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S eptember
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‘Prince M attM asons Elect
M ew Leader
Thomas J. (Tom) Coit was in­
stalled as Grand Master of Prince
Hall Masons for the State of Oregon
and its Jurisdiction at a recent an­
nual meeting in Eugene, Oregon
Tom and his wife are residents of
Merrill,Oregon where they have lived
since theirretirement in 1976. Tom is
a WW II veteran of the U S. Marine
Corps. He also worked for the De­
partment of Defense in the field of
Communications for twenty-eight
years until he retired. He has been a
member of the Prince Hall Masons
since 1949 and is a member of Unity
Lodge #9. Klamath Falls, Oregon.
During his tenure as Grandmaster,
Tom wi 11 stress organizational growth
and a positive working relationship
with community youth, seniorcitizen
Thomas J. Coit
groups and the Order o f Eastern Stars.
The Oregon Jurisdiction includes
Lodges in Oregon, Idaho and Mon­
tana.
Ban evokes 1930's art censorship by nazis
The President of the Church of
S cien to lo g y In te rn a tio n a l, c o n ­
dem ned G erm an p o litician s for
Germany s “return to the totalitarian
oppression of art that characterized
Germany during the Nazi era."
The C hurch’s statement com es in
response to the declaration of Social­
ist Democratic Party (SPD) member
of parliament, Renate Renebach,
quoted in “Bild am Sonntag” news­
paper that the popular Am erican
movie “Phenomenon” should be cen­
sored due to the religious affiliation
of actor John Travolta.
This censorship attempt follows
the C hristian D em ocratic Union
Young Union’s unsuccessful attempt
to boycott the latest Tom Cruise
movie, “Mission Impossible”, due to
Cruise’saffiliation with Scientology.
The boycott was a flop and the movie
was a huge box office success in
Germany, occupying the top spot
since it opened on August 8.
Voices around the world have
raised in protest over these attempts
to censor and destroy freedom of
artistic expression in Germany.
The latest such voice to be raised
is that of US Congressman Carlos
M oorhead from C alifornia, who
stated today, “It is a terrible condem ­
nation of the German government
that it would remain silent while its
political parties, including theC D U ’s
own youth group, would attempt to
boycott movies such as “Mission
Impossible” and “Phenomenon” be­
cause of the actors’ religious be­
liefs.”
The attempts to ban these movies
echo the decrees of German Minister
of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels,
who in the 1930’s declared that no
film could be shown in Germany in
Let's not confuse what is legal with what is just
B y M arian W right E delman
It is morally and politically shock­
ing that the leaders of a nation that
believes in Jesus Christ, Mohammed
and the prophets would knowingly
condemns millions of its children to
poverty, poor health, and death. But
that’s what our President and Con­
gress did when they agreed to enact a
"w e lfa re refo rm ” law that th e
governm ent’s own experts warned
would push more than one million new
children into poverty and millions more
already poor children deeper into pov­
erty.
Never have we witnessed such dra­
matic political abuse of our children.
As citizens, and as leaders in our con­
gregations and civic organizations, we
have to begin to mobilize the political
will and political voice that will allow
us to prevent this kind of immoral and
unjust assault on our children from
ever happening again.
We must also pray for a nation that
has lost its way. As we ponder the
potential impact of our leaders’ deci­
sion. let us offer up the following
prayer with renewed conviction:
OGod, forgive our rich nation where
small babies die of cold quite legally.
OGod, forgive our rich nation where
small children suffer from hungerquite
legally.
OGod, forgiveourrich nation where
toddlers and school children die from
guns sold quite legally.
O God, forgive our rich nation that
lets children be the poorest group of
citizens quite legally.
O God, forgive our rich nation that
lets the rich continue to get more at the
expense of the poor quite legally.
OGod, forgive ourrich nation which
thinks security rests in missiles rather
than in mothers, and in bombs rather
than in babies.
O God, forgive our rich nation for
not giving You sufficient thanks by
giving to others their daily bread.
O God, help us never to confuse
what is quite legal with what is just and
right in Your sight.
Praying is an important first step,
but the Bible tells us that faith without
works is not enough. We must com­
bine prayer with action We must
make sure that the leaders we’veelected
to protect our children are living up to
their responsibility. As for the candi­
dates seeking our votes, we must de­
mand some specifics about what they
plan to do for children once they are
elected.
I am convinced that our “moral
Achilles heel" - the thing that will take
us to hell as nation unless we change
direction - is our treatment of chil­
dren.
Our political leaders may have
acted “legally" when they agreed to
take away basic nutrition, income
support, and other essential services
for families and children, but we
know it was not just and right in
G od’s sight.
Marian Wright Edelman is presi­
dent of the Children’s Defense Fund
and a leader of the Black Community
Crusade for Children (BCCC), whose
mission is to leave no child behind
The prayer above is taken form
Edelman’s latest book, "Guide My
Feet: Prayers and Meditations for
Loving and Working For Children.”
