Portland observer., March 19, 1997, Page 10, Image 10

‘The fe s tiv a l o f (Religious Learning
Schoofs face legalchallenges
A dispute over a faddish game
has turned into a law suit accusing
a school d istric t in New Y o rk 's
T o n y s u b u rb s o f p ro m o tin g
"satanism and o ccultism "
Three C atholic fa m ilie s say their
re lig io u s freedom has been in ­
fringed by such standard school
.1 d J is tric t ï_
the
in Westchester r ’rvitn»!,’
C o u n ty p ’ s
w e ll-to -d o horse country
The Dungeons & D ragons-like
strategy game, played w ith co lle ct­
ible trading cards, involves the su­
pernatural. Some o f the cards are
lu rid depictions o f demons and one
shows a woman about to be sacri­
m school
U I riic
trir't’
d is
tric c t’ s la w ye r, W arren
R ichm ond, said a volunteer was
asked to lie on a grave to show how
m uch sm aller people were in ihe
18th century.
A man w ho dressed lik e L incoln
frightened some children when he
said L in c o ln believed in ghosts. " It
fare as an assembly featuring a man
dressed up as Abraham L in c o ln , a
science class studying the le fto ve r
evidence o f an o w l’ s lunch and a
history lesson in a cemetery.
School o ffic ia ls see the lawsuit
as “ a threat to schools everyw here."
said Bruce Dennis, supervisor o f
the B edford Central School D is­
trict, about 20 miles north o f New
ficed
" I t ’ s straight from Satan,” said
M ary Ann D iB a ri, a p la in tiff who
has 11-and 13-year-old granddaugh­
ters in the schools “ Human sacri­
was ju st a fe llo w w ho gave a speech
on Abe L in c o ln ,” R ichm ond said.
fice, devil w orship, spells."
Some form ed a clu b that was al­
lowed to play the game on school
grounds but not du rin g class. Play­
ers and the school d is tric t defended
prey.
Y o rk C ity.
On M onday, several parents plan
it as a “ math game.”
The lawsuit says that by a llo w in g
the game on school grounds, the
to jo in the schools’ defense against
the 1996 federal court law suit by
filin g a frie n d -o f-th e -co u rt brief.
The next hearing in the case is set
fo r A p ril 25.
"W e can’ t take apart the science
o r E n g lish c u rric u lu m because
something seems to go against some
part o f a particular sm all g ro u p ’ s
b e lie f system ,” said one o f the
schools’ supporters, the Rev. Paul
A lcorn, a Presbyterian m inister who
has tw o children in the schools
"W e w ould dismantle public edu­
cation in this country. M aybe th a t’ s
w hat th e y’ re try in g to do.”
The dispute stems from a game
called “ M agic: The G a th e rin g " that
children started p laying in 1995 in
d is tric t " o ff ic ia lly prom oted and
endorsed" an occult a c tiv ity , and
prom oted “ satanism and occultism ,
pagan religions and N ew Age s p iri­
tu a lity .”
Besides the card game itself, the
law suit com plains that:
T hird-graders were told to vener­
ate pagan gods when a teacher had
them m ake H in d u " id o ls .” The
teacher, Jackie Reizes, held up a
paper elephant mask at a parents
meeting, said it was the idol referred
to in the suit and added: " I th in k this
T h ird -g ra d e rs were fo rce d to
study o w l pellets, the regurgitated
bones and feathers o f the birds'
The la w su it included that
u n d e r"E a rth w orship and New Age
s p iritis m .”
Several youngsters, in clu d in g the
m in ister’ s son, staged a benefit tour­
nament at his B edford Presbyterian
C hurch “ so parents w ho were con­
cerned could see the game, see the
cards." A lco rn said.
"T h e y were acting in a more
mature fashion than the fo u r people
w ho called me and said how could
I raise m y son that w ay, how could
I be a pastor," the m in iste r said
"T h e allegations in the com plaint
have seriously distorted what are
really very norm al educational prac­
tices," Richm ond said.
Jordi Portell W einstock, a senior
at Fox Lane H igh School, said he
speaks fo r its e lf.”
On an excursion to a cemetery,
fourth-graders were instructed to lie
was happy w ith his education.
“ They teach you m ore and more
a m u ltic u ltu ra l view o f the w orld,
in social studies and in E nglish,” he
said. " I t ’ s im portant that we learn
on the graves o f dead children. The
about other societies."
