Faith leaders call for religious protections ahead of gay marriage hearing

Citizens rallied on the steps of the Supreme Court on Monday (June 30), after it sided with the evangelical owners of Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., ruling 5-4 that the arts-and-crafts chain does not have to offer insurance for types of birth control that conflict with company owners’ religious beliefs. RNS photo by Heather Adams This image is available for Web and print publication. For questions, contact Sally Morrow.

(RNS) As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on Tuesday (April 28) that could wind up legalizing gay marriage nationwide, dozens of Christian leaders have issued a call to civil authorities to preserve “the unique meaning of marriage in the law” — but also to “protect the rights of those with differing views of marriage.”

The open letter “to all in positions of public service,” released Thursday (April 23), seems to reflect a growing recognition by same-sex marriage foes that they may be on the losing side of the legal battle to bar gay marriage and need to broaden their focus to securing protections for believers.

Gay marriage opponents are also losing the battle for the hearts and minds of their own flocks: Polls show that American believers, like the rest of the public, are growing much more accepting of same-sex relationships, or at least much less inclined to invest time or resources into waging the fight against legalizing gay marriage.

This week’s statement, “The Defense of Marriage and the Right of Religious Freedom: Reaffirming a Shared Witness,” was signed by 35 religious leaders representing Catholic, evangelical, Pentecostal, Orthodox and Mormon churches. The only non-Christian signatory was Imam Faizul Khan of the Islamic Society of Washington Area.

The leaders forcefully reiterate their shared belief that marriage is “the union of one man and one woman” and argue that apart from religious doctrines, the state “has a compelling interest in maintaining marriage” for the good of society and the “well-being of children.”

But they add that “this commitment is inseparable from affirming the equal dignity of all people and the necessity of protecting their basic rights” if, for example, the high court rules that all states must recognize gay marriage.

“No person or community, including religious organizations and individuals of faith, should be forced to accept this redefinition,” they write. “Government should protect the rights of those with differing views of marriage to express their beliefs and convictions without fear of intimidation, marginalization or unwarranted charges that their values imply hostility, animosity, or hatred of others.”

Arguments over how or whether believers must accommodate gay people have become a flashpoint in the culture wars and a source of political and legislative debates.

That was vividly demonstrated earlier this month when owners of an Indiana pizzeria who announced they would not cater a gay wedding because of their Christian belief became the focus of threats, and a rallying point for opponents of gay rights.

The state legislature later amended the religious freedom law that the pizzeria cited to make it clear the law could not be used to discriminate. A religious freedom law in Arkansas went through a similar revision. Both steps were seen as defeats for religious freedom advocates, even though Republicans deemed friendly to the cause were in power in both states.

Increasingly, some have been pointing toward a new law in Utah as an example of where religious freedom champions should put their energies. That law, passed in March in a deeply conservative state with the support of Mormon leaders, grants statewide protections against housing and employment discrimination for gay and lesbians as long as those measures safeguard religious freedom.

Among the statement signers are: Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; the Rev. Matthew Harrison, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod; the Rev. Eugene F. Rivers, III, president of the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies; George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God; and Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

YS/AMB END GIBSON

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Church, Charity and Business Leaders Call for Community Energy Revolution

Church, Charity and Business Leaders Call for Community Energy Revolution

The National Trust, along with church, charity and business leaders, has called for a community energy revolution, in order to meet the UK's climate change targets.

    SWINDON, ENGLAND, February 17, 2012 /Religion PR News/ -- The National Trust, along with a coalition of civil society leaders from UK organisations with over twelve million members, has called for community energy to play a substantial role in meeting the country's climate change targets.

Leading figures from The Co-operative; the National Trust; The National Federation of Women's Institutes; the Church of England and Campaign to Protect Rural England will today meet Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, to launch their joint 'vision for community energy', which supports dramatically scaling up the number of community owned renewable energy projects across the country, and to discuss how the Government can best assist.

The National Trust has been working on its low carbon villages (LCV) project which aims to tackle the disillusionment and helplessness that many people feel about climate change in two Trust owned villages, Coleshill in Oxfordshire, and Cambo on the Trust's estate at Wallington, Northumberland. Through a process of engagement over a three-year period, LCV aimed to develop positive and practical solutions that could set villagers on a journey to low-carbon living. The energy projects the charity has undertaken across all of its places as part of its commitment to generating half of the UK's energy from renewable energy sources by 2020 can be seen on the National Trust energy map, found on the charity's site.

Patrick Begg, Director of Rural Enterprise at The National Trust, commented: "Many other European countries are way ahead of the UK, as we found out when visiting German communities last year. Germany produces over 20 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, with communities generating about a quarter of this. In the UK, less than 1 per cent is generated by our communities, a figure this coalition wants to dramatically increase by 2020. We are asking the Government to support us in this."

