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Religious Institute
February 2013 Newsletter

From the President

My latest book began with a crossword puzzle. The clue for 46 down was “what the Bible says every person is”.  It had six letters. “Divine” and “worthy” didn’t fit the other letters I had already filled in the across spaces. “Sacred” didn’t fit either, although the “S” was right.  “Holy” was too short. “Blessed” one letter too long. “A child of God” was much too long. 
 
I continued to work the across clues. An “n” appeared in 46 down. Then “er” at the end.  I realized the answer was “sinner.”
 
I stopped, stunned. 
 
I had never read the Bible until I was in my forties and attending seminary. I had grown up in a secular Jewish household, didn’t think the Bible had much relevance, and was not interested in a worldview that labeled all people sinners.
 
Meditations on the Good NewsAnd yet many people today—and too many theologians, from St. Augustine, to Aquinas, to Calvin, to modern day doomsayers—have taught that human nature is sinful. But, as a Unitarian Universalist minister and a relatively new student of the Bible, it’s not how I understand what the Bible says about humankind or the state of the world.
 
The idea that all people are sinners comes from the story of the Fall in Genesis 3.  Because Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when God has told them not to, some Christian theologians and clergy have taught through the ages that we are inherently sinful. 
 
Once I began studying scripture, however, I was surprised and delighted in realizing that the Bible was not at all what I had anticipated. I believe that the Bible is primarily a book about love and hope. My work with scripture ultimately resulted in my new book Meditations on the Good News: Reading the Bible for Today.
 
At its core, if the Bible is to speak to us today and if more people are to read it, what is needed is another look at what it says about how to celebrate our life. We need not limit ourselves to a narrow view of the texts but instead ask how they can help us expand our lives today.
 
Whether you see the Bible as metaphor, or a religious text—whatever your thoughts or presumptions about the Bible—I believe it contains inspirational and practical lessons to help us lead a joyful and pleasurable life here and now.
 
I’ll be posting excerpts from Meditations on the Good News on my blog over the next few weeks. The one I posted last week was particularly appropriate for Valentine’s Day. I hope you like it!
 
Special Offer:
Meditations on the Good News: Reading the Bible For Today is available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, but through March 15th you can get an autographed copy directly from the Religious Institute for $12, shipping and handling included. Click here to order.
 

News

Over 1,000 Religious Leaders Agree: Family Planning Matters
Over 1000 religious leaders have endorsed the Religious Institute’s Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Family Planning. They include current and former presidents of national denominations, seminary presidents, seminary faculty, leading theologians, and the heads of more than twenty national religious organizations. The Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Family Planning, with a list of endorsers, will be distributed to each member of Congress and specific Administration officials in the coming weeks.
Click here to read the Open Letter, see the list of endorsers, or add your endorsement.  
Read the press release here. 
Read more here. 

Amicus Briefs To Supreme Court of the United States Filed Challenging DOMA, Prop 8
Multiple religious organizations—including the Religious Institute—have joined in amicus briefs on two United States Supreme Court cases. Windsor v. United States, challenges the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, and Hollingsworth v. Perry, challenges the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California referendum that took away the rights of same-sex couples to marry in that state.

Britain’s House of Commons Votes to Permit Same-Sex Marriage in England and Wales
On February 5, Members of Parliament overwhelming passed legislation that would give same-sex couples the right to marry by a vote of 400 to 175. Read more here. 
Take Action!

Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education in the U.S.
On February 14, Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ) and Representative Barbara Lee (CA-13) introduced the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, which outlines a comprehensive, age-appropriate, and holistic vision for federally funded sex education in the United States. Tell your Congressional representative that you want to see this happen!
Take Action here.  

Tell the Boy Scouts to Allow Gay Leaders and Scouts
The Boy Scouts of America have said that in May 2013 they will announce whether they will amend their longstanding policy banning gay Scouts and gay Scout leaders. Join the Religious Institute in asking to see this discriminatory policy overturned by offering your feedback via Twitter or Facebook.
Twitter: @boyscouts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoyScoutsofAmerica

Tell John