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News Items of Interest to Apologists and Counter-Cult Professionals
A Service of Apologetics Index |
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Religion Items In The NewsSeptember 11, 1999 (Vol. 3, Issue 112)
Religion Items in the News - September 11, 1999 (Vol. 3, Issue 112)
================================================================ (Story no longer online? Read this)
=== Waco1. Document shows FBI knew of tear gas projectiles at Waco in 1993 2. Evidence delay angers siege judge 3. McVeigh lawyer says Waco revelations could have stopped bombing 4. Renewed Waco Probe Troubles City 5. Special counsel vows to get siege answers 6. Danforth will have power to compel testimony in Waco probe 7. The Waco controversy, then and now 8. Up-to-date Waco Cover-up News === Scientology [Story no longer online? Read this] 9. Scientology faces French ban 10. French minister raises prospect of Scientology ban 11. Mysterious destruction of files 12. USA: "Sect filter" violates Scientology Rights 13. USA condemns German Scientology politics 14. Professionals vs. Scientology === Other News 15. House where 39 Heaven's Gate cultists took their lives is sold 16. Asahara's wife given shorter prison term (Aum Shinrikyo) 17. China Continues Campaign Vs. Sect (Falun Gong) 18. China denies U.S. report of religious oppression 19. Leader for religious freedom commission 20. Roswell pagan fights against intolerance 21. Roswell school board votes to keep policy prohibiting pagan symbols 22. 'Bible Code' Debunked by Scholars 23. Kennewick Man gives up two small bone samples for carbon dating 24. Pope praises 'God the Mother' to pilgrims 25. Kabbalah Centre Celebrates Rosh Hashanah of the Millennium 26. [Religious Pluralism in New Mexico] === Noted 27. There's a Growing Love for the People Who Fathered Jesus === Internet 28. Researchers Say the Internet is 19 Degrees of Separation === Waco 1. Document shows FBI knew of tear gas projectiles at Waco in 1993 Nando Times, Sep. 10, 1999 http://www.nando.net/noframes/story/0,2107,91730-145292-1018584-0,00.html A lab document that wasn't given to Congress during its investigations discloses that the FBI knew within eight months of the fiery end of the Branch Davidian siege that military-style tear gas projectiles were used, The Associated Press has learned. (...) The report is likely to become a key piece of evidence in the independent inquiry ordered by Attorney General Janet Reno and separate congressional investigations into whether government officials tried to cover up about the use of incendiary tear gas on the final day of the siege. The missing page of the report and the memo were obtained by AP. (...) Justice spokesman Myron Marlin said Friday night that former Republican Sen. John Danforth, who is heading an independent inquiry into Waco, will have to examine why the crucial page of the report did not reach Congress during its probes. Marlin noted, however, that the page was properly turned over to lawyers in criminal and civil cases involving Waco survivors. [...more...] 2. Evidence delay angers siege judge Dallas Morning News, Sep. 10, 1999 http://dallasnews.com/specials/waco/0910waco1fbi.htm (...) U.S. District Judge Walter Smith ordered the seizure Thursday morning and was "infuriated" after the chief U.S. marshal for his district spent hours consulting with his agency's headquarters in Washington and the U.S. attorney's office in San Antonio before executing the raid on the Waco office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, officials said. (...) The seizure is the latest development in an escalating skirmish over who will control and investigate the vast array of evidence tied to the Branch Davidian standoff. (...) Observers say Thursday's incident is remarkable because Judge Smith's rulings relating to the 1993 tragedy have long shown little patience for criticism of government law enforcement actions against the Branch Davidians. (...) The seizure came one week after Judge Smith flatly rejected a plea by the U.S. Justice Department, parent agency of the U.S. Marshals Service, not to take control of the government's evidence. (...) Lawyers for the Branch Davidians have alleged that the government's negligence and deliberate actions caused the 1993 tragedy. For several years, they've claimed projectiles and shell casings found in the compound rubble include pyrotechnic tear-gas grenades and incendiary devices. They have also alleged that government officials have worked for years to hide such evidence. [...more...] 3. McVeigh lawyer says Waco revelations could have stopped bombing CNN/AP, Sep. 9, 1999 http://www.cnn.com/US/9909/09/PM-McVeighLawyer-Waco.ap/index.html Timothy McVeigh's trial lawyer says he believes full disclosure of the FBI's actions in the Branch Davidian standoff would have eliminated the motive for the Oklahoma City bombing two years later. Stephen Jones said he agrees with prosecutors who believed McVeigh was angry about the outcome of the government's attempt to arrest David Koresh at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993. The ensuing 51-day standoff ended in a fire that killed Koresh and about 80 followers. "Had the wheels of justice worked and there been an independent investigation and the responsibility assessed, there would have been no reason for an attack on the federal government in Oklahoma City," Jones said in a Tulsa World story published today. [...more...] 4. Renewed Waco Probe