School asks pupils to write to their parents telling them they have converted to Islam
The 12 and 13 year-olds from Guernsey were asked to consider what it
would be like to become a Muslim as part of a Religious
Education lesson
Controversy: Les Beaucamps High School asked students write to their parents to tell them they had coverted to Islam
A school has sparked controversy by asking pupils to write to their parents stating they had converted to Islam - and explaining how it changed their life for the better.
The 12 and 13 year-olds were asked to consider what it would be like to become a Muslim as part of a Religious Education lesson .
They
were tasked with penning a letter explaining their decision to their
parents - and how they hoped their family would accept the decision.
The
homework exercise was set at Les Beauchamps High School in Guernsey -
where Muslims number less than one per cent of the island's population.
It
came with the clarification: "Please also note this is a piece of
creative writing and completely fictional
YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY
CONVERTING TO ISLAM."
SWNS
Conversion controversy: The letter sent by Les Beaucamps High School in Guernsey to parents
But some locals weren't happy. One posting as milly, snr
wrote on the Guernsey Press website: "Teach pupils about religion by all
means but be very careful when you ask them to be a Muslim.
"In this day and age when easily led youngsters are being radicalised it is a dangerous road to be taking. Read more:Communion wine and wafer now available in one 'convenient' plastic package
"The idiot who thought this one up is not fit to be at the school or in education.
"The amount of youngsters heading to Syria without their parents knowing must ring warning bells about how easily led they can be."
Another
critic called John West wrote: "I think it's good for children to be
taught about other religions but this letter was bound to cause
controversy due to the nature of talking about conversion, particularly
in light of young people being radicalised in the West.
"It's a very emotive topic and really not a particularly clever move by the school/education."
However,
others said the negative response to the homework at the state-run
secondary, set by teacher Amber Stables, was an overreaction.
Assignment: Pupils were told to complete the piece of work saying they had converted to Islam
'Vivica' wrote: "Does this really matter? It's a thought
experiment... If you're worried about your kid being influenced by it
maybe you just need to do a better job as a parent!"
The full
clarification with the homework read: "Please also note this is a piece
of creative writing and completely fictional YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY
CONVERTING TO ISLAM.
"It is purely to test your knowledge of what we have learnt this year and how well you can argue objectively!"
The controversial homework was set as Guernsey announced it would not be accepting Syrian refugees on the island.
Chief
Minister Jonathan Le Tocq sparked a row when he claimed 'negativity' on
the island would make it difficult to guarantee the safety of any
migrants.
He claimed there was a danger that some residents might be unwelcoming - despite most people showing compassion.
He told the BBC: "There's certainly a lot of Islamophobia and
negativity that's been around and that would entail that it would be
difficult for us to ensure that [the refugees] would find the sorts of
security and stability here in Guernsey, were they to be resettled here,
in the same way as they are, say, in other parts of the UK."
Aid
workers branded his comments "disgraceful" and said Guernsey had an
'amazing reputation' for accepting 'other people coming in from
outside'.
The decision to set the homework was backed by the Guernsey Education department.
It
said: "The Guernsey-agreed syllabus for religious education includes a
structured framework for ensuring that Christianity and the other five
principal religions (Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism) are
studied with sufficient depth and breadth throughout the four Key
Stages.
"It is important that our students are able to learn about, understand, investigate and question all that is around them.
"As with all subjects, homework will be set to cover all areas of the curriculum."
They
claimed that a parent who had initially complained was now happy with
the situation after having the context explained to her.
Do you think this assignment was a good idea?
Christians observe Ash Wednesday in Southland
Parishioners arrive at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rancho
Cucamonga Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, for Ash Wednesday. (Photo by Beatriz
Valenzuela)
LOS ANGELES — Christians throughout the Southland will observe
Ash Wednesday today, ushering in the 40-day season of Lent, when the
faithful prepare for Easter by doing penance for sins and seeking
spiritual renewal through prayer, discipline and good works.
Ash
Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the
foreheads of the faithful as a sign of penance. A minister or priest
marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes in the shape of a
cross.
In the Roman Catholic church, individuals are told as the
ashes are applied to their foreheads, “Turn from sin and live the
Gospel.”
