State/Church Bulletin

Junior Outs Sermonizing Teacher

A junior at a high school in Kearny, N.J., who recorded his American History teacher telling students that only Christians have a place in heaven, has received death threats.

Teacher David Paszkiewicz made religious comments during the first week of school, such as: "If you reject his [Jesus'] gift of salvation, then you belong in hell."

Matthew LaClair, 16, afraid officials would not believe him if he complained, taped eight classes starting Sept. 13. Among the teacher's comments: that a specific Muslim girl would go to hell, that "evolution and the Big Bang were not scientific," and that dinosaurs were aboard Noah's ark.

School principal Al Somma said of the teacher, who also moonlights as a Baptist youth pastor: "I think he's an excellent teacher." The administration said they have taken unspecified "corrective action." Matthew said he has lost a lot of friends following the hostile reaction of the community to his complaint.

The school board in late January banned students from taping in class without an instructor's permission, but added training for teachers on the legal requirements for separating church and state.

"Adoption of this rule at this time sends all the wrong messages," said Matthew's father, Paul LaClair. "We were in negotiations and this is extremely ill-advised and disrespectful, if not bad faith."

Boiseans Defeat Decalog

Citizens in Boise, Idaho, on Nov. 7 soundly defeated an initiative to place a Ten Commandments monument back in a city park. The monument, installed in 1965 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, was moved by the city council in early 2004 to an Episcopal church.

110th Congress Affiliations

The new U.S. Congress includes six "nonaffiliated" members, one Muslim, two Buddhists, more Jews than Episcopalians, and the highest-ranking Mormon in congressional history (Sen. Harry M. Reid, majority leader).

Roman Catholics, the largest single denomination in the country, are also the largest single faith group in Congress at 29%. There are 43 Congressional Jews (8% of Congress). The six religiously-unaffiliated members of the House are all Democrats: Neil Abercrombie, HI; Tammy Baldwin, WI; Earl Blumenauer, OR; John W, Olver, MA; John Tierney, MA, and Mark Udall, CO.

All five Christian Scientists in Congress are Republican. Of the 15 Mormons, 13 are Republican.

Albert Menendez, who has researched the religious affiliation of members of Congress since 1972, noted Unitarians have declined, from a record 14 in 1964 down to only two today: Rep. Pete Stark, D-CA, and Sen. Kent Conrad, D-ND. Also declining is the highly-liberal United Church of Christ, which counts among its six Congressional adherents Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL.

Reps. Mazie K. Hirono, D-HI, and Hank Johnson, D-GA, are the two Buddhists.

Kagen Takes Constitutional Oath

A Wisconsin member of Congress, newly-elected Stephen Kagen, M.D., laid his hand on a copy of the Constitution in taking his ceremonial swearing-in, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Jan. 5, 2007).

Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-HI, also deviated from the usual Christian bibles. Hirono was raised Buddhist but doesn't actively practice it and said, "I don't have a book."

Goode Bad on Oath

Rep. Virgil Goode, R-VA, wrote an op-ed piece in USA Today condemning Rep. Keith Ellison, the newly-elected Muslim, for planning to use a Koran for his swearing-in: "If American citizens don't wake up and adopt (my) position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Quran."

Rightwing talkshow host Dennis Prager, a Bush appointee to the U.S. Holocaust Museum Board, had earlier ranted:

"Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."

The American Family Association has called for the use of the bible for all members of Congress, despite the constitutional prohibition of religious tests for public office.

R.I. Gov Goes Biblical

According to the Newport (R.I.) Daily News:

"The hour-long ceremony to celebrate the inauguration of Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and the newly elected general officers featured six prayers, five bibles and frequent references to God. It was Catholic Mass sprinkled with politics and a few Black Hawk helicopters," reported Frank Carini.

The governor even held a grand inaugural Mass. Taxpayers paid for hundreds of invitations to the state-sponsored prayer service, which were printed and mailed by the Rhode Island National Guard.

Prayer Big at Alabama Inaugural

Prayers highlighted Alabama Gov. Bob Riley's inaugural activities as much as parties, with Riley calling for prayer before the big day. Riley held a prayer breakfast with 700 people, described by Associated Press as a "church-like event," featuring three ministers and gospel music.

"At strange times, you'll be riding down the road, but you can actually feel the people of Alabama praying. That's what gives me an advantage over every other governor, I believe, in America," Riley opined.

Protest Grand Canyon Creationism

The refusal of Grand Canyon National Parks to remove a creationist book is being challenged by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), who originally complained three years ago.

"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology," says PEER executive director Jeff Ruch.

Ruch has urged the new director of the National Park Service to quit stalling, to remove the book from sale, and to allow park interpretive rangers to honestly answer questions from the public about the geological age of the Grand Canyon.

PEER also seeks approval of a pamphlet, suppressed since 2002 by Bush appointees, providing guidance to rangers and staff on the religion/science controversy.

In August 2003, Park Superintendent Joe Alston tried to block sale of Grand Canyon: A Different View, by Tom Vail, which claimed the Grand Canyon was created in six days. National Park Service overruled Alston, but said there would be a review, which never occurred.

Write:

Ms. Mary Bomar, Director
National Park Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
Mary_Bomar@nps.gov

Boykin on Way Out?

Lt. Gen. William ("my God is bigger than your God") Boykin appears to be on his way out, according to Newsweek (Jan. 9). Boykin had overseen the deployment of secret U.S. special ops teams against suspected terror plotters. The devout evangelical often spoke in uniform at churches calling Allah "an idol" and saying "my God was a real God."

San Diego Cross Case Hits Glitch

A California appeals court in early December overturned a lower court decision that nullified a 2005 ballot measure transferring the Mount Soledad cross to the federal government.

Superior Court Judge Patricia Yim Cowett had ruled the initiative, approved by voters in July 2005, was unconstitutional.

The federal government took possession of the cross, using its power of eminent domain, in August. That move is being litigated in a separate lawsuit.