Troubles City Washington Post/AP, Sep. 10, 1999 http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19990910/V000144-091099-idx.html (...) Now, many people in Waco fear that the renewed furor over the FBI assault is just reinforcing the way the public instantly associates their city with the disaster. (...) Sheila Martin, the widow of a Branch Davidian and a plaintiff in the wrongful-death lawsuit, says the rehashing of the siege hurts. But the latest disclossures ``have made it a lot better'' for the survivors. (...) Branch Davidian Amo Bishop Roden, who spends most of her days distributing literature to tourists at the site of the former compound, is also glad to see the renewed interest in the case. [...more...] 5. Special counsel vows to get siege answers Dallas Morning News, Spe. 10, 1999 http://dallasnews.com/specials/waco/0910waco2waco.htm John Danforth vowed Thursday to get answers to "dark questions" that still shroud the deadly 1993 fire near Waco - including whether the government killed Branch Davidians. "Was there a cover-up? That's a dark question," Mr. Danforth said after Attorney General Janet Reno introduced him as special counsel to investigate the FBI siege. "Did the government kill people? How did the fire start? And was there shooting? I mean, those are questions that have been raised." (...) According to rules negotiated by the Justice Department and Mr. Danforth, the investigation will determine whether the FBI fired any other flammable devices at the compound. It will also look into whether anybody acted illegally to cover up the existence of the recently disclosed tear-gas canisters. Critics have also accused the government of firing gunshots at the Davidians during the FBI's final assault, on April 19, 1993. The Danforth investigation will also address whether members of the military took part in violation of federal law. Federal officials have denied both allegations. [...more...] 6. Danforth will have power to compel testimony in Waco probe San Francisco Gate/AP, Sep. 10, 1999 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/1999/09/10/national0123EDT0438.DTL (...) Agents who cooperate voluntarily -- a path Danforth says he would prefer -- could be placing themselves in legal jeopardy by talking, depending on whether they're supplying evidence that touches on any criminality. If an agent refuses to answer, Danforth must decide whether to immunize the witness to compel his cooperation, a step that probably would preclude Danforth from prosecuting the person later if Danforth concludes the agent engaged in wrongdoing. (...) Danforth also will investigate whether there was any illegal use of the armed forces in the final assault. Delta Force commandoes were at Waco the day of the FBI assault on the compound, but the Pentagon says the military team had no operational role. [...more...] 7. The Waco controversy, then and now San Francisco Gate/AP, Sep. 10, 1999 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/1999/09/10/national0122EDT0436.DTL The FBI's grudging acknowledgment that it was less than candid about its role in the final hours of the 51-day standoff with the Branch Davidian sect near Waco, Texas, has raised new questions and prompted yet another investigation into the tragic events of April 19, 1993. (...) Here, in question-and-answer form, is a look at some of the basic issues: (...) Q: Why did this come to light now? A: Because of inquiries by documentary filmmakers, reporters and lawyers for surviving Branch Davidians and relatives of the dead who are going to court next month in their longstanding lawsuit that the government was responsible for the deaths. Use of the potentially incendiary tear gas was first reported by The Dallas Morning News on Aug. 24, triggering the latest controversy over Waco. [...more...] 8. Up-to-date Waco Cover-up News http://www.apologeticsindex.org/b10#newscurrent === Scientology 9. Scientology faces French ban BBC, Sep. 9, 1999 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_443000/443271.stm France might consider banning the Church of Scientology, which it regards as a sect rather than a religion. The Justice Minister, Elisabeth Guigou, made it clear that the future of the organisation in France was under close scrutiny. Her remarks came as US officials expressed concern over the growing intolerance shown to minority religious groups in some European countries. (...) But it is treated with suspicion in Europe. Seven Scientologists are due to go on trial in southern France later this month after an investigation into alleged fraud, illegal practice of medicine and premeditated violence. (...) France registers Scientology as one of dozens of groups that should be tracked to prevent cult activities. Justice Minister Guigou said on Thursday: "Sects, and this one in particular, are extremely powerful. I think they should be prevented from doing any harm." (...) The State Department said that asking people and companies whether they had associations with the group was an abuse of human rights. [...more...] 10. French minister raises prospect of Scientology ban Infoseek/Reuters, Sep. 9, 1999 French Justice Minister Elisabeth Guigou on Thursday raised the prospect of banning the Church of Scientology as investigators probed how legal documents that could have been used as evidence against the movement had vanished. ``Sects, and this one in particular, are extremely powerful ...and I think they should be prevented from doing any harm,'' she told RTL