Catholics observe Ash Wednesday by fasting, abstaining from meat
and repenting. Other Christian denominations make fasting optional, with
the main focus being on repentance.
Roman Catholic Archbishop
Jose H. Gomez will celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass at noon at the Cathedral
of Our Lady of the Angels. The Mass will be streamed live on the
cathedral’s website, olacathedral.org.
Mass will be also
celebrated at the cathedral in English at 6:15, 7 and 8 a.m. and 5:15
p.m., and at 7 p.m. in Spanish. A bilingual Liturgy of the Word will be
celebrated at 3 p.m.
Ashes will be distributed during all services.
“During this
Jubilee Year of Mercy, let us make this Lent a time when we really make
mercy the heart of our identity as Christians,” Gomez said, referring
to Pope Francis’ calling an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy to direct our
attention and actions “on mercy so that we may become a more effective
sign of the Father’s actions in our lives.”
“Mercy means action.
Mercy means feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing
the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, visiting the
imprisoned, and burying the dead.
“In our personal relationships, mercy means having more patience
and tenderness with those who are close to us. Mercy means giving people
the benefit of the doubt, giving them a second chance. Mercy means
forgiving others as we have been forgiven.
“So during his season of Lent, let us fast and pray that God will give us a merciful heart.”
In
an Ash Wednesday statement, President Barack Obama said, “Lent is a
season of reflection, repentance and renewal, a time to rededicate
ourselves to God and one another.
“We remember the sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ. We pray
for all those who suffer, including those Christians who are subjected
to unspeakable violence and persecution for their faith. And we join
millions here at home and around the world in giving thanks for this
sacred and solemn season that guides us toward the Easter celebration.”
Religion events in the San Fernando Valley area, Feb. 26-March 4
What Is Life All About? When Life Seems Yucky: The Rev. Jim Bell
discusses the topic, 6 p.m. Feb. 27. West Valley Christian Church, 22450
Sherman Way, West Hills. 818-884-6480. www.wvcch.org
Why
the Church?: The Rev. Glenn Kirby delivers the message at 9 and 10:45
a.m., and the Rev. Rob Denton delivers it, 5 p.m. Feb. 28. West Valley
Christian Church, 22450 Sherman Way, West Hills. 818-884-6480. www.wvcch.org
Key
Bible Events Every Christian Should Know: Bible class on “The
Wilderness Wanderings and the Fiery Furnace,” 9 a.m. Feb. 28. Prince of
Peace Episcopal Church, 5700 Rudnick Ave., Woodland Hills. 818-346-6968.
www.popwh.org
Seek the Lord: The Rev. Kalesita Tu’ifua delivers the message,
based on Isaiah 55:1-9, 10 a.m. Feb. 28. Knollwood United Methodist
Church, 12121 Balboa Blvd., Granada Hills. 818-360-8111. www.knollwoodchurch.com
The
New Heaven: The Rev. Joyce Kinzel delivers the message, 10 a.m. Feb.
28. SpiritWorks Center, 260 N. Pass Ave., Burbank. 818-848-4158. www.spiritworkscenter.com
Like
Me and UU: The Rev. Gordon Clay Bailey discusses the history of black
Americans as members and leaders in the Unitarian Universalist movement,
10:30 a.m. Feb. 28. Bailey was installed on Feb. 21 as minister at
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Verdugo Hills, 4451 Dunsmore Ave.,
La Crescenta. 818-248-3954. www.uuverdugo.org
The Worth and Dignity of Every Person: The Rev. Mike Young
discusses the topic, 10:30 a.m. Feb. 28. Emerson Unitarian Universalist
Church, 7304 Jordan Ave., Canoga Park. 818-887-6101. www.emersonuuc.org
There’s
Something About Mary: The Rev. Stephen Rambo discusses the topic, 10:30
a.m. Feb. 28. Center for Spiritual Living-Simi Valley, 1756 Erringer
Road. 805-527-0870. www.cslsimi.org
Sacred
Breathing and Sound Bath Healing Circle: Kelly Corsino and John
Rozenberg lead the group, 1-3 p.m. Feb. 28. Offering $20. Participants
lie on the floor; bring a yoga mat/blanket. Center for Spiritual
Living-Simi Valley, 1756 Erringer Road. 805-527-0870. www.cslsimi.org
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Bible study class, 6-8 p.m.