The Center fo r the Study o f R e li­
gion is sponsoring and e xcitin g and
unique afternoon event entitled The
Festival o f R eligious Learning. This
event w ill be a “ collage o f m in i
classes” du rin g w hich participants
w ill be able to select and attend three
experiences o f religious faith and
practice. The event is unique in that
people from many o f the w o rld 's
h a lf hour classes from among ap­
p ro x im a te ly 15 d iffe r e n t to p ic s
taught by instructors from m ore than
ten d iffe re n t religious faiths.
I he con ference and ceremony w ill
take place at the Sm ith M e m o ria l
selves” .
The goal is to give participants
Ballroom at Portland State U n iv e r­
sity on Sunday, M ay 4th R egistra­
tion fo r the conference w ill be from
1:00-1:30. Classes w ill be at three
different sessions between 1:3O-3:3O.
There w ill be suggested donation o f
$8.00 per in d ivid u a l. $5.00 fo r stu­
dents and seniors. The C irc le o f
Peace Cerem ony is free fo r all and
w ill happen from 3:30-4:30, w ith
the reception fo llo w in g u n til 5:00
pm.
There w ill be info rm a tio n tables
provided by various participants,
where people can obtain in fo rm a ­
tion and contacts fo r various re li­
gious com m unities and organiza­
tions throughout the Portland m et­
ropolitan area.
The intention o f the Festival is to
foster interfaith dialogue as w e ll as
further understanding o f the various
gress:
B y refusing to hear an appeal
from San Francisco aimed at letting
the c ity keep a 103-foot tall C h ris ­
tian cross in a public park, the U nited
States Supreme C ourt once and fo r
all told the city Tuesday, “ Y ou can’ t
do it,” said Fred B lum , past Presi­
dent o f AJCongress’ N orthern Pa­
c ific Region, and a lawyer w ho played
a m ajor role in the case.
“ The c ity o f San Francisco said
that the cross was a sym bol o f all San
Coins o f
the (Bible
On Friday, M arch 28, and Satur­
day M arch 29, 1997, the Red L io n
L lo y d Center w ill be the site fo r a
special e xh ib it entitled "C o in s o f the
B ible " This e x h ib it is part o f the
festivities o f the P acific N orthw est
N um ism atic Associations 48th an­
nual convention and coin show
T his is the th ird year that the
W illam ette C oin C lub is hosting the
event. The P N N A is a non p ro fit
Oregon corporation whose goals it
to prom ote the study o f history and
cu ltu re though n u m ism a tics, the
study o f money, from ancient to
modem times
For the “ C oins o f the B ib le ” ex­
h ib it coins w ill be used w ith photo­
graphs and other aids to h ig h lig h t
b ib lic a l passages and h is to ric a l
events. A dm ission fo r adults is $2.00,
ch ildren under 12 adm itted free
C onvention hours are from 10:00
a m. till 6.00 p.m. on both Friday
Francisco,” said B lum . “ That tells
me that I can’ t be considered a part
o f San Francisco.”
Since 1991, AJCongress has been
one o f three organizations seeing
the case through the legal system.
The H igh C ourt upheld a federal
appeals court ru lin g that the cross’
presence on p ublic land was a v io la ­
tio n o f th e C a lifo r n ia state
co n s titu tio n ’ s guarantee o f the “ free
exercise and enjoym ent o f re ligion
w ith o u t d isc rim in a tio n o r p re fe r­
ence.”
E arlier, a federal ju d g e had per­
Resident o f Wash ington, Oregon
and surrounding states are invited
to participate A p ril 17-19 in a com ­
prehensive B ible study program ,
w ith workshops and sem inars rang­
ing from tw o hours to three days,
m itted the cross to stand, saying it
was part o f “ rich history and culture
o f San Francisco.” That decision, in
turn, was overturned by the N inth
U.S. C irc u itC o u rt o f Appeals, which
was lo o k in g fo r a c o n tra c to r to
restore one o f E g y p t’ s oldest and
best k n o w n churches, the H a n g ­
ing C h u rc h in O ld C airo.
The c h u rc h , w h ic h is p ro b ­
a b ly 1,300 years o ld , has had
severe s tru c tu ra l pro b le m s fo r
years, co m p o u n d e d by the side
e ffe c ts o f the h ig h w ater table in
the area
The S uprem e C o u n c il o f A n ­
tiq u itie s said it was in v itin g c o n -
tra cto rs to s u b m it p re q u a lific a ­
tio n d o cu m e n ts fo r a p ro je c t to
restore the c h u rch , the rem ains
o f the R om an fo rt s u p p o rtin g it
and the C o p tic M useum nearby.