radio. Asked about a call by Alain Vivien, the head of an interministerial committee investigating sects, to ban the Church of Scientology, she said: ``I think that actually one can raise the question.'' A lawyer on Thursday charged that legal documents had vanished in a case involving a Scientology member -- the third such case in a year. He said they disappeared as the file was being transferred from a court in Verdun, in eastern France, to Caen in the west. (...) The Church of Scientology has denied any responsibility. It said its opponents were waging a slander campaign by trying to blame an administrative blunder on the Church. [...more...] 11. Mysterious destruction of files Rhein Zeitung (Germany), Sep. 9, 1999 Translation: German Scientology News http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/990909b.htm The mysterious destruction of about 3.5 tons of court documents for a process against seven members of the Scientology organization in Marseille has caused outrage among France's politicians. On Wednesday, the French Justice Minister, Elisabeth Guigou, described the event as "very grave" and immediately had the premises of the state court of the southern French port city searched and commenced an investigation. That is where the proceedings against the Scientology members are to held on September 20 for fraud, illegal practice of medical consultation and deliberate violence. The French State Attorney General has also intervened. (...) Danielle Gounord, the Scientology spokeswoman, dismissed all accusations and stated that her organization was not responsible for the destruction of the files. She said she was just as surprised as "everybody else." [...more...] 12. USA: "Sect filter" violates Scientology Rights dpa ("German Press Agency), Sep. 9, 1999 Translation: German Scientology News http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/990909d.htm The use of "sect filters" against the employment of adherents of the Scientology Organization in Germany violates their rights, in the view of the U.S. government. That was stated as fact by the U.S. State Department in its report published on Thursday on religious freedom all over the world. By "sect filters" were meant statements in which applicants have to assure that they are not members of Scientology or other similar organizations. However, the report, on the whole, expressed significantly less criticism of the treatment of Scientology members in Germany than did previous reports. The State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Germany had tried in vain to arrange meetings between a U.S. Scientology attorney and officials from the German Foreign Office and other ministries, said the report. A meeting was refused because no new viewpoints had been anticipated. [...more...] 13. USA condemns German Scientology politics - complains of lack of religious freedom all over the world AFP (Agence France Presse), Sep. 9, 1999 Translation: German Scientology News http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/990909c.htm The USA has criticized the "sect filter" which German companies and agencies use to protect themselves against infiltration by the Scientology organization. The security statements which are demanded of [German] employees were said to be discriminatory, stated the U.S. State Department's first status report on worldwide religious freedom. Altogether the U.S. State Department published a well-weighed opinion of the German handling of the organization. In the past, Scientology's complaints about its treatment in Germany as led to ill feelings between the German government and U.S. agencies. According to the report, the USA has brought its objections to the "sect filter" multiple times in the course of the past year to [German] representatives of nation and state. They said it was a violation of human rights if Scientologists were hindered in the practice of their profession because of their belief alone. Nevertheless, the U.S. State department also quoted the words of the Bavarian State government that no Scientologist, just by reason of his connection to the organization, had lost his [work] position in Bavaria. Unlike the USA, Scientology is not recognized in Germany as a church. The number of German Scientologists in the report were given as about 8,000. [...more...] 14. Professionals vs. Scientology [Story no longer online? Read this] Suedwest Presse (Germany), Sep. 10, 1999 Translation: German Scientology News http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/990910a.htm Is Scientology just a hollow, greatly over-estimated bogey man? That is what Fritz-Achim Baumann, at least, believes; he is the just retired chief of the State Office for Constitutional Security in Nordrhein-Westfalen. He now advises against further waste of state undercover resources for the surveillance of Scientologists. Scientology is now said to number just 5,000 in Germany. Even though the organization is said to have undemocratic goals, they are allegedly not being realized. Even though it has allegedly infiltrated business, it was said not to be to a great extent. Ergo, Scientology would not be a case for Constitutional Security, but for sect commissioners, believes Baumann, who thereby runs into a misunderstanding with Helmut Rannacher, his Baden-Wuerttemberg colleague. His office will be releasing a brochure in the next few days which alerts people to Scientology. (...) How ex-Constitutional Security agent Baumann comes up with a membership number