way of taking evil and squeezing the good out of it. Thanks to September 11, university religion programs have grown exponentially. More and more students seek to learn about other religions to banish their own stereotypes and support coexistence. I was one of those students in 2001 who watched the Twin Towers fall on a TV screen and quickly switched majors to religious studies. Innocence shattered, it seemed time to dust ourselves off and figure out how we could live in a world where terrorism in the name of religion was ever-increasing.

It was and is time to demonstrate that religious understanding is necessary and that anything that thwarts a more peaceful coexistence is unacceptable. The first step toward such peace is education. Borrowing from the words of Charles Kimball in his book When Religion Becomes Evil (HarperOne, 2002):

“The more effective we are at identifying dangerous patterns of corrupted religion, the more likely people of goodwill can avert disaster inspired or justified by religion. Whether or not one believes that religion itself is the problem, the diverse religious traditions will continue to be a powerful fact of life in our increasingly interdependent world community. Whatever philosophical or theological explanation one may hold for the evil things that happen, approaching the future passively is unacceptable. In the aftermath of September 11, it is incumbent on all of us to educate ourselves about religious attitudes and behaviors that lead to widespread suffering.”

Let’s honor the victims of 9/11 by doing our part to learn more about the people around us and to work together to eradicate hate.

More resources for understanding religious violence:
When Religion Becomes Evil by Charles Kimball
Terror in the Mind of God by Mark Juergensmeyer

Use the links at the left to find more information on particular religions, then check out these sites:
BBC – Religion
Religious Tolerance
Religion News Service

Created by ReligionTranscends.com, 2009

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The New Encyclical

Last Tuesday, Catholic Pope Benedict XVI released his latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).

An encyclical is a letter from the pope that usually addresses doctrine and takes a stance on some idea or ideas. Perhaps the most famous encyclical is Humanae Vitae (1968), in which Pope Paul VI wrote about abortion, contraception, and so on.

According to The Examiner, Caritas in Veritate builds on Pope Paul VI’s 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio which discusses worldly progress and truth.  The new encyclical makes it clear that there is a black and white answer for everything – and there should not be any relativism when it comes to morals. It also mentions Humanae Vitae, upholding the “strong links between life ethics and social ethics.” He wrote that man cannot depend on social foundations alone – in other words, we cannot make our decisions based on the progress of the day. Decisions (whether we apply them to abortion, poverty, etc.) must be grounded in a respect for life and in morality. He wrote:

“When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man’s true good…By cultivating openness to life, wealthy peoples can better understand the needs of poor ones, they can avoid employing huge economic and intellectual resources to satisfy the selfish desires of their own citizens, and instead, they can promote virtuous action within the perspective of production that is morally sound and marked by solidarity, respecting the fundamental right to life of every people and every individual.”

Read the full encyclical on the Vatican website.

The Pope and Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama met with Catholic Pope Benedict XVI on Friday. Highlights of the meeting include the following:

–The pope gave Obama a copy of Dignitas Personae (2008), his encyclical that talks about the dignity of humans, including the unborn. The statement is pro-life and urges politicians to consider morals when making laws.

–Obama said he’d like to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S.

–CNN reports they likely discussed stem cell research.

–The two discussed the pope’s new encyclical (see above).

A Catholic Surgeon General

Today, Obama named Alabama rural family physician Regina Benjamin as the next U.S. Surgeon General.

According to LifeNews.com, Benjamin:

–is Catholic

–has urged future physicians to learn how to perform abortions

–is on the board of Physicians for Human Rights, which speaks out against illegal abortions

–received a distinguished service medal from the current pope and the National Caring Award from Mother Teresa

By selecting Benjamin, it appears Obama has chosen someone the pope approves of – yet someone who seems to support legal abortions. So has Obama really taken to heart the pope’s call to consider morals? What do you think?

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If you follow the LDS Church in the media, you may have heard a number of myths:

Blacks can’t be Mormons.

Blacks can’t participate in the Mormon priesthood.

Mormons are all racist.

Some are true. Some were true. Some are quite false.

Fair LDS has a great explanation of the history of the black race in the Mormon Church.

It’s true that Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) wouldn’t allow black members to join the priesthood. But that’s no longer the policy. The original policy, enacted by Brigham Young in 1852, was based on Biblical passages. The Church used those passages to claim that God had set aside the lineage of Cain (yes, Cain and Abel) as a cursed race — purportedly the black race.

Eventually the Church admitted that there is no such cursed lineage in the Bible – just cursed individuals, like Cain himself. The Bible does mention that Cain’s lineage became black, but it doesn’t say why. And it’s certainly not directly connected to Cain’s behavior. The Church reversed its  policies in 1978 under then-president Spencer Kimball.

The author of the Fair LDS article explains that keeping blacks out of the priesthood was, quite simply, racist and unnecessary. It would be wrong to generalize and claim that all Mormons are racist. In fact, founder Joseph Smith did not see reason to keep any specific races out of the priesthood.

Unsatisfied? Still think Mormons are racist as a group? Check out the Q&A section of the article for the Fair LDS response. It’s really quite interesting. It doesn’t excuse it. But it explains it away.

Want more? Their store has a DVD documentary about black Mormons.

Learn more about Mormons on Religion Transcends.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends.com

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Will you lose your PBS station due to religious content?

Public TV stations in the United States are not permitted to air religious programming. So on June 16, PBS (Public Broadcast System) will decide whether to remove its name from stations that broadcast religious services. If a station loses its PBS designation, it would in turn lose PBS-created shows like Sesame Street.