Feb. 28, March 6 and 13. First Baptist Church of Granada Hills, 11011
Hayvenhurst Ave. 818-363-3376. Email: admin@fbcgh.net
Lenten
service at Canoga Park Lutheran Church: The Rev. Tim Jenks discusses
“Music,” 7 p.m. March 2. Supper, 5:45 p.m. 7357 Jordan Ave.
818-348-5714. www.cplchurch.org
Lenten
service at Central Lutheran Church: The Rev. Larry C. Eckholm leads the
service, 7 p.m. Wednesdays during Lent. Soup supper, 6 p.m. 6425 Tyrone
Ave., Van Nuys. 818-785-5414.
Small Steps Can Lead to Big Changes: The Rev. Maggie Urpin
discusses techniques for changing thinking patterns, 7 p.m. March 2.
Free. Center for Spiritual Living-Simi Valley, 1756 Erringer Road.
805-527-0870. www.cslsimi.org
Religious
Extremism - Conversation and Collaboration in Our Community: The
Islamic Congregation of La Cañada Flintridge and La Cañada Presbyterian
Church host a panel discussion with two Christians and two Muslims,
5-6:30 p.m. March 6. Dallas Raines, a La Cañada Flintridge resident,
moderates. Forum held at La Cañada Presbyterian Church, 626 Foothill
Blvd. 818-790-6708. www.lacanadapc.org; www.iclcf.org
ONGOING
Lenten Fish Fry at St. Clare of Assisi Roman
Catholic Parish: Fish dinners for dine-in or take-away, 4:30-8 p.m.
today and March 4, 11, 18. Cost $9 for two-pieces; $10 for three-pieces.
Proceeds benefit local charities. 19606 Calla Way, Canyon Country.
661-252-3353. www.st-clare.org
Lenten
Fish Fry with the Knights of Columbus Tujunga Council 4438: Fish
dinners for dine-in or take-away, 5:30-7:30 p.m. today and March 4, 11,
18. Cost $7; $4 children. Proceeds go to Our Lady of Lourdes Roman
Catholic Church and School and local charities. Our Lady of Lourdes
Parish Hall, 10275 Tujunga Canyon Blvd., Tujunga. www.facebook.com/knightsofcolumbus4438
Passages, a traveling exhibit of Biblical artifacts and texts:
Items on display include Dead Sea Scroll fragments, first editions of
the King James Bible, a letter written by Martin Luther, stained glass
windows from Tiffany Studios and Torah scrolls that survived the Shoah.
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Wednesday; 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Event runs through April 2. Tickets $12; $10
seniors and ages 6-17. 26565 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita.
888-297-8011. www.explorepassages.com
Mission San Fernando Rey de España: Masses, 7:25 a.m.
Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday; 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The
mission grounds are open 9 a.m.-4:30 daily except Thanksgiving and
Christmas. Admission $5; $4 seniors; $3 ages 7-15. 15151 San Fernando
Mission Blvd., Mission Hills. 818-361-0186.
The entrance to the new show at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. The
show called “Vatican Splendors, a Journey Through Art” will open Sunday
and run through August 28th. The exhibit features artifacts and artwork
from the Vatican. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles News Group)
Sanders keeps his Judaism in the background, irking U.S. Jews
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.,
smiles during a campaign rally at the Cox Convention Center Arena in
Oklahoma City, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. The candidate almost never talks
about his Jewish faith. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
NEW YORK — As Bernie Sanders headed toward victory in New
Hampshire, pundits noted the barrier he was about to break: Sanders
would become the first Jewish candidate to win a major party
presidential primary.
But since that Feb. 9 win, instead of the
burst of communal pride that usually accompanies such milestones, the
response from American Jews has been muted. One reason: The Vermont
senator, the candidate who has come closer than any other Jew to being a
major party presidential nominee, has mostly avoided discussing his
Judaism.
Sanders has baffled Jews by refusing to name the Israeli kibbutz
where he briefly volunteered in the 1960s, sending reporters scrambling
to solve the mystery. When they found the kibbutz, he wouldn’t comment.