of 5,000 will remain his secret. There are no official membership lists. Besides that the number of members is irrelevant. According to internal strategy documents, the Scientologists have brought the bulk of their activities underground. Business and political power is to be obtained primarily through cover organizations. For that purpose Scientology has founded its own association: the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE). Their members have the stated mission of increasing the influence of the organization in society. If Baumann asserts that is not happening on a wide scale, that would be evidence of incompetence. Almost all major corporations appear in reference lists of the WISE companies. Only they do not talk about the problems which they have with Scientology. If they did that, they would have to count on having problems with the "Global Players" in the USA. The Scientologists' influence is so great there that neither companies nor the U.S. government object to the Hubbard disciples. [...more...] === Other News 15. House where 39 Heaven's Gate cultists took their lives is sold San Diego Union-Tribune, Sep. 10, 1999 http://www.uniontrib.com/news/uniontrib/fri/metro/news_7m10heaven.html The house that served as the headquarters for Heaven's Gate cult members has been sold. The sprawling seven-bedroom, five-bath Mediterranean-style villa was purchased for $668,000 by a man who lives nearby. Before the March 1997 deaths of 39 cult members there -- the largest mass suicide ever on U.S. soil -- the house had been listed for sale at $1.6 million. (...) "The house will be removed," Strong said in a brief telephone interview yesterday. He said he had no immediate plans for the 3.1-acre site. [...more...] 16. Asahara's wife given shorter prison term Japan Times, Sep. 9, 1999 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/news9-99/news.html#story10 Overturning a lower court ruling, the Tokyo High Court on Thursday reduced the prison sentence of the wife of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara to six from seven years for her part in the lynching of a former cult member in January 1994. Tomoko Matsumoto, 41, was found guilty of approving the killing of Kotaro Ochida, 29, who was strangled by a fellow former cultist inside an Aum complex in the presence of the guru, his wife and other senior members of the group. The Tokyo District Court sentenced Matsumoto to seven years in prison in May 1998. (...) Kanda, however, pointed out that Matsumoto apologized to the family of the deceased and paid 20 million yen in compensation in February after she inherited 40 million yen from her mother, who died in December. The family later requested that the court grant leniency. Matsumoto donated the remaining 20 million yen to a fund set up to support victims of sarin gas attacks and their families, he said. (...) Matsumoto told the court she no longer wants to have anything to do with the cult and wants to live a quiet life with her children. [...more...] 17. China Continues Campaign Vs. Sect Washington Post/AP, Sep. 10, 1999 http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19990910/V000831-091099-idx.html The banned meditation sect Falun Gong has started to go underground and must be completely stopped by punishing its remaining leaders, a commentary in an official Chinese newspaper said Friday. The commentary in the People's Daily warned that although most followers of the group had been persuaded through a massive propaganda campaign to cut their ties with it, others were gathering secretly and trying to create an underground organization. [...more...] 18. China denies U.S. report of religious oppression Nando Times, Sep. 9, 1999 http://www.nando.net/noframes/story/0,2107,91075-144195-1007966-0,00.html China on Thursday rejected as malicious interference a new U.S. report that members of unofficial churches face harassment and detention and denied that any Chinese have been arrested for their religious beliefs. (...) "Nobody has been arrested or detained because of religious beliefs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said. "If religious believers are arrested, it is not because of their religious beliefs but because they have taken part in criminal activities." China's constitution and legal system promise freedom of worship, but religious groups are required to register. The government recognizes five religions - Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Taoism and Islam. Unregistered Christian groups that worship in members' houses frequently report being detained or harassed. [...more...] 19. Leader for religious freedom commission AOL/AP, Sep. 9, 1999 Steven McFarland, director of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom, has been named executive director of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The commission was established by Congress last year to monitor American policy. At the center, McFarland was the strategist on public issues for the Christian Legal Society, an organization of evangelical Protestant lawyers. He was a leader in interfaith coalitions working toward the commission where he now works; the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, later overturned by the Supreme Court; and the Religious Liberty Protection Act, now pending in the Senate. [...entire item...] 20. Roswell pagan fights against intolerance Amarilli Gobe-News, Sep. 8, 1999 http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/090899/new_pagan.shtml (...) She is a Pagan minister. By King's estimation, Roswell is home to about 200 Pagan believers. (...) They are not devil worshipers; King wants to be clear about that. That's how this whole public outing came to be, she explained. A Jewish boy in Mississippi was her inspiration. King said she and her two sons were watching a television news show one night when they learned of the boy's efforts to reverse a school policy that prohibited the Star of David symbol. (...) "Even the Christian community has been supportive," she said. "If nothing else, they have understood that if the school could take our pentagram and ban it, then they could do the same in one swift movement with the Christian crucifix." (...) As with Christianity, Paganism has many sects, she said. But here's the basic philosophy, according to King: (...) "I had a member of my Pagan community say to me one time, 'Boy, that Jesus was a hell of a witch. I sure can't raise the dead. I have respect for that guy,' " King said. Time will tell whether the Christian-dominated community of Roswell will accept Paganism. The first real test was scheduled Tuesday night when the school board met to discuss the pentagram issue. [...more...] 21. Roswell school board votes to keep policy prohibiting pagan symbols Amarillo Globe-News, Sep. 9, 1999 http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/090999/new_roswell.shtml The pastor of a Christian church in Roswell on Wednesday applauded a school board decision that prohibits students from wearing pentagrams, even as religious symbols. "To most people, the symbol represents satanists," said Steve Smothermon, pastor of the interdenominational Church on the Move. "The pentagram is not a healthy sign for our kids. It's not right." The Roswell school board voted 2-2 Tuesday night on the issue of whether the symbol of some pagan religions should be allowed as part of the school dress policy. Since the vote was a tie, the current policy banning the symbol remains. (...) The controversy over the pentagram began a few weeks ago. Kathryn King, who said she is a pagan minister in Roswell, asked school officials to allow pagan students to wear the symbol as Christian students are allowed to wear crosses. (...) "What's next is the American Civil Liberties Union," King said Wednesday afternoon. "I told the school board we wanted to do this without lawyers. I told them we wanted it resolved so we could spend money on the kids' heads instead of on attorneys to do this crap. By deciding the way they did, they decided they wanted to go to court." [...more...] 22. 'Bible Code' Debunked by Scholars Northern Light/AP, Sep. 10, 1999 An international team of statisticians is debunking the controversial ``Bible code,'' which claims the Old Testament has hidden references to 20th century events that can be revealed by a computer. (...) Television documentaries, fast-selling books and numerous articles have popularized the theory, first published in the academic journal Statistical Science. Now the same journal, published by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics based in Hayward, Calif., is offering an article challenging the technique it reported in 1994. The article will be published in the quarterly next week. (...) In the upcoming edition of Statistical Science, the new study's authors -- Dror Bar-Natan, Maya Bar-Hillel and Gil Kalai, professors at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, and Brendan McKay of the Australian National University -- combine expertise in mathematics and computer science to debunk the theory. [...more...] 23. Kennewick Man gives up two small bone samples for carbon dating Sacramento Bee/AP, Sep. 9, 1999 http://www.sacbee.com/news/calreport/calrep_story.cgi?N391.HTML Two tiny samples have been taken from the collection of bones known as Kennewick Man -- material that will be used for radiocarbon dating to determine his age. Initial tests run three years ago indicated the bones were more than 9,000 years old. (...) The Interior Department is responsible for determining if the remains will be classified as Native American under federal law, which typically is the case if the bones are more than 500 years old. Results are expected to be announced in November. [...more...] 24. Pope praises 'God the Mother' to pilgrims The Times (England), Sep. 10, 1999 http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/Times/timfgneur01004.html?2488675 The Pope, who this year said that God was not "an old man with a white beard", went a step further yesterday and referred to "God the Mother". The Pope, regarded as dogmatically conservative and patriarchal, has surprised critics this year with uncharacteristically open-minded revisions of doctrine as part of his preparations for a Christian mission in the new millennium. He is keen to broaden the appeal of Christianity, his advisers say, and to ensure that no sections of society feel "left out of its all-embracing message". (...) The Pope is also a devotee of the cult of the Virgin Mary, although she is referred to as the Mother of God, and not as a God Mother, since she does not share the divinity of God and Christ. The Lord's Prayer opens with the words "Our Father, which art in heaven", and in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus says: "Everything is entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father but the Son" (Matthew xi, 27). But, speaking to pilgrims in St Peter's Square, the Pope said God had both a male and female