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Judge rules in favor of Catholic campus group

19 Sep 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul was unabashed in his apostolic zeal and proselytizing mission, as we hear in this Sunday’s excerpt from the First Letter to Timothy. A federal appeals court this week ruled that the University of Wisconsin at Madison was wrong to deny student funding to a Catholic campus group because of their worship, religious instruction, and proselytizing activities. The university distributes funds from student fees for activities of registered student groups, but rejected paying for the activities hosted by Badger Catholic, a student association. "A university cannot shape Badger Catholic's message by selectively funding the speech it approves, but not the speech it disapproves," wrote Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a September 1 decision. The Alliance Defense Fund, which sued on behalf of the student group, had argued that Catholics had been the victim of viewpoint discrimination. Source: An article by Religion New Service reported by Ecumenical News International

freedom of speech university of wisconsin badger catholic alliance defense fund

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Unions label Wisconsin bill an attack on labor

20 Feb 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday urges us to “forget not” all God’s benefits. Decrying what they say is an attempt to strip them of hard-fought benefits won by their unions, thousands of Wisconsin state employees descended on the state capitol building Wednesday to protest legislation they say represents an attack on all organized labor. Wisconsin was the first to grant collective bargaining to government workers more than a half-century ago. But the new Republican governor, Scott Walker, is seeking passage of a plan that would all but eliminate that right for most public employees. Supporters justify the sweeping measure as being necessary to curb budget deficits, and it is moving swiftly through the GOP-led legislature despite the protests. Unions also would lose the right to have dues deducted from worker paychecks. Pay raises would be limited to inflation, unless a referendum approves a larger increase. "Calling this a budget bill is a smokescreen," said Bryan Kennedy, president of AFT-Wisconsin, which represents about 17,000 employees. "This is an attack on all labor organizations." Articles by Phil Gast for CNN.com, Scott Bauer and Todd Richmond for the Associated Press, and GreenbayPressGazette.com

collective bargaining organized labor bryan kennedy public employees scott walker wisconsin government workers unions

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Wisconsin bishops: Guns don't belong in church

06 Nov 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday speaks of gazing toward the sanctuary to see the “power and the glory” of the Lord. That same sanctuary should be respected as a place of peace, Wisconsin’s Roman Catholic bishops said, urging parishioners not to enter churches with concealed weapons as a new state law permitting such weapons goes into effect. “Your kindness is a greater good than life,” the psalmist goes on to say this Sunday. The state’s five bishops want local pastors and parishioners to recall that Catholic teaching stresses nonviolent conflict resolution. "The Catholic Church has a long tradition of sanctuary, allowing people feeling violence to take refuge in church buildings as a place of safety and protection. For the most part, this practice has worked well because most people respect the sacred, peaceful nature of such holy places," Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki said in a Monday statement that was also signed by the bishops of Madison, Superior, Green Bay, and La Crosse. "Whatever an individual parish decides to do regarding its policy on concealed weapons," the statement continued, "we ask that all people seriously consider not carrying weapons into church buildings as a sign of reverence for these sacred spaces." Groups concerned with the proliferation of handguns applauded the bishops’ statement. "Our faith institutions are places of worship and peace where people attend to seek solace, hope, and spiritual renewal. Loaded and hidden guns are violent instruments and they don't belong in these sacred spaces, where families gather and worship," said James Winkler, chair of Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence, a national religious coalition affiliated with the Brady Center. Sources: Articles by Mollie Riley for The Huffington Post and the Associated Press

Violence Peace bishops churches wisconsin sanctuary concealed weapons

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Temple tragedy fueled by hate groups

12 Aug 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Letter to the Ephesians couldn’t be clearer than in this Sunday’s reading: “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.” Humanity has yet to heed those words, as was evident once again on Sunday when disaffected white supremacist Wade Michael Page opened fire in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people and wounding three others. A broad spectrum of U.S. religious groups—Christian, Jewish, and Muslim—condemned the killings, which authorities described as an act of "domestic terrorism." Sikhs across the country mourned the deaths in the shooting rampage outside Milwaukee, and some said the killings revived bitter memories of the period just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks when their distinctive turbans and beards seemed to trigger harassment and violence by people who wrongly assumed that they were militant Muslims. Sikhism, a monotheistic faith that emerged from the Punjab region of India about 500 years ago, is one of the world’s youngest major religions. It emphasizes self-reliance and individual responsibility and draws its tenets from the words of 10 gurus. The religion is known for promoting women to positions of power and has championed social justice. To some who track the movements of white-supremacist groups, the violence was not a total surprise. Page, 40, who died in a shootout with police outside the temple after the massacre, had long been among the hundreds of names on the radar of organizations monitored by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of his ties to the white supremacist movement and his role as the leader of a white-power band called End Apathy. “The music that comes from these bands is incredibly violent, and it talks about murdering Jews, black people, gay people, and a whole host of other enemies,” said Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the law center. At least one commentator found a silver lining amidst the tragedy. Faheem Younus, Ph.D., an adjunct faculty member for religion and history at the community colleges of Baltimore County, said the tragedy posed a question to the core American values: Do we stand up for the safety of our religious minorities with the same vigor as we do for the mainstream population? “The question was valiantly answered by the heroic act of the two police officers who did not hesitate to risk their own lives in order to save the lives of others,” wrote Younus. “They stood up to protect a Sikh congregation with the same vigor as was displayed for the victims of previous mass shootings.” Sources: Articles by Ethan Bronner, Erica Goode, and Serge F. Kovaleski for the New York Times, a news item by Ecumenical News International, and an opinion piece by Faheem Younus for the Baltimore Sun

sikhs shootings wisconsin white supremacists southern poverty law center
Quote of the week

12 Aug 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“The United States has a long history of religious bigotry.” --Stephen Prothero, religion professor and author, saying he’s not surprised that a mosque in Joplin, Missouri was destroyed by arson or that a gunman went on a shooting spree in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. Source: Religion News Service

religious bigotry religious intolerance sikhs wisconsin
Can we disagree without being disagreeable?

13 Jan 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The optional reading from the Acts of the Apostles this Sunday reminds us that “God shows no partiality.” Church leaders in Wisconsin would like to remind politicians and the public at large of this fact and encourage more civility in political debates as well as everyday life. Let’s hope the rest of the nation is listening.The Wisconsin Council of Churches kicked off its “Season of Civility” in 2011 after religious leaders were disturbed by sharp political rhetoric dividing the state. At the time, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faith organizations and hundreds of religious leaders pledged to foster civil conversations which they hoped would rub off on politicians.Wisconsin Council of Churches volunteer Helene Nelson said the months following the recent presidential election have been a perfect time to reflect on what's working. She said having a civil conversation requires listening and trying to find the common good and doesn’t require a person to give up their core beliefs. She also said it works best in small groups and takes a lot of practice.Tom Thibodeau, director of the Servant Leadership Program at Viterbo University, a Catholic Franciscan university in La Crosse, Wisconsin, said eventually leaders will have no choice but to civilly work together. “Politics has to be about leadership and what’s leadership? Bringing people from different perspectives together to work together," he said.Homily hint: As suggested in the preceding article on gun regulation, humanity really has only two choices in the end: to settle our differences by peaceful cooperation or by violent conflict. We’ve tried the latter approach ad nauseum and seen the damage; let’s give cooperation a chance! Source: An article by Maureen McCollum for Wisconsin Public Radio

politics helene nelson tom thibodeau season of civility wisconsin council of churches civility

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