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CFT's bi-weekly Christian News 30 July 1997 * Christians challenge legality of new abortion law - The Department of Health says it will oppose legal action by three Christian groups to have the abortion law declared invalid. The Christian Lawyers Association (CLA), Christians for Truth (CFT) and United Christian Action (UCA) have served summons on Health Minister Nkosazana Zuma, Gauteng Premier Tokyo Sexwale and Gauteng Health MEC Amos Masondo, naming them as respondents in the action to have the `Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act' declared unconstitutional. The Pretoria News (24 July) observed that: "The summons sets the stage for a constitutional battle over one of the most controversial pieces of legislation passed by the ANC government. Whichever side loses the High Court action is likely to appeal to the Constitutional Court which will be asked to decide issues such as when life starts and whether an unborn foetus is entitled to legal rights." Doctors for Life, an association of more than 700 doctors, specialists and professors, has decided to enter the case as a separate plaintiff. * Blasphemous art exhibition closes - After a widely publicised case involving CFT's
Western Cape deputy-chairman, Gerhard le Roux, `stealing' a Bible from a pornographic art
exhibition, the Bellville Library officially closed the show. The offending piece was a
male organ mounted on an open Bible - Mark Coetzee's display called `His Gaze Falls II'.
Mr le Roux handed over an official letter to the library explaining CFT's action and then
informed the local police station. Mr Coetzee has apparently laid a charge of theft and
damage to property. The art display was produced by the University of Stellenbosch's Fine
Arts department. CFT returned the Bible on 23 July once the exhibition was declared
officially closed. Africa Christian Action, CFT and other organisations have requested
Christians to write to Stellenbosch University to demand that similar art displays be
discontinued. * US abolishes NEA - The House of Representatives voted on July 15 for a bill that would abolish the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Christian opposition to the NEA was fueled by grants the agency had made to art that offends the sensibilities of average Americans. The most offensive example was a photo by Robert Mapplethorpe of a crucifix suspended in urine titled "Piss Christ," and a number of homosexual-themed projects. (Maranatha Christian Journal, 22 July) * Girl sues for having been born - CFT Netherlands reports that a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 3 year old Kelly Molenaar. She is suing the hospital in which she was born 3 years ago to receive financial compensation for the fact that the hospital did not abort her. It had been known that the father's family suffered from a severe genetic disease. Kelly has the same disease and has had to have operations on her heart and feet. The judge decided on 3 July to commission an independent inquiry into the matter. * Baptists plan to evangelise Mormons - Southern Baptists plan a door-to-door campaign next year in Salt Lake City, the stronghold of the Mormon Church. The stage for the 1998 campaign was set at the recent Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas. Scores of Baptists viewed a video that described Mormons as not truly Christian. The video, "The Puzzle of the Mormon Church," is being distributed by Baptists as an aid in evangelizing Mormons at next year's convention, scheduled for June. Baptists will go door-to-door and hold block parties in a "Crossover Salt Lake City" campaign to reach out to Mormons and others, said Phil Roberts of Atlanta, director of interfaith witness for the denomination, which claims 15.5 million members. Mormon leaders said they regretted that Baptists described them as not Christian, but said they would welcome the nation's largest Protestant group to Salt Lake City. "We are not offended by their coming here," said Clayton Newell, a spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "But it's always regrettable when people say we aren't Christian. The very foundation of our church is Jesus Christ." The Southern Baptists' Roberts, who appears on the video along with some Mormon scholars from Brigham Young University, said Baptists and Mormons were different. "Mormons are not Christians, although they use the name," Roberts said. "They look like us. They baptize by immersion. They do aggressive missionary work. They use the same terms as we do. But they are very different." He added: "When they talk about the Gospel, what they mean is the ordinances and principles of Mormonism." (The Philadelphia Enquirer, 20 July) * Orthodox leaders warn Yeltsin on church bill - Russia's Orthodox Church warned President Boris N. Yeltsin that his rejection of a bill restricting "nontraditional religions" - evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism included - threatens the very structure of Russian society. Debate over the Russian Orthodox-sponsored bill, strongly opposed by U.S. lawmakers and the Vatican, threatens to open a rift between the president and Patriarch Alexi II, whose church is the dominant religion in Russia and strongly backed Yeltsin's re-election bid last summer. Yeltsin refused to sign the bill earlier this week, calling it an unconstitutional threat to religious freedom. He sent it back to parliament with a suggestion to try again. But leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church demanded yesterday that parliament send the measure back to Yeltsin as is. The measure would give special standing to the Russian Orthodox Church, recognizing its unique heritage in shaping Russian history and culture, and would also pledge "respect" for Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and other "traditional" religions. All other religious groups would have to register with the government in order to own property or conduct public worship, and could not do so until they had been in the country for 15 years. While the Orthodox Church and most Russian legislators back the bill, it has drawn strong opposition from Pope John Paul II and the United States, which has threatened to cut aid to Russia if it becomes law. Orthodox leaders argued that the Roman Catholic Church would face |
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