nature. (...) The Pope's latest remarks were welcomed by liberal theologians such as Dr Hans Kung, who was forbidden to teach theology 20 years ago after repeatedly defying Vatican edicts. He said that it was time to acknowledge that God "transcends the sexes". [...more...] 25. Kabbalah Centre Celebrates Rosh Hashanah of the Millennium Northern Light/AP, Sep. 10, 1999 This weekend's Rosh Hashanah celebration not only signifies the coming new year, but also marks the beginning of the Hebrew year 5760, which ushers in the highly anticipated "End of Days" of Kabbalah text. To celebrate this period of spiritual excitement, 2,400 Kabbalah leaders from around the world are gathering at the Hilton & Towers in Anaheim for this once-in-a-lifetime event. In Kabbalah teachings, the "End of Days" is a time when the spiritual power, or Light, of the Creator penetrates the physical world with greater magnitude than ever before. Not to be confused with an apocalyptic meaning, "End of Days" actually refers to an end of the chaos and death pervading society. (...) Kabbalah traditions have been associated with Judaism for hundreds of years, but in reality, Kabbalah pre-dates any organized religion. Founded in Jerusalem in 1922, the Kabbalah Centre seeks to educate all persons interested in spiritual development in the ways of its teachings, regardless of their religious backgrounds. Currently, there are 39 Kabbalah Centres around the world with 3.4 million members, 50 percent of whom are non-Jewish. [...more...] 26. [Religious Pluralism in New Mexico] Northern Light/AP, Sep. 9, 1999 An increasing number of the world's religions have become part of the fabric of faith in largely Roman Catholic New Mexico. Besides Islamic [Story no longer online? Read this] mosques, there are Sikh gurdwaras and Buddhist stupas. And the state is not alone. The religious landscape of the United States is changing rapidly, with temples and mosques going up from coast to coast, said E. Allen Richardson, author of ``Strangers in This Land: Pluralism and the Response to Diversity in the United States.'' ``It's not just in the major metropolitan areas. It's every place,'' said Richardson, an expert on Hinduism who teaches Eastern religions at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa. (...) The mosque near Abiquiu is part of Dar al Islam, an organization with a two-fold mission: to educate non-Muslims about Islam, and to bring Muslims together. (...) A community of Sikhs, distinctive in their turbans and white clothing, has become a fixture in northern New Mexico since it was founded nearly 30 years ago. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded by a Hindu teacher in the 15th century. (...) The Buddhist community in New Mexico includes immigrants from China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Tibet, as well as Westerners. Some attend services led by monks at Albuquerque temples. Some sit in meditation at adobe Zen centers in the mountains. [...more...] === Noted 27. There's a Growing Love for the People Who Fathered Jesus Los Angeles Times, Sep. 10, 1999 (...) Yet the approaching millennium is an apt occasion for Jews to begin acknowledging the theological changes that have occurred within Christianity, and especially the Catholic Church, since the Holocaust. No religion has ever undertaken such a radical and courageous reevaluation of a fellow faith as has Christianity toward Judaism. (...) As a monk in Jerusalem told me, the church is in the process of transforming itself from a center point of hatred for the people who rejected Jesus into a center point of love for the people who fathered Jesus. True, the Catholic Church still envisions an end-time scenario in which the Jews, along with the rest of humanity, accept the Christian messiah. But unlike most of evangelical Christianity, the Vatican has quietly abandoned proselytizing aimed at Jews, who have rightly perceived those attempts as contempt for their spiritual legitimacy. (...) Jews and Christians have separate spiritual tasks, whose autonomy should be respected. The Jews see their role as particularistic, affirming God's presence through a people's historical journey. The Christians see their purpose as universalistic, bringing the message of a redemptive God to the world. Yet each side has something to teach the other. Jews, for so long ghettoized and inward-looking, can learn from Christianity's concern for the spiritual and material welfare of all human beings, not just its own faithful. Christians, for their part, can learn from Judaism's rejection of the notion that everyone must follow a single faith. - Yossi Klein Halevi Is a Senior Writer for the Jerusalem Report [...more...] === Internet 28. Researchers Say the Internet is 19 Degrees of Separation KGTV, Sep. 9, 1999 http://www.sandiegoinsider.com/partners/kgtv/news/090999_web.html Any two randomly picked pages on the World Wide Web are, on average, just 19 clicks away from each other, researchers say. The findings, reported in an issue of the journal Nature, suggests that the Web is so interconnected that any desired information is nearby even though there are 800 million documents available. The key is knowing which links to click. (...) Search engine companies could use the findings to create programs that more intelligently figure out what's available. A recent study showed that even the best search engine scours only about 34 percent of the Web. [...more...]
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