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Show c2 _The Salt Lake Tribune RELIGION Saturday, April 10,1999 Gay Jews Create Own Place of Worship OPLE OF FAI Compiled by Bob Mims The Rev. Larry Wilkinson, an evangelist with the Salem, Ore.-based Holy Spirit and Fire Minis- tries, will be keynote speaker at the upcoming Men's Spiritual Advance. The April 30-May 2 meetings, sponsoredbythe Utah chapter of the International Fellowship of Christian Businessmen, will be held at the Alta Peruvian Lodge. For further information, call Paul Corbett, 801-278-1366; Phil Miller, 801-523-2340; or Al Alexander, 801-943-6677 | a Seeyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University in Washington, will speak April 21 at the University of Utah about the impact of religion on the envi- ronment. Nasr’s 4 p.m. address, sponsored by the Ster- ling M. McMurrin Lectureon Religion and Cul- ture, will be heldin the Gould Auditorium of the U's Marriott Library. A reception and book-signing will follow Nasr is the author of more than 200articles and 20 books, among them Man and Nature and Religion and the Order of Nature. a Joseph B. Ligori, past state deputy for the Knights of Columbus, has been appointed chair- man of the Utah campaign to promote sainthood for the Rev. Michael J. McGivney. McGiyney, whodied in 1890, founded the organization in 1882 at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn. Since its launching 117 years ago, the Knights of Columbus has grown into the world’s largest Roman Catholic family fraternal service association with more t! 1,6 million members. Nearly 2,000 Utahns belong to the organiza- D.C. congregation of 300 men and womenstarted out with meetings in homes Sarajane Garten, who became BY CARYLE MURPHY gious affiliation or sexual orientaless observantas a Jew after com- THE WASHINGTON POST ing out as lesbian, said that since WASHINGTON — Nearly 25 years ago, a small group of gay Jewish men here decided to end their exile Feeling uncomfortable and unwanted in local synagogues, they began meeting once a month for Sabbath services in their living rooms. Sometimes, they had barely enough for a minyan, the 10person minimum required by Jewish law fora service. But like the ancient Hebrews whose exodusfrom exile in Egypt is being commemoratedthis week at Jewish Passover seders, the tiny congregation prospered. Today, Bet Mishpachah, or BAPTIST The Holladay Baptist Church will sponsor a 13- week program on howcouples can make their marriages strong and howto develop ministry partner- ships, every Wednesday through May5, 7 p.m., at 780 E. 3900South, Salt Lake County. Call 277-6070. CATHOLIC TheCatholic Diocese of Utah will hold a Spring retreat, ATEC (Adults and Teens Encounter Christ), April 23 to 25, at Camp Utaba, OgdenVal% ind includes food andlodging for end moreinformation and registra- tion, call Mary at 328-8641, ext. 313. 0 Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church's Youth Minis- “ler, RebaKiger, invites all elementary school-age youth to attend Christian Fish Festival, 12:30to that I have never experiencedbt fore,” said Garten, education di- rector for a medical nonprofit group. “It’s given mea place to worship, an opportunity to make somevery good friends and to be involved in community service. It's done what a congregation is supposedto do.” Bet Mishpachah, one of about 40gay andlesbian Jewish congregationsin the country, led by its dues-paying congregants, whose averageageis 35. They are active weekly Sabbath services are now held at a local Jewish bastion — the D.C. Jewish Community Center in Northwest Washington. The area’s only gay andlesbian synagogue, Bet Mishpachah provides memberswith religious and social fellowship and a place where they can integrate their sexualorientation with their religious heritage. bring together my eral government. ‘I even met my partner there.” 3:30 p.m. at the church, Sund: 10600 South, Sandy. Call 942-7 of 9 a.m. tonoon, at thehistory androots of Christian symbols and their meaning for us. The | workshop begins today, 10 am. to 3 p.m., at the Salt Lake City. 756. Call Jo gay, was hiredas part-time rabbi. Bet Mishpachah “offers a way United Church of Christ Congregational in Ogdei back into Judaism for people who at an earlier timein life may have Colo., coordinator of the group's Southwestregi felt that the tradition wasnot wel- a speakers bureauand a Website (www.betmishpachah.org), which describes the synagogue as “open regards homosexuality as a sin, Judaism’s three other major newsletter, Mishpachah Matters, to everyone, regardless of reli- and turned off.” gays and lesbians. And although Orthodox Judaism — like some Christian churches and Islam — movements have become moreaccepting of gay men and lesbians. Utah has two Church WomenUnited chapters,q in Salt Lake City and its environs and the othe: Ogden/Bountiful, involving about 80 women fr various Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and unafff ated Christian churches. The church women havethree celebrationsa y It is an ecumenical movementthatbrings toget women from the United States and Puerto Rico work toward “ending the poverty of womenandcl dren,” Paterson said. “For me it is a place whereI have friends frot denominations whoworktogether and fellowship) gether,” Paterson said. “The association has bi very rewarding. It has given me a broader persp tive of things.” @ Continued from C-1 the vagaries in our behavior and the mysteries of the gospel.” Bagley and others see Mormonsusing humoras a decompression device, “a waytolet off someof the pressure that builds up” and tosay things that are true but which, unadorned with humor, might seem heretical or mean For example, he says, “It’s not politic to say 19- year-old missionaries are dumb,” butit’s safe to say thesamethingin a jokeor cartoon. “The really funny Mormonstuffis uniquely Mormon. It’s something that comes from being part of Elouise Bell, a retired Brigham Young University English professor, newspaper columnist and author of a collection of humorous essays titled Only When I Laugh, seesin-jokes as having great valuefor any Yet, Bell sees much in Mormon culturethat en. courages soberness over frivolity. In addition to deep pioneer and Puritanstrains there is a concern in the modern culture with how “SISTER FINCHLEY,I'M TIRED OF THESE NEWS STORIES ACCUSING THE CHURCH OF CALLING ALL THE SHOTSIN UTAH. HAVE THE LEGISLATURE PASS A RESOLUTJON DENYING IT!” , “The essenceof really good humor is a kind of surprise. Well, culturally Mormons don't like sur. prises in outward things. I mean, lookat the architecture,” Bell said. “And thereare very few startling pronouncements made from pulpits week to week year to year, decadeto decade.” Inso buttoned-upandfreshlyscrubbed a climate humor — withits powerful capacity for irreverence — can be both unsettling and subversive, andits purveyors scornedas impious or worse A humorist is a person who thinks otherwise. incarnations — could respond only with helpless pealsof laughter “We tried hard nottooffend anybody,” said Jack Lyon, Deseret Book managing editor. “We didselect things people could useif giving a talk in church Here’s an example Question: How are bishops chosen? Answer: The p.m. in Room any establishment — in the military, in most loved personin the ward — at the Central Community Center, 615 E. 300 churches, in most educational institutions,” Bell said The pitfalls associated with thinking otherwise were very much on the minds of three editors who husband South, Salt Lake City, Call 466-7083. compiled the material for a new book being pub: ORTHODOX The Greek Orthodox Church will hold the ser vice of agape, Sunday, 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner and dance at 6:30, at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 279 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City. Call 328-9681 lished this weekend by church-owned Deseret Book Best-Loved Humor of the LDS People Hearing the title, Kirby and Bagley grabbed the samerapier: “The Correlation Committee-Approved Humor of the LDS People Comic Laurie Johnson Sister Fonda AlaMode. the ultimate Relief Society president” in one of her Catholic Group Upset With Film ‘Dogma,’ Will Target Producers Utahns Fight To Keep Medicare Flowing to Church “target” the own. rs of the Miramax film production company, who said they would form a separate corporation to dis tribute the controversial film “Dogma,” which some consider anti-Catholic and anti-Christian The “Dogma” plot centers around two fallen an ls who seek re-entry into heaven. In the film, the €atholic Mass is compared to bad sex: Joseph and Wary have sex, producing a daughter who works in 42 abortionclinic; and comedian Chris Rock plays a fp:!