Areas with PBS stations in question include New Orleans; Provo, Utah; and a station in Texas; and stations in two other states.

Learn more about the debate from PBS ombudsman Michael Getler.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends

Filed under: Religion and Ethics, Religion and Law | 1 Comment »

Gay rights are constantly being debated in America. And this month, they have taken center stage in both the legislative and religious realms.

Permission via legislation

At the beginning of the month, the Iowa Supreme Court stated that gay marriage was a right, thereby allowing same-sex marriages (not just unions) in the state. A week later, the state of Vermont voted to allow gay marriage through the legislature. Now some believe U.S. President Obama will pass a similar federal law in 2009.

To top things off, Christian Evangelical pastor Rick Warren nearly took back his support of Proposition 8. Warren, after giving the prayer at Obama’s swear-in ceremony, was criticized for supporting the California amendment banning gay marriage. He didn’t take back his support. But on Larry King Live on April 7, he denied being an activist against gay marriage.

It would seem, then, that gay rights activists have won a few battles and are winning conservative converts.

Not so fast.

Denial via religion?

It’s too early to tell whether the Lutheran denomination will allow gay clergy. At the end of March, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) decided they didn’t need a two-thirds vote to allow gay clergy. Instead, they plan to allow a majority vote in August at the church’s convention. If a majority passes the motion, then individual congregations would get to decide whether to appoint gay clergy. A two-thirds vote would have made it harder to get the motion passed. But it is yet to be seen whether a majority will support openly gay clergy.

The Presbyterian Church is making similar decisions. In March, a California commission in a Presbyterian church denied lesbian deacon Lisa Larges the right to be formally ordained as a minister – the third time she’d been denied. But by the end of May, the Presbyerian Church as a whole will have reconsidered the rules.  Currently, as with the Lutheran Church, gay clergy must agree to be celibate. This clause is being rethought and will require a vote.

On top of all this, former British prime minister Tonya Blair recently stated that the Vatican (the Catholic seat) should rethink its ideas about homosexuality to be more in line with current tolerance of homosexuality by most Catholics. Will the pope reconsider? For now, the Catholic Church is maintaining its opposition to gay marriage and homosexual acts.

A history of debate

Portions of both the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and Qur’anic Scriptures like the Hadith make mention of homosexual acts as an abomination. Thus, homosexuality has been under constant scrutiny for ages.

As to other Christian denominations not previously mentioned:

- The United Church of Christ first allowed ordination of gay and lesbian in the 1970s; openly gay clergy were ordained beginning in 1980. The church also endorses the blessing of same-sex unions.

-The Episcopalian Church has endorsed equal rights for the GLBT community since the mid-1970s, and it ordained gay minister Gene Robinson as a bishop. But it seems the topic is still up for debate.

-Homosexual individuals are welcomed into the United Methodist Church but may not become clergy. Clergy cannot hold civil union/gay marriage ceremonies either.

The following churches have historically condemned homosexuality:

-Southern Baptist

-Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)

-Pentecostal

-Jehovah’s Witnesses

Reform Judaism has allowed ordination of homosexual rabbis since 1990. The Orthodox branch has been historically opposed to ordination of homosexual rabbis. And the debate continues for Conservative Jews. Watch a current discussion of GLBT rights in the Jewish community online.

In most Islamic countries, homosexuality is a crime that carries punishment (especially in Saudi Arabia and Iran). Groups like Al-Fatiha are hoping to change that.

For Buddhism, monks must remain celibate. For everyone else, sex is only permitted for procreation. So technically homosexuality would be considered wrong, but the Dalai Lama  has spoken out in favor of equal rights for the GLBT community.

For Hinduism, sacred texts do not prohibit homosexuality. However, the debate continues as homosexuality is often outside the cultural teachings surrounding Hinduism.

Where do you stand on the debate of homosexuality and religion?

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends

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At the end of this month, the Massachusettes Institute of Technology (MIT) will launch The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values. The Dalai Lama will be in attendance. (Learn more about the Dalai Lama on ReligionTranscends.com.)

The center will explore the meaning and moral purpose of life from a Buddhist perspective. MIT also hopes the center will encourage interfaith understanding.

Learn more about MIT’s plans online.

Find more interfaith dialogue opportunities.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends.

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Earlier this month, Pope Benedict XVI said that condoms will not solve the HIV epidemic in Africa (before he embarked on his trip to Africa).

This was the first time the current pope had addressed the use of condoms. He said condoms will only make the AIDS crisis worse – the solution lies with good morals.

In protest of the pope’s comments, French activists threw condoms on the square of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris last Sunday.

Right-wing French youths responded to the activists with signs saying, “Leave My Pope Alone.” A clash erupted between the two groups and three people were arrested, according to AFP Reuters.

What do you think? Is the pope condemning a possible solution — or is he doing the right thing?

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends.

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If you’re a student at Massena High School in New York, you can take yoga in school.

Just don’t call it yoga.

The school recently sought to introduce a yoga program, citing the benefits relaxation can have on students’ stress levels. But parents complained that a yoga program would promote Hinduism, the religion that introduced the practice, thereby conflicting with the separation of church and state.

The solution?

Let’s have yoga and not call it yoga. Officials are now calling the program “Raider Relaxation” instead and are offering it as part of an after-school club. (Their school mascot is the raider.)

According to the International Herald Tribune, 100 schools in 26 states use yoga to relieve stress.

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