In
New Hampshire after his breakout win, he described himself as “the son
of a Polish immigrant,” not a Jewish one. At a Democratic debate, he
spoke of the historic nature of “somebody with my background” seeking
the presidency, but didn’t use the word “Jewish.” A recent headline in
the liberal Jewish Daily Forward newspaper read, “We Need to Out Bernie
Sanders as a Jew — For His Own Good.”
Rabbi James Glazier of Temple Sinai n South Burlington, Vermont,
said Sanders’ comments were being discussed by rabbis in the liberal
Reform movement. “What did he leave out there? He didn’t say ‘Jewish
Polish’ immigrant. Reform rabbis have picked up on this big time.”
Sanders’
lack of religious observance is not what rankles. It has become so
common for Jews to identify “culturally” instead of religiously with the
faith that the Pew Research Center, in its most recent study of the
American Jewish population, used a category called “Jews of no
religion.”
Michael Bloomberg, the former New York mayor, also was not
religious, but he was embraced for his unwavering support of Israel and
his generous donations to Jewish causes. Louis Brandeis, who in 1916
became the first Jewish justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, did not
practice his faith, yet was the pride of American Jews. Brandeis went on
to become a leading U.S. advocate for Zionism.
But Sanders,
during more than three decades in public life as a mayor, congressman
and U.S. senator, has developed few relationships with Jewish groups or
leaders — on religious issues or on Israel. He has supported a two-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but has not made Israel
in any way a priority.
“I would say that he has never been one of those in Congress who
was active in a Jewish caucus, who turned out for Israel, who was
involved in those issues — and he still isn’t,” said Jonathan Sarna, an
expert in American Jewish history at Brandeis University.
Ironically,
when Sanders gave his most religiously focused campaign speech, he
underscored his distance from Judaism. It was last fall at Liberty
University, the evangelical school founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell in
Lynchburg, Virginia, and he addressed the school on Rosh Hashana, or the
Jewish New Year, one of the most important holidays of the year.
Discussing his beliefs in the speech, he said he was “motivated
by a vision” for social justice “which exists in all of the great
religions.” But Sanders didn’t say he was Jewish. Later, he stopped in
at a Rosh Hashana gathering at the home of the Lynchburg mayor.
The Sanders campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this article.
Stanley
“Huck” Gutman, former chief of staff in Sanders’ Senate office, wrote
in an email, “He is an old friend, a close friend — but we have very
seldom, if ever, discussed religion.”
Sanders’ life follows a familiar arc in 20th century American
Jewish experience: The son of an immigrant, he grew up in the shadow of
the Holocaust, which Sanders has said wiped out much of his father’s
family. As a child in Brooklyn, Sanders went to Hebrew school and had a
bar mitzvah, but the lessons he drew from the teachings seem closer to a
golden rule morality than specifically Jewish.
In the presidential race, he often sums up his religious views with the phrase, “We are in this together.”
“Being Jewish is very important to us,” his brother, Larry, said
in an interview in England where he lives. “There was no problem of
debate, it was just a given in our lives, just as being Americans was a
given in our lives. But Bernard is not particularly religious. He
doesn’t go to synagogue often. I think he probably goes to synagogue
only for weddings and funerals, rather than to pray.”
Like many
young American Jews in the 1960s, Sanders worked on a kibbutz, which
news organizations discovered to be Sha’ar Ha’amakim in northern Israel.
Irit Drori, who now lives on the kibbutz, said no one there remembers
the presidential candidate and self-described democratic socialist.
“It was a socialist kibbutz,” Drori said. “If Mr. Sanders was
interested in socialism, he could find people to talk about it with
here.”
After moving to Vermont in the late 1960s, he eventually
began his political career. But setting down roots did not mean joining a
synagogue, though he sometimes would visit them. Glazier said Sanders
had been to Temple Sinai once — for a candidates’ event. The
Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic community in Burlington said Sanders, as mayor,
helped them overcome opposition to erecting a Hanukkah menorah on
public land.
In 1988, he married his second wife, Jane, who was raised Roman
Catholic, just as the national intermarriage rate was climbing so high
that Jewish leaders began calling it a crisis.