At the same time, local energy schemes will receive another boost today as The Co-operative launches its Community Energy Challenge, a competition which will result in six communities across the UK receiving support to set up their own energy projects. The Co-operative is setting aside GBP1 million in 2012 to support community energy. This will involve everything from mentoring for start-ups through to the underwriting of co-operative share offers in local co-operatives.

Paul Monaghan, Head of Social Goals at The Co-operative, said: "We want nothing less than a clean energy revolution, with communities controlling and benefiting from their own renewable energy. Talk of a new dash for gas shales, which could see up to 3,000 wells installed across the UK, highlights the choices we face - more and dirtier sources of fossil fuels or clean energy owned and controlled by communities."

In the coming months and years, the coalition, who were brought together by The Co-operative and its partners, sustainable development organisations Forum for the Future and Carbon Leapfrog, collectively plan to meet at regular intervals to make practical steps to drive the shared vision forwards and champion community energy among their members. Late last year coalition representatives visited Germany to see examples of other successful community schemes.

About The National Trust:
The National Trust cares for over 300 of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's greatest historic houses and gardens, 1,000 km of coastline and vast swathes of our most beautiful countryside. People of all ages - individuals, schools and communities - get involved each year with our projects, events and working holidays and over 60,000 volunteers help to bring the properties alive for the Trust's 4 million members and many more million visitors. Those interested in volunteering in the UK can find out more at: www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

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Conservative Leaders Gather in Texas to Raise Money for Santorum

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"The message was, 'we're all in,'" Bob Fischer, a South Dakota businessman and one of the event's organizers, told Politico Saturday.

The Houston Omni event raised a combined $1.78 million for the campaign and super PAC, according to organizers.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and James Dobson, founder and former president of Focus on the Family, were among the leaders present at the event. Besides Fischer, conservative columnist Rebecca Hagelin, campaign fundraising pioneer Richard Viguerie, and Tim LeFever also played host.

Santorum met with the group on Friday night and told them he has a chance to win, but needs their help, Perkins told Politico. Perkins also said that Santorum would have a better chance if Newt Gingrich withdrew from the race and Gingrich supporters backed Santorum.

"If they were to converge together you would have a majority," Perkins said. Neither Perkins nor Family Research Council have endorsed a candidate in the presidential race. Like us on Facebook

When asked, Santorum did not call for Gingrich to withdraw from the race, but emphasized Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that his chances would improve if Gingrich dropped out.

"I'd like everybody to get out. That would be great if they could just clear the field," Santorum said with a chuckle. "Congressman Gingrich, the speaker, can stay in as long as he wants, but I think the better opportunity to make sure that we nominate a conservative is to give us an opportunity to go head-to-head with Governor Romney at some point. Hopefully, that will occur sooner rather than later."

The next contests for the Republican presidential nomination will be on Tuesday in Alabama and Mississippi. Recent polls show Gingrich, Romney and Santorum in a three-way tie in Alabama and Romney leading in Mississippi with about 35 percent support.

Contact: napp.nazworth@christianpost.com, @NappNazworth (Twitter)

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Thailand's Unification Church Leaders Finally Exonerated

Thailand's Unification Church Leaders Finally Exonerated

Thailand's Supreme Court September 1 exonerated Unification Church leader Dr. Lek Thaveetermsakul and seven other Unificationists who had been falsely accused of major crimes.

    GREENBELT, MD, September 23, 2011 /Religion PR News/ -- Thailand means "Land of the Free," and the country took a step toward living up to its name this month as a significant religious liberty case was finally resolved by the Thai Supreme Court. On September 1, the Court exonerated Unification Church leader Dr. Lek Thaveetermsakul and seven other Unificationists who had been accused of major crimes, ranging from trying to overthrow the government to racketeering and breaking up families. According to Thai law, treason is subversion against the monarchy and the nation, and its penalty is life imprisonment or execution.

Between 1991 and 1993, nine UC members were charged and jailed, including Dr. Lek and his wife, the movement leader at the time, without the normal option for bail. As a result of the charges, church founders Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, who were named in the original list of defendants, could not enter the country as it was presumed they would be arrested upon arrival. In 1993 the court ruled to allow bail and the members were released following their extended incarceration period. There was never a guilty verdict against them, but the prosecutors appealed at every level whenever the members were acquitted.

Between 1991 and 1993, nine UC members were charged and jailed, including Dr. Lek and his wife, the movement leader at the time, without the normal option for bail. As a result of the charges, church founders Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, who were named in the original list of defendants, could not enter the country as it was presumed they would be arrested upon arrival. In 1993 the court ruled to allow bail and the members were released following their extended incarceration period. There was never a guilty verdict against them, but the prosecutors appealed at every level whenever the members were acquitted.

The case languished in the Supreme Court for almost seven years. Finally, after repeated appeals to the Justice Ministry, the Court finally acquitted Dr. Thaveetermsakul, and seven others.

