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A variety of voices call for immigration reform

26 Sep 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s psalm praises the one who “protects strangers” as well as the effort to secure justice for the oppressed, give food to the hungry, and raise up “those who were bowed down.” Those calling for better treatment of illegal immigrants in the U.S. include former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who says the undocumented “are doing things we need done in this country”—including repairs on his house. Powell encouraged support for immigration last Sunday, saying it is “what’s keeping this country’s lifeblood moving forward.” He added: “They’re all over my house, doing things whenever I call for repairs, and I’m sure you’ve seen them at your house. We’ve got to find a way to bring these people out of the darkness and give them some kind of status.” Powell’s support is timely: This week Congress held hearings on legislation known as the Dream Act, would give legal residency to immigrants who arrived in the United States before age 16 and have resided here at least five years, earned a high school degree, and completed two years of college or military service. Support for immigration reform also comes from a source that some find surprising—two Utah newspapers owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Editorials and articles sympathetic to reform regularly run in The Deseret News and its Spanish-language sister publication El Observador. Some conservative Mormons have criticized the papers for the coverage, but News editor Joseph A. Cannon responds by saying: “The church’s practice is to say, ‘Look, we’re not immigration agents. We care for the soul.’ ” “We, of all people, should be sensitive to the desire of others to provide more opportunities for themselves and their families,” said a recent editorial, which argued that Mormons, who fled the Midwest in the mid-19th century, should know what it is like to be outcasts. In the not-too-distant past Catholic immigrants also met with discrimination. This history suggests that Catholics also can bring a special sensitivity to the need to resolve in a just manner the difficult issues related to immigration. Source: Articles by Calvin Woodward for Associated Press and Jeremy W Peters and David M. Herszenhorn for the New York Times

immigration illegal immigration illegal immigrants colin powell dream act church of jesus christ of latter-day saints joseph a cannon
Romney’s religion called a cult

16 Oct 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Despite being an outsider to those of the Jewish faith, the Persian king Cyrus is called to a leading role by the Lord, this Sunday’s first reading reveals. Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is running to lead the Republican Party in the 2012 presidential race, and injecting a potentially explosive issue into the campaign last weekend, a prominent Texas pastor said Romney is “not a Christian” and called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a “cult” at a major conference of Christian conservatives. Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress introduced Rick Perry as a "genuine follower of Jesus Christ” at the “Values Voter Summit” Friday in Washington, D.C. and made his comments about Romney’s faith later when questioned by reporters. In the past Jeffress has also criticized other faith traditions, including Catholicism, which last year he called “that cult-like pagan religion.” The comments about Mormonism raised immediate suspicions that the attack might have been a way for surrogates or supporters of Perry, the Texas governor who has stumbled in recent weeks, to gain ground by raising religious concerns about Romney. The Perry campaign sought to put some distance between Perry and Jeffress, stating that the governor “does not believe Mormonism is a cult.” When Romney addressed the same summit Saturday, he never uttered the word “Mormon.” He spoke of the nation’s “heritage of religious faith and tolerance” but not of his own faith. Romney did, however, feel compelled to amend his prepared remarks by denouncing religious bigotry and taking on those who introduce what he called “poisonous language” into the political arena. The psalmist this Sunday encourages listeners to “worship the Lord” and to “give the Lord glory and honor.” When Romney sought the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and his faith became an issue, he assured people that he worshipped Jesus as Lord, but failed to persuade many evangelicals. The Catholic Church does not refer to Mormonism as a cult, but in 2001 the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith responded in the affirmative to a query about whether Mormons entering the Catholic Church needed to be baptized again, stating that baptisms performed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are to be considered invalid by Catholics because the faith traditions are so distinct. Sources: Articles by Whit Johnson for CBS News, Richard A. Oppel, Jr. and Erik Eckholm for the New York Times,Philip Rucker for the Washington Post, Alonso Gaskill for the Neil A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarshipat Brigham Young University, and Religion News Service

church and state church of jesus christ of latter-day saints mormons mitt romney values voter summit rick perry robert jeffress
Scouting out the moral high ground

26 May 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s second reading speaks of how endurance in faith produces “proven character.” Since its founding in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has focused on character-building. Now that the organization is preparing to vote on whether to accept openly gay scouts, Catholic dioceses and churches along with other religious denominations that sponsor scout troops are debating whether this decision will encourage or undermine their relationship with the organization. The proposal, which would allow gay Scouts but continue to exclude gay adults as leaders, has the unanimous support of Boy Scouts’ top officials and will be voted on by the group’s 1,400-member national council on May 23. But elsewhere in the scouting ranks, there is dissension, particularly from faith-based groups that sponsor more than 70 percent of Boy Scout troops in the country. The Boy Scouts’ leadership said it considered input from faith-based groups when shaping its policy. “We believe that this policy remains true to the virtues, the core principles of Scouting, not of any one religion, but of Scouting,” said BSA executive committee member Nathan Rosenberg in a webcast urging support for the plan.Leaders from the Scouts’ largest faith-based sponsoring organization—the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—have said they will accept the new policy if it is implemented. But within the Scout’s second- and third-largest sponsors—the United Methodist Church and the Roman Catholic Church—reaction has been mixed.As many as a quarter of the 273,000 Boy Scouts connected to Catholic-run troops could leave, some leaders estimate. Still, many Catholic parishes welcome the move to allow openly gay scouts into their troops. “If it changes, that’s fine with us. In fact, I’m hoping they do change it,” said Monsignor Donald Romito of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Irvine, Calif. “We’re welcoming to everybody, and everybody’s welcome to join the Scouts. It wouldn’t impact our relationship with the troop at all.”So far the group dedicated to preserving the church’s relationship with the Boy Scouts—the National Catholic Committee on Scouting—has been vague in its public statements regarding the proposed membership policy.Homily hint: Does your faith community sponsor scouting? If so, how are the proposed changes viewed by members of the community? Though opinions may be divided, preparing the ground by discussing the issues and values involved will allow for a more informed and measured reaction. Source: An article by Aaron Schrank for Religion News Service

gays church of jesus christ of latter-day saints homosexuality boy scouts of america nathan rosenberg national catholic committee on scouting