For more information, cal 1-800-
BCCC.
Workshop at Mittleman Jewish Community Center
What Do You Want To Be When
You Grow Up?, is the title of a work­
shop that will be at the MJCC on
Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 7:30 - 9:00
p.m. Led by Judi Lansky, President
and founder of Lansky Career Con­
sultants, the workshop is designed for
persons who are ready for a change,
but are not quite certain which career
direction to pursue. The workshop will
focus on identifying one’s skills, de-
fining the work environment, visualiz­
ing what an ideal work day would be
like and defining career goals. Lansky
recently relocated to the Northwest
where she opened the Portland branch
of Lansky Career Consultants that she
founded in Chicago 14 years ago.
Workshop cost is S10/MJCC mem­
bers; $15/non-members. Pre-registra­
tion is requested by October 3.
Career & Job Search Success Group,
a four-week support group for persons
who are in, or are thinking of, a career/
job change will be at the MJCC
Wednesday evenings, Oct. 16-Nov. 6,
from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Facilitated by
David Gmshkin, Career Counselor &
Therapist, the group is designed to
give support and help to overcome the
inertia, frustration and anxiety that can
occur during career and job changes.
Topics will include tips on career
choices and job searches; feedback on
resumes, and how to network. Cost is
S35/MJCC members; $45/non-mem-
bers. Pre-registration is requested by
Oct. 14.
For additional information, call
Eltana Temkin, Adult & Family Life
Director, (503) 452-3433.
The Mittleman Jewish Community
Center is located at 6651 S. W. Capitol
Highway, Portland, OR 97219.
(Pope w in s respect in IPrance
Embracing the downtrodden and
refusing to let age or illness slow him
down, Pope John Paul II eventually
earned the grudging respect o f a pub­
lic that scorned had him for being out
of touch.
The pope's trip to France was
hardly smooth Five thousand leftist
demonstrators marched through Paris
on Sunday denouncing not only the
pontiff but also the French govern­
ment for paying for John Paul's secu­
rity and aircraft during the visit.
Smaller protests were organized else­
where.
But the anti-pope m ovem ent
seemed to fizzle, drowned out by the
faithful's shouts of “Vive the pope!”
and “Holy Father, we love you!”
“The pope is against contracep­
tives and abortion, but that’s his role.
Who am I to judge?” Bernadette
Sulman said Sunday as the pope
ended his four-day visit. “He came
here for us. and it was super.”
The opposition “may have poi­
soned the climate of the visit, but it
didn’t poison us,” said Olivier de la
Brosse, spokesman for the French
bishops’ conference. “It went much
better than the pessimists expected.”
Turnout at most stops met or ex­
ceeded expectations. Two hundred
thousand jubilant pilgrims cheered
the 76-year-old pope like a rock star
at Sunday’s papal Mass in Reims,
about 80 miles northeast of Paris.
The pope sidestepped a divisive
national debate over that Mass, which
honored the 1,500th anniversary of
the baptism of the pagan king Clovis
the Barbarian.
The National Front, an extreme-
right party accused of racism and
anti-Semitism, has adopted Clovis as
a symbol, and critics said a papal
blessing o f the fifth-century king
would legitimize the group. The pope,
shrugging off the fuss, said he was
merely paying tribute to France’s
spiritual father.
Eight in 10 French are Roman
Catholics, but many zealously em­
brace the separation of church and
state and oppose the pope's conser­
vative stance on sexual and moral
issues. Some sought to cancel their
baptisms to protest his visit.
But John Paul struck a chord by
meeting in the Loire Valley city of
Tours with immigrants, drug addicts,
prostitutes, AIDS patients and the
longtime unemployed. He called on
France to do its utmost to help them.
“John Paul II recalls the great prin­
ciples o f the religion he leads: toler­
ance, the sharing of wealth, solidar­
ity, justice,” the Sunday newspaper
Le Journal du Dimanche said in a
front-page commentary defending the
pope.
“These words, at a time when poli­
ticians are criticized for their inabil­
ity tohandleextremely complex prob­
lems, resonate strongly. The pope
deserves thanks for opposing dema­
gogues, the hateful, the intolerant
and the racist.”
On Sunday, the pope also con­
veyed “a respectful greeting” to
France’s non-Catholics and Muslims,
"in the hope that religious dialogue
will develop amongst all for the har­
monious union of French society as a
whole.”
Now that the pope has left and the
furor surrounding his visit has sub­
sided, France is contemplating his
tentative return next August — to
Paris — to mark World Youth Day.
Prime Minister Alain Juppe said
Sunday that the government, at least,
will welcome the pontiff back.
“ E v e ry o n e , w h a te v e r th e ir
opinions may be, know s you have
fought for the dignity o f m an,”
he told the pope in a farew ell
address.