Background

In January 1991, a coup occurred over national security concerns and a military government was installed. Shortly thereafter in May of 1991, the Unification movement was attacked in the media, largely instigated by a small group of parents of church members. One was a strong legal activist. In the post-coup environment, a case was hastily built around the trumped up charges of a threat to national security.

Thai police conducted extensive raids on church centers looking for evidence to support the government charges. Mrs. Genie Kagawa, an American missionary who moved to Thailand with her husband in 1989 recounts:

"We had 300 full-time members who were dispersed because of the center raids. However, the police got hold of their names at our Headquarters, and called them in for questioning one by one. They tried to trick our members into saying something derogatory against the monarchy, but not one member could be enticed to say anything negative. Associate members and parents were then called in one by one for questioning. They were looking for disloyal and treasonous statements, but again, they found none."

According to a press report announcing the Supreme Court ruling, Dr. Lek said he was "happy that justice was finally served." The verdict confirmed that the group was not involved in criminal actions or inciting disunity as accused, he said.

Thailand rates three stars ("needs improvement") on ICRF's five-star rating scale. ICRF president Dan Fefferman commented: "We congratulate Thailand for finally clearing the name of people who were clearly innocent of these trumped up charges, which carried a capital sentence. However, Thailand still needs improvement on religious freedom."

Theravada Buddhism obtains considerable support from the Thai government. The 2007 Constitution requires that the monarchy be Buddhist and declares that the state must "protect Buddhism as the religion observed by most Thais." A law forbids any form of insult towards Buddhism.

The International Coalition for Religious Freedom is a non-profit, non-sectarian, educational organization dedicated to defending the religious freedom of all, regardless of creed, gender or ethnic origin.

Website: http://www.religiousfreedom.com

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Mormon church bars senior leaders from politics

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Francis J. Beckwith's religion.

By J Pat Carter, AP

Republican presidential hopeful and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is one of two Mormons running for the GOP nomination of president.Tthe Mormon Church has reminded its full time workers to steer clear of endorsements and donations in the election.

By J Pat Carter, AP

Republican presidential hopeful and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is one of two Mormons running for the GOP nomination of president.Tthe Mormon Church has reminded its full time workers to steer clear of endorsements and donations in the election.

The Mormon church is reminding its senior leaders that they should steer clear of politics as a campaign season ramps up and two of the faith's own compete for the GOP presidential nomination.

In a letter sent June 16, church president Thomas S. Monson and his senior counselors said lay leaders with full-time church responsibilities and their spouses should not participate in political campaigns, including "promoting candidates, fundraising, speaking on behalf of or otherwise endorsing candidates and making financial contributions."

The letter was sent to the highest officers of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including general authorities, general auxiliary leaders, mission presidents and temple presidents — those whose positions are visible highly visible both in and out of the church and who could be seen as acting on behalf of the church.

Full-time church employees and part-time leaders, such as those who hold local or regional congregational duties are exempt from the policy.

Excerpts of the letter are included in a lengthy explanation of the church's political neutrality policy posted on a church website. The letter is described as a "restatement and further clarification" of existing policy "at the start of another political season."

Under the political neutrality policy, the institutional church does not endorse individual political candidates or parties. It also bans the use of church buildings or church-generated information for political purposes and asks candidates to refrain from making statements or inferences that suggest they have the church's support.

The Mormon church does, however, engage in political activism or campaigns when its leaders believe an issue of moral importance is at stake.

That would include the faith's involvement in the 2006 ballot initiative Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California and its efforts to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s.

Political experts say the timing of the letter and a restatement of church policy should come as no surprise.

Two Mormons — former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman— have jumped into the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

"It's not unusual for the LDS church to do this and I think given the fact that you've got two very high profile candidates in the presidential race, that's a circumstance where they're saying, 'Oh, we'd better remind people what the rules are,'" University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank said.

The letter reminds the faith's lay leaders that when they do choose to engage in political activity they are acting "solely as individual citizens in the democratic process" and should not "imply, or otherwise allow others to infer, that their actions or support in any way represent the church."

It's not clear whether the statement is also a response to criticisms of the church's involvement in Prop. 8, but regardless, Burbank said it's in the faith's best interest to draw a bright line so its members and leaders understand the rules.

It also helps candidates Huntsman and Romney who likely don't want their campaigns to appear to be driven solely by Mormons, he said.

But some political experts say no one should read too much into the church statement — although it may not have previously publicly stated in this way.

"I do not think there is anything new about this statement in terms of its substance. It is consistent with an LDS understanding of politics and the common good as well as the limitations of engaging in partisan politics placed on religious organizations by (Internal Revenue Service) regulations," said Francis J. Beckwith, a professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University. "What I think the LDS church is doing here is articulating in greater specificity what it's always held in more general terms."

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