T h e c o u n c il has set aside
about $ 7.4 m illio n fo r the resto­
tians.
I he sessions at W estwood Bap­
tist Church in O lym p ia w ill be the
o n ly opportunity fo r residents o f
ruled that the cross had “ great re li­
Southwest Wash ington and Oregon
to participate in the one-tim e o ffe r-
TTU racism
sCammed by
Qreece
to hear the case says th a t g o v e rn ­
m ent cannot be the e ndorser o f a
w h a te v e r th a t re lig io n
m ay be.”
Church restoration
in ‘Egypt moves forward
The E g y p tia n a n tiq u itie s de­
p a rtm e n t announced Tuesday it
designed fo r pastors, students, Sun­
day School teachers and new C h ris­
gious significance."
“ In term s o f the A JC ongress,
w e ’ ve been fig h tin g th is fig h t fo r
a lo n g tim e ,” said B lu m . “ The
Suprem e C o u rt’ s re fu sa l Tuesday
re lig io n
1992.
M a n y o f the w a lls are cracked
and the priests say it is in danger
o f co lla p s in g w ith o u t q u ic k res­
to ra tio n . Some o f the lo w -ly in g
pa rts are flo o d e d w ith s lim y
fascism
S e ttin g aside d iffe re n ce s that
brought the Aegean neighbours to
the b rin k o f w ar last year, the o u t­
spoken m inister to ld a Balkan eco-
nom ic conference that T u rke y’ s place
Hassan, said it had taken lo n g er
than expected to prepare the res­
to ra tio n plans because the c o u n ­
c il w ants the jo b done p ro p e rly.
The co n tra cto rs w ill try to match
o rig in a l m aterials.
The c o u n c il said it was g iv in g
com panies 15 days to su b m it the
p r e q u a lif ic a t io n d o c u m e n ts .
T h e y m ust fin d a su b co n tra cto r
m e n tio n e d in the 9th c e n tu ry .
tro l, it added.
St. Philip the Deacon
Episcopal Church
120 NE Knott St. at Rodney Ave.
74» >B m >. ?«»«■» K m ^ m .
s p e cia lisin g in ground w a te rco n -
Palm Sunday---------------------------
8:00 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Holy Communion
Blessing of Palms at
Dawson Park
Holy Communion
Maundy Thursday--------------------
7:00 p.m.
Foot Washing and
Holy Communion
Good Friday ---------------------------
1 2 -1 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
Meditations
Good Friday Liturgy
Easter Sunday--------------------------
8:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Holy Communion
Holy Communion
was in Europe.
“ Greece considers unacceptable
the view that T urkey lacks the c u l­
tural characteristics to be in E u­
rope,” he said. “ This is a tactic that
enhancing understanding and re­
spect between people o f taith and
about the experience o f faith. The
mission o f the Center is to increase
public know ledge o f the religious
traditions o f the w o rld , including
theirteachings, practices, and modes
o f sp iritu a lity. In so doing, it w ill
enhance respect fo r the values ot the
various religions. 1 he Center w ill be
ing in support o f our m utual respect
as a path to peace throughout the
w o rld . F o llo w in g the cerem ony,
there w ill be a o p p o rtu n ity fo r con­
tinued dialogue at an inform al re­
a vehicle fo r developing programs
o f local, regional, and global p a rtici­
ception.
P articipating Organizations:
A ssociation fo r Com m unal H ar­
m ony in Asia, Bethlehem Lutheran
C hurch, C ongregation Beth Israel,
Center fo r the Study o f R eligion
pation. It w ill in vo lve re lig io u sco m -
m unities in dialogue supporting the
quest fo r meaning and w isdom . The
currently offers credit c lasses at Port­
land State U n ive rsity, and is located
on the campus.
For more inform ation about this
event, or The Center for the Study o f
C o n g re g a tio n N e v e h S h a lo m ,
Dharma Rain Zen Center, Earth and
S p irit C ouncil, Ecum enical M in is ­
Religion please contact K ari Grosvold
at the CSR office, 226-7809.
ing, presented by the nationally ac­
fo r 25 years as a leader in B ible
claim ed Precept M in istrie s Institute
study tra in in g and resources. C on­
tin u in g education units (C E U ’ s)
through the Association o f C hris­
tian Schools International also w ill
o f T raining.
"T h is program w ill benefit men
and w om en in all stages o f their
fa ith ,” said June Edwards, w ho is
be available.