In Vermont, where
nearly 40 percent of residents say they have no particular religion,
Sanders was rarely called on to discuss his faith. However, in the last
couple of years, he has been facing increasing challenges about his
support for Israel.
In a widely viewed video of a 2014 Vermont
town hall event, after the war started between Israel and Hamas, the
Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, some voters demanded Sanders
do more to protest Israeli bombing. The war killed more than 2,200
Palestinians in Gaza, including hundreds of civilians, and 73 people on
the Israeli side. Sanders was among a small number of senators who
didn’t co-sponsor a resolution supporting Israel in the conflict, which
passed by voice vote.
Sanders said Israel “overreacted” with the intensity of its
attacks, and he called the bombing of U.N. schools “terribly, terribly
wrong.” But he also criticized Hamas for launching rockets into Israel.
Israel has said Hamas is responsible for civilian casualties, since it
carried out numerous attacks from residential areas in Gaza.
“I
believe in a two-state solution, where Israel has the right to exist in
security at the same time the Palestinians have a state of their own,”
Sanders said.
Last year, Sanders was the first of several senators
to announce they would skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
address to Congress since President Barack Obama wasn’t consulted and
the speech was so close to the Israeli elections, giving the appearance
the U.S. was trying to influence the outcome, he said.
As a presidential candidate, Sanders said he consulted the dovish
pro-Israel lobby J Street and the Arab American Institute, founded by
Jim Zogby, on Mideast Policy.
“That’s not exactly a balanced view
of the region,” said Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of
the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations,
which has not accepted J Street as a member. “I hope he has other
advisers or will take other advisers. He’s never really been that
identified that strongly with pro-Israel advocacy.”
While Jews mull the source of Sanders’ reticence about discussing
his Jewish roots, they are relieved that a Jewish candidate can run
without prompting an outpouring of anti-Semitism. Still, they worry that
could change if he succeeds in the primaries ahead.
Sarna said
the candidate’s religious identity is clear even if he doesn’t talk
about it, and therefore his success in the election should be considered
a landmark moment for Jews.
“I think it is very much a statement
about America that someone who everybody knows is of Jewish background
and has a Jewish name and sounds Jewish from Brooklyn can get several
delegates,” Sarna said. “There is a sense that only in America could a
Bernie Sanders be a candidate.”
Mark Driscoll sued for misusing Mars Hill Church tithes
Controversial
megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll resigned from his church Tuesday (Oct.
15), according to a document obtained by RNS. Photo courtesy of Mars
Hill Church
This image is available for web and print publication. For questions, contact Sally Morrow.
(RNS) The pastor whose Seattle megachurch imploded
two years ago is now accused of raising funds for missionaries and
spending it on self-promotion.
Four former members of the now-defunct Mars Hill Church are suing its
controversial former pastor Mark Driscoll, accusing him of “a
continuing pattern of racketeering activity.”
The 42-page civil racketeering lawsuit, posted in its entirety on the Daily Beast,
was filed Monday (Feb. 29) by Brian Jacobsen, Connie Jacobsen, Ryan
Kildea and Arica Kildea in the U.S. District Court for the Western
District of Washington. The lawsuit was filed as part of the Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, created to prosecute the Mafia
and criminal organizations.
Driscoll recently announced he is starting a new church in Phoenix.
The suit alleges Driscoll and Mars Hill executive elder John Sutton
Turner solicited donations through the mail and Internet, then used that
money for other purposes.
It contends millions donated by church members to support
missionaries overseas appeared to have stayed in the U.S. It also
claims the church paid $210,000 to a company called Result Source to
secure Driscoll’s book, “Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship
and Life Together” on the The New York Times and other bestseller lists.
Because of this, it said, “a deadly toxin was injected into the (Mars
Hill Church) body, ending in the complete destruction of the
church.” Driscoll resigned from the church in 2014 amid allegations of plagiarism, abusive behavior and critical comments he
made about feminism and homosexuality under a pseudonym on a church
message board. The church’s 15 campuses closed that December.
Had the Jacobsens and Kildeas known how the money was being used,
they wouldn’t have donated nor made Mars Hill their home church,
according to the suit.
Neither calls to the Law Office of Brian Fahling nor emails to Driscoll immediately were returned.
