NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Displaying indecisiveness amid the growing influence of the homosexual movement, the highest panel of leaders in Conservative Judaism voted Dec. 6 to allow the ordination of homosexual rabbis and the recognition of “gay marriage” in synagogues while simultaneously advising against it.
The 25-member Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Jewish Law and Standards issued a series of advisory reports which are “accepted as guides so that the gays and lesbians can be welcomed into our congregation and communities and made to feel accepted,” according to Rabbi Kassel Abelson, a member of the committee.
But to show how divided Conservative Jews are on the matter, the same committee voted to uphold a 1992 statement that advises against homosexual ordinations and the recognition of “gay marriage,” Reuters reported.
Such conflicting actions supposedly leave it up to individual synagogues to decide their course of action on homosexuality.
“We as a movement see the advocacy of pluralism and we know that people come to different conclusions,” Abelson said.
Four conservative rabbis resigned from the committee after the votes, objecting to the idea of ordaining homosexuals and recognizing homosexual unions.
According to Reuters, there are as many as 6 million Jews in the United States, and about one-third of them are affiliated with a synagogue. Of those, 38 percent are Reform, 33 percent are Conservative and 22 percent are Orthodox. The Conservative movement typically stands between Orthodox and Reform in its positions on moral issues.
R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said on his blog Dec. 5 that the committee’s dual votes signify that they believe “homosexual behavior is simultaneously sinful and sinless, shameful and honorable, legitimate and illegitimate.”
“A morally serious movement cannot treat a serious moral question in this manner,” Mohler wrote on albertmohler.com. “Most importantly, it cannot act as if the Bible does not answer the question. At the cultural level, the decision of Conservative Judaism to normalize (some or all) homosexual behaviors will add momentum to the larger movement to normalize homosexuality in the culture.
“At another level, the debate within Conservative Judaism should alert Christians to the fact that similar proposals are now found in some denominations,” he added. “Just allow two positions on this controversial question, they argue. The church must answer ‘no’ clearly and boldly.”
LA. SCHOOL BOARD GRANTS FREEDOM ON EVOLUTION — Some conservatives are hoping a recent decision by a school board in Louisiana will spread to other parts of the nation.
The Ouachita Parish School Board in West Monroe voted unanimously Nov. 29 to grant teachers “academic freedom” in order to teach all sides of controversial issues including Darwinian evolution, according to The Ouachita Citizen newspaper. The school board became the first in the state pass such a policy.
“Where topics are taught that may generate controversy, such as biological evolution, the curriculum should help students understand the full range of scientific views that exist, why such topics may generate controversy and how scientific discoveries can profoundly affect society,” retired Judge Darrell White, a consultant with Louisiana Family Forum’s Education Resource Council, told The Citizen.
Bob Webber, the school system’s superintendent, said a poll of local teachers found that 100 percent indicated they didn’t think they had the freedom to teach controversial issues. So the vote was meant to clear up the issue.
“Darwin has three chapters where he questions his own theory,” Danny Pennington, a biology teacher at West Monroe High School, said during the school board meeting. “Now, if Darwin questioned it, why can’t we? All we want to do as teachers is be able to teach both sides and strive for a fair result.”
Casey Luskin, an education policy specialist with the Seattle-based Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, praised the Ouachita Parish school board for taking a stand to protect the academic freedom of educators.
“Teachers are the real winners in this case because they now have clear protection to help their students analyze all aspects of controversial scientific issues without worrying whether or not they will be fired or censored by their school district,” Luskin said in a news release.
PRESIDENT BUSH UNDERSCORES ABSTINENCE — When President Bush proclaimed Dec. 1 as World AIDS Day, he pledged that the United States would continue its commitment to fighting the AIDS pandemic “with compassion and decisive action,” including the promotion of sexual abstinence outside marriage.
“Through the New Partners Initiative, we are supporting faith-based and community organizations that offer much of the health care in the developing world so that we can reach more people more effectively,” Bush said.
“In addition, the United States and other concerned countries are promoting a comprehensive strategy to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS,” he said. “This includes the ABC approach — encouraging abstinence, being faithful and using condoms, with abstinence as the only sure way to avoid the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS.”
AMERICANS PREFER RELIGION OVER SEX & VIOLENCE — The American Bible Society and Zogby International conducted a poll in November called “What Is More Offensive on Television: Religion or Sex and Violence?” and what they found is contrary to what most television networks and advertising agencies contend.
Results indicate that 85 percent of American viewers desire more religious values and references to the Bible and less sex and violence in television programming.
“Here at the Bible Society, we advocate for the Bible and its place and role in society. We firmly believe that the Bible plays a critical role in the ongoing development of our culture and the social fabric of our country,” Paul Irwin, president of the American Bible Society, said. “Although America is a nation of many faiths, and in some instances no faith, Americans still believe that the Bible’s teachings and values are an essential part of our common character.”
Three more polls are set to follow, asking television networks and movie producers to explain why they cut most faith-based references in their programming.
‘CULTURE CARRIERS’ DON’T MAKE GOOD GIFTS — A conservative leader is urging parents to pay close attention to the impact the gifts they give their children might have on impressionable minds.
“With marketers bombarding parents with glossy ads and reduced prices for video games, iPods, DVD players and CDs for children’s Christmas gifts, it would be easy to latch onto these attractive products for teens and pre-teens,” Janice Shaw Crouse, director of The Beverly LaHaye Institute, said Dec. 4. “Of course, the kids are begging for these latest fads, but parents need to be diligent in avoiding gifts that are culture carriers. It is much healthier to buy gifts that encourage children to more active lifestyles and avoid connecting them with a culture that undermines values, morals and a biblical worldview.”
Crouse added that plenty of video games, music and movies provide entertainment as well as character-building messages and parents should be aware of what they’re buying.
“It is so easy for these entertainment mediums to slip in things that contradict the parents’ teachings and undermine those things that the parents consistently nurture in their children’s lives,” she said. “Parents, ultimately, must be diligent in their responsibility for ensuring that their home is a safe place for children –– a place where the corrupting aspects of contemporary culture are unwelcome and kept out.”
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