Costs range from $ 10 fo r a tw o
hour w orkshop to $ 100 fo r the en­
tire three-day program . A nyone
seeking registration m aterial or any
other in fo rm a tio n should contact
June at (360) 956-9776 or Judy at
(3 6 0 )7 54 -1 6 3 7 or W estwood Bap­
h e a d in g up the pro g ra m at the
church. "A n y o n e w ith a desire to
know m ore about the B ible should
take advantage o fth is o p p o rtu n ity to
study w ith the Precept M in istrie s’
leaders.
The C hatta n o o g a , Tennessee-
based organization has been know n
tist Church at (360) 866-6888.
Cox Funeral Home
2736 N.E. Rodney, Portland,
Oregon (503)281 -4891
“Before You Must
Make a Decision”
Inspect the Beautiful Cox Funeral Chapel
‘‘Planning; your funeral is our first
consideration. Equipped to serve all
religions, races, veterans and
fraternal organizations. "
-Jerom e Tanner, Funeral Director
we reject and we w ill fig h t.”
European U nion o fficia ls recently
voiced concerns w ith in the 15-inem-
ber bloc about letting in a large
M oslem nation. Turkey, w h ich has a
customs union agreement w ith the
EU, has seen its bid to jo in the EU
put o f f repeatedly.
Greece, w hich has long blocked
closer relations between the EU and
its eastern n e ig h b o r, rushed to
T u rke y's defence after the M oslem
issue came out.
7th Annual
RiverP/ace Tulip Festival V
for Easter Seals
presented by
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For more information, call 1 800 GET USCG
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U.S.
R i v e r P I a c e
n ization:
I he Center fo r the Study o f R e li­
gion is a n o n -p ro fit organization
founded in 1992 fo r the purpose o f
clude w ith a C ircle o f Peace cer­
emony. This w ill be a tim e fo r repre­
sentatives o f the various religious
traditions to o ffe r a prayer or read­
day, saying it was tantam ount to
green w ater.
The new secretary general o f
th e a n tiq u it ie s c o u n c il, A l i
ra tio n o f the church alone.
The ch u rch , p ro b a b ly founded
in the late 7th ce n tu ry but firs t
U n ity W o rld H ealing Center.
D escription o f Sponsoring O rga­
ing re lig io u s o r p o litic a l views.
In the sp irit o f understanding and
co m m o n a lity. The Festival w ill con­
cause o f its Moslem identity on Tues­
rests on the bastions o f the R o­
man fo rt. It su ffe re d b a d ly in the
C a iro e a rth q u a k e o f O c to b e r
Trust, Portland Sakya Center, Port­
land State Campus M in is try and
“ food fo r th o u g h t" and the resources
and contacts to research further on
the topics o f pa rticu la r interest to
them. Likew ise, we want to promote
an e nvironm ent o f understanding
w ith o u t the pressures o f proselytiz­
reluctance to embrace T u rke y be­
and Saturday.
Oiicxuc
TVccA rxttd eetc&tate
(Ac TScjavtcetio«
»us SniMOt.
Çcjua (ffn iJ t!
re lig io n s are gathering together to
teach and learn from one another, in
the sp irit that, "W h ile learning about
others, we learn more about o u r­
Greek Foreign M in iste r Theod­
oras Pangalos slammed E urope’ s
takes its name fro m the w ay it
Church, M ittle m a n Jewish C om m u­
n ity C enter, M u slim E ducational
Trecept (Ministries Institute of'Training
X7 Congress hails banning o f huge cross
Thefollowing wax released Tues­
day iff the American Jewish Con­
tries o f Oregon, Reedwood Friends
C h u rc h . H o ly G re e k O rth o d o x
E s p la n a d e
C oast G uard
Be P ar t
Fri. - Sat., March 28 - 29 a t 10 am
thousands o f colorful tulips fo r sale
live jazz and youth performing arts groups
children's coloring contest sponsored by Haggen
On Saturday: a visit from the Easter Bunny
accessible candy hunt fo r children with disabilities, noon
children's candy hunt, 12:30
Easter Seals thanks our sponsors:
BBS International, Haggen Food & Pharmacy, OURTOWN, Portland Observer, Pacific
Cas Transmission, RiverPlace Athletic Club, Talking Rain and The Oregonian
OFFICER IN CHARGE
IISCG RECRUITING OFFICE
8I09F NE VANCOUVER MALI. DRIVE
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of thf
A ctiom