15 August 2000

* DAGGA BARRS WAY FOR ATTORNEY - Rastafarian, Gareth Prins, has been barred by the Supreme Court of Appeal from being admitted as an attorney because he had twice been convicted of possession of dagga (cannabis) and said he would continue to use it. Professor Pierre de Vos told a conference on crime and human rights at the University of the Western Cape (SA) that the court "displayed a mindset deeply rooted in the Calvinistic morality espoused by the apartheid state". He said the court had failed to analyse the nature of the constitutional right to freedom of religion and had "ignored all the evidence and arguments placed before it regarding the relatively benign nature of cannabis". (Mail & Guardian, 4 to 10 August)

* HALF OF SA'S TERTIARY STUDENTS HIV POSITIVE - One out of two tertiary institution students in South Africa is HIV positive, Aids Training and Information Centre (ATIC) manager Rose Hegner said at the first inter-tertiary Aids conference in East London on 11 August. The conference was attended by student delegates from all nine tertiary institutions in the Eastern Cape. It was organised to bring together different views on how to combat the HIV/Aids epidemic and send alarm bells to our colleagues who are disinterested in becoming HIV/Aids wise, Rhodes university Student Representative Council vice-president and host Craig Giese said. "It is essential for us to unite and come up with new ideas on how we can send effective alarm bells to our colleagues who are disinterested in becoming HIV/Aids wise while their age group is the most affected," Giese said. He said a task team of representatives from each institution would be established and launch awareness programmes which would also include high schools. According to research done by ATIC on high schools, 71 percent of pupils in the Eastern Cape believe HIV is a threat to society, but only a quarter of that number believe they can get infected. Hegner said of those who responded from high schools, 60 percent did not use condoms during sex. (SAPA, 15 August)

* US TEEN BIRTHRATE LOWEST IN 60 YEARS - Teenagers in the United States are having babies at the lowest rate in at least 60 years, and everyone is taking credit - from religious groups that push abstinence, to advocates for contraceptives and sex education in schools. For every 1000 girls aged 15 to 19, there were 49,6 births last year; the lowest since the statistic was first recorded six decades ago, the National Centre for Health Statistics said. During the 1990s the rate dropped by 20%. "Bronwyn Mayden, executive director of Campaign for Our Children, which promotes abstinence, said "In the past, abstinence was a joke. It's not a joke - it's OK. Kids are really concerned about catching STDs". (Natal Witness, 10 August)

* "INCULTURATION" MASS FOR ZULUS - The Zulu-speaking majority in the Roman Catholic church in KwaZulu-Natal can now have their say about what form of worship should be used in the church. At an outdoor "inculturation mass" at Kingsmead cricket stadium, Bishop Mansuet Biyase of Eshowe said that the church will have to exercise caution to ensure Africanisation of liturgy does not go too far. The mass (attended by about 15 000 worshippers) was designed to incorporate key elements of the Zulu culture, and traditional African musical instruments such as marimbas and bongo drums featured. Members of the amabutho (Zulu regiments) mingled with traditional healers. Bishop Biyase said any prospective changes ought to be examined carefully and should be within the teaching authority of the church. He condemned the non-sacramental use of holy water, incense and the laying-on of hands. (The Mercury, 10 August)

* URI GLOBAL CHARTER IS SIGNED - Hundreds of delegates from 44 countries and 39 religions around the world met in Pittsburgh June 26 at Summit 2000 to sign the United Religions Initiative Charter. This was the birth and basis for a unified world religion - a counterpart to the UN. The URI Charter begins: "We, people of diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions throughout the world, hereby establish the United Religions Initiative to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings." Asks the Calvary Contender, "Could URI be the one-world religion of Antichrist in embryo?" (The Calvary Contender, 16 August)

* POLICE CALLED IN OVER SEX ED BOOKLET - Scotland Yard's obscene publications unit is investigating a complaint against a sex education booklet aimed at teenagers. Life, an anti-abortion charity, complaint against the booklet which was published by Brook, a sexual health charity. Life says that the book - Say Yes? Say No? Say Maybe? - breaks the law because it is inciting youngsters to engage in criminal activity by encouraging them to have under-age sex. Brook receives government funding. Nuala Scarisbrick, of Life, said: "This is an utterly disgraceful publication which any decent person would immediately recognise as likely to deprave and corrupt. It is aimed at young teenagers; so, it is openly encouraging underage sex, a criminal activity." Brook said: "We have no reason to believe that the booklet encourages early sexual activity. We are confident of research evidence that indicates more openness, information and honesty about issues of sex and sexual health actually delays the onset of sexual activity." (FL, 8 August)

* THERAPY IS NEW RELIGION - The Archbishop of Canterbury said recently that a new religion, i.e. therapy, was replacing Christianity in Western countries. Dr George Carey told the Amsterdam 2000 conference of preachers and evangelists that "Christ the saviour" was becoming "Christ the counsellor" in watered-down sermons. He told 10,000 church leaders from 185 countries at the conference, organised by the American evangelist Billy Graham, that therapy, education and wealth were "false gods". (RWN, 1 August)

* AMSTERDAM CONFERENCE REJECTS RELATIVISM - (Netherlands) A conference of evangelical Protestant leaders, the largest ever, reaffirmed old-time religion in an "Amsterdam Declaration" to defend against attempts to water down the Gospel under assault by modern pluralism and relativism. The participants renewed their belief that Jesus Christ is the "one and only Savior," and that the only path to salvation is belief in His death on the cross to redeem human sin. The Bible, the declaration says, is God's "totally true and trustworthy" revelation. (RWN, 7 August)

* TEENAGE GIRLS SHOW UNPRECEDENTED INTEREST IN WITCHCRAFT - (Britain) About 100 girls every month want to join covens to learn about casting spells, according to a report in the September issue of Youthwork, a monthly magazine of the Premier Christian Media Group. Boys, too, are rejecting Christianity and the Church for witchcraft, inspired by television programmes such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the Harry Potter books. However, the greatest demand is from young women seeking female empowerment. The demand is being accelerated by thousands of pages on the Internet offering anything from "poison" rings to spells. The report says that the development is influenced by pressure to pass exams, to find boyfriends and to become wealthy. Marina Baker, author of a book, Spells for Teenage Witches, to be published next month, said: "Young people have always been into all things mystical but they are not getting the spiritual guidance they need from teachers, families or Churches." (BPR, 4 August)

* FETUS CAN SUE, JUDGE SAYS - An Ohio judge has ruled that a 2 1/2-year-old child has the right to sue for damages in an auto accident that occurred while she was in her mother's womb. Medina County Judge Christopher Collier said that Sarah Nicole Leinweber of Elyria was a "viable child" at the time of the 1997 accident that injured her mother. Collier, after examining more than a century's worth of related case law, concluded the child was "capable of existing independently" and therefore had the same rights under statutes that characterize a viable fetus as a person for purposes of homicide and wrongful death. (RWN, 1 August)