-mouthed13th apostle -Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who co-own Miramax SDisney subsidiary, said they will purchase the film for about $10 million and form a new corporateenti ty'to handle thefilm’s distribution. A Miramax spokesmansaid the move was neces the Washing fon Times reported Friday. But William Donohue sident of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said the move was undertaken because Disney feared another confrontation with Roman Catholics In 1995, the Catholic Leagueand Disney clashed wer the Miramax film “Priest.” Last year, they clashed over the Disney TVseries "Nothing Sacred The league said both were offensive to Catholics and in both cases, lawached boycotts of Disney Kirby credits Hinckley with sensing that Mormon ism, withits impressive global expansion, needs to Asthe churchgrows, so are the problems going to cal nurses provide This includes bathing, dressing, as sistance with movement, feeding and The Medicare programdoesnotpay for any religious healing or religious said. But these facilities for services for 851 patients at 22 Christian Sciencefacilities, The aver The first Christian Science sanatori umwas set up in 1920 for adherents who were opposedto treatment in hos. pitals. The facilities are not owned by thechurchitself, but by groupsof indi vidual Christian Scientists. While there, the people are assisted in their yers and process of healing by Sciencepractitioners. In its initial legislation, Congress agreed to provide limited Medicare coveragefor a stay in oneof thesesan atoriums “by defining these facilities within the definition of ‘hospital McConnell said Medicare wouldonly pay for Chris tian Sei ¢ patients who would be re. ceiving hospital care except for their religious opposition They would receive a subset of what they would get in @ hospital peoplefeel. There's a big difference © between what people want to be andy how they turn out.Mormon humor acknowledges that and says it’s OK." and thenthey call her lighten up haveno licensed medical personnel Last year Medicare paid $8 million ® Continued from C-1 rr “Humoreases the tension, the stress v Calvin Grondahl Political cartoonist Oddly, among the dozens of examples of humor from churchleaders thereis nothing in the book from church President Gordon B. Hinckley, re nownedwithin the churchfor his sparkling sense of grow, And that is, how do you assimilateall differen humor. “Heis delightful and he is very funny. But types of peopleinto onereligion? Andtheonly wa it’s the kind of thing that you had to have been you can do that is throughtolerance, I believe,” Ki: there,” said editor Jay Parry by said bandaging wounds training, he RELIG N NEWS SERVICE ‘ary to preservethefilm's “integrity,” “At this final meeting of the century, we will cq brateboth the past and the future,” said Teen Pa son of Ogden. Mormon Jokes Help the Faithful Let Off Steam stakeleadersfind the most righteous, spiritual, most The Catholic League says it will They will hear from Winnie Hardy of Bay) Andtheywill elect new officers Today, many area Jewish congregations actively reach out to faced being ostracized,” Pomper Well, thinking otherwise can get youinto troublein @The Goddess Worship Service will meet for a ritualin Sacred Space, Monday, 7:30 Duringthat session, Church Women Unitedwill} led in Bible study by the Rev. Cheryl Moore, fornj chaplain at Westminster College. They willliste: a keynotespeech bythe Rev. Carla Gilbert, pastoy Saks, a Reform rabbi whois not congregation is considering ways they can support one another as they age, Garten said. The synagogue has a monthly kindof sobriety.” presents guest the Ogden Marriot, 247 24th St., Ogden. For more information, call 782-5 9636. @The Episcopal Dioce tah will offer a program featuring Mic 1 Bull, a Christian art 35., occupation Prayer in March, Fellowship Day in May and Wo} Community Day in November. Mormonsareperceived, and “you have the concern with image, onpresentation, that calls for a certain Wilson at 322-4131 or 1-801 Nazi gender-neutral language. About eight years ago, Bob J. For example, how many BYUfootball players TheHilltop United Methodist Church will hold its annual Children’s and Maternity Consignment sale, Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at church, 985 E. 300 East, the the prayer book,usinginclusive The Utah chapter of Church Women United, interdenominational Christian organization, is ho} ing its final assembly of the 20th century next we “Looking Into the Future With Christ” is themefor the group’s 23rd Biennial State Assem! meeting at Zion Lutheran Church at 1070 Foot Drive in Salt Lake City on April 17. said. “People felt shut out of it culture. church, 80 S. from Czechoslovakia. Members wrote ‘TCHER STACK ALT LAKE TRI ried or who adopted. But since most members are childless, the The congregation includes 23 children, including those of members who were previously mar- doesit take to changea light bulb? Just one, but he needs a tutor and four hourscredit to do it historian. Hewill discuss Torahs. One scroll was rescued TH on the first Friday of the month: World Day nies,’ of which there are about three a year, Gartensaid. METHODIST speaker Lucinda Cordova, today, woman whostand before an ark sheltering the synagogue’s two To Celebrate Past, Future coming,” Saks said. Its members “are deeply dedicated