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“A handful of fanatical politicians
in Germany don’t realize that the
world has moved forward since the
1930’s,” stated Rev. Jentzsch. "They
show no concern for G erm any’s
standing in the international commu­
nity, already injured by their futile
boycott of Mission Impossible and
other discriminatory actions by the
G erm an g o v e rn m e n t a g a in st
Scientologists.
“The comparison to recent history
is not there because we made it; the
facts speak for themselves.
“Who will be the next target of
these latter-day G oebbels?” con­
cluded Rev. Jentzsch.
which a single Jew had been involved
in production as director, stage man­
ager, actor, singer, dancer, scenario
writer, composer, cutler, or sound
director, whether or not the Jew ’s
participation was a matter of public
knowledge.
Rep. M oorhead further c o m ­
mented that such acts are "an appall­
ing statement of censorship of artis­
tic freedom in Germany which re­
calls the 193O’s. That these and other
artists would be censured is intoler­
able. As a World War II veteran, I
have lived through the history of this
century and find these recent devel­
opments disturbing.”
‘“Bravo'. Vancouver: M usic
l i t S t. Joseph” Concert
The third season of the “Bravo!
Vancouver, Music at St. Joseph”
concert series begins December 8,
with a full production of H andel’s
“Messiah". The concert is sched­
uled for3:00p.m. in the sanctuary of
St. Joseph Church in Vancouver
The “Bravo! V ancouver” 1996-
97 series includes five concerts.
December 8, “M essiah”; February
9, “A Taste of Italy” includes fa­
vorite Italian opera tunes and over­
tures; March 23 is the Haydn, “C re­
ation”; May 4 is a family concert of
all-American classics; June 14 fea­
tures the All-Star Big Band, in­
cluding the sounds of Glenn Miller,
D uke E llin g to n and B enny
Goodman.
Season tickets for the concert
series are $40, all reserved seating.
Deadline for season tickets is Octo­
ber 25. Single and reserved tickets
and general admission are also avail­
able. For ticket information, call St.
Joseph Parish at 360-696-4407,
FASTIXX at 224-8499; or any Fred
Meyer FASTIXX outlet.
(Dr. Marcus (Borgpresents a
three p a rt iecture
Internationally renowned Jesus
scholar and author Dr. Marcus Borg
will present a three part lecture at
First United Methodist Church on
October 12, 1996.
Titled “Conversations with Jesus,”
the lecture series will reflect about
the meanings of Jesus for Christian
understanding and life today.
The package that Borg will be
offering on October 12 has never
before been presented in the Port­
land area. Borg will present three
talks, each followed by discussion:
Session 1: “Jesus and God: The
Pre-Easter and Post-Easter Jesus”
Session 2: “The Death and Resur­
rection of Jesus”
Session 3: “Living the Life: Spirit,
W isdom and Compassion.”
Borg is Hundere Distinguished
Professor of Religion and Culture at
Oregon State University.
Marcus J. Borg is Hundere Distin­
guished Professor of Religion in the
Philosophy Department at Oregon
State University. Nationally and in-
temationally known in both academic
and church circles as a Jesus scholar,
he is the author os seven books, in­
cluding the best-selling “Jesus: A
New Vision” (1987) and “Meeting
Jesus Again for the First T im e”
(1994). His most recent book is
“Jesus i n Contemporary Scholarship”
(1994). Describedby The New York
Times as “a leading figure among the
new generation of Jesus scholars,”
he has also appeared on N BC’s “T o­
day Show”. A Fellow of the Jesus
Seminar, he has been national chair
of the Historical Jesus Section of the
Society of Biblical Literature and
co-chair of its International New
Testament Program Committee. His
work has been translated in to Ger­
man, Dutch, Korean and Japanese.
His doctor’s degree is from Oxford
University, and he lectured widely
overseas (England, Austria, G er­
many, Belgium, Hungary, Israel and
South Africa) and throughout North
America, including the Smithsonian
Institution.
Advertise In
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Call (503) 288-0033
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Invite you to attend their Gayla Wedding Reception
September 29, 1996
Jackson Armory, 6255 NE Comfoot Rd
6:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Cox Funeral Home
Gift Registry: Vessels & Meier Franks
2736 N.E. Rodney, Portland, Oregon (503) 281-4891
Abdul M. Hasan
385 5 S.W. Hall Blvd.
P.0. Box 5 67
Beaverton, OR 9 7 0 7 5
25, 1996 • T he P ortland O bserver
“Before You Must Make a Decision”
Inspect the Beautiful Cox Funeral Chapel
Abdul M. Hasan
Advance Planning
Counsler
Res. (503) 286-8671
Pager (503) 818-7138
Toll Free (800) 526-9608
Fax (503) 646-5855
Planning your
funeral is our first
consideration.
Equipped to serve
all religions, races,
veterans and
fraternal
organizations.
Music by D-Jay George
Finer Things Gourmet Catering
Wedding Cake by Capers Catering
Decorations by Balloons Galore
Jerome Tanner
Funeral Director
I