toaserious Jewish life for themselves.” To understand the congregation's 1975 origins, said Bet Mishpachah President Joseph M Pomper, ‘you have to cast your mind back to that time period” when gays and their needs were invisible in a mainstream synagogue. “You kept quiet, or you on a slew of committees con- support, volunteer work and organizing such religious ceremonies as adult b’nai mitzvah and same-sex ‘commitment ceremo- South, Salt Lake County. Cost is $5. MISCELLANEOUS The Ogden Women's Aglow tion.” Initially all male, the congregation is now about 40 percent female. Weekly Sabbath services, which usually draw about 100 people, are led by a man and a the family. You can poke fun at it because it's uniquely Mormon. I mean, Jell-O. Whynot? |-LUTHERAN fe. The synagogue has been “a place in the Jewish community cerned with liturgy, bereavement Holy Day services draw 600 to 800 worshipers and, unlike its humble, private beginnings, its place to Compiled by Shannon Quinn the faith of my youth.” Houseof the Family, is a thriving gay and Jewish identities,” said Lee Walzer, a lawyerforthe fed- BULLETIN BOARD years ago, she has returned “to congregation with more than 300 gay men and lesbians. Its High “It's offered me a wonderful tion. finding Bet Mishpachah five Utah Church Women United Will Gather in Salt-Lake age cost for a day in one of them is $300. Medicare pays a percentage of the cost, up to 60 days. There is no And ultimately, a lot of tolerance is based ot whether or not you're able to make a human connec tion and humor for meis the best way to do that encefacilities. A Minnesotajudge ruledthesystem served a laudable” and“compelling governm nt interest,” McConnell said. ausethe statutespecifically ‘irst Churchof Christ, Sei entist and its facilities, the judge said the Medicare law was unconstitution: al Without waiting for the appeal, however, Hatch, with Sen. Ted Kenne. dy (D-Mass.) propos: to the Balanced Budget mendment Act of 1997 Christian Science sanatorium in Utah that wouldrestore the payments ‘The amendment, which had broad womanin thestate. The nearest facili bipartisan appeal, replaced earlier provisions that singled out Christian said Michelle Newport, church spokes ties are in Arizona and Colorado I've been paying into Medi my life,’ Newport said. “It only se fair that we should be allowed to choose thecare we want In recent years, crities of the church as well as many in the medicalprofes sion haveblamed Christian Science be liefs for the death of children who might have been saved by traditional medicine. One lowa-based group, Children's Healthcareis a Legal Duty (CHILD) % launched by a former Christian tist, Rita Swan, whoseinfant son died of untreated meningitis. McConnell said. “While Christian Sei CHILD Ine. filedsuit in 1996 to stop entists would not use this terminology what it deemedto be unconstitutional jt is roughly equivalent to what prac » Medicare payments to Christian Sei Scientist facilities with a generally available program of any religious, nonmedical health-care institution, McConnell said. That did not satisfy CHILD Ine., which felt the amendment simply used new languageto offer a ‘The judge's decision was “errone: ous,” Brunosaid, arguing that these Medicare payments still endorsea reli gious perspective ‘No one else can get stand-alone nursing care without providing skilled medical care as well,” he said CHILD Ine, is now appealing Mont gomery’s ruling. The case probably will be heard in U.S. District Court sometimethis fall, McConnell said McConnell, whoris not a Christian Scientist, has argued religious-freedom cases involvitg? Hare Krishnas Jews and Catholics. He also defended ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints’ practice of hiring only temple-recommend holding" church members to work in the factory that producessacred clothing benefit that only Christian Scientists Bruno's clients are committed to carrying the suit through to the end They may “take it to the Supreme Court, if necessary would use, being the only facilities to meet the definition. Interest groupsarelining up on both sides triet Judge Ann Montgomery of Min Church organizations including the National Council of Churches and the The groupfiled suit again. U.S. Dis nesota upheld the Medicare statutes Congress crafted a measured ac National Association of Evangelicals — often at odds — support the Chris: commodation allowing an individual to tian Science position. Those opposing the payments in clude the Minnesota Civil Libertios Union and several Humanist associa chooseto receive nonmedical nursing care as a result of genuinely held reli gious objections to traditional medi cine,” Montgomery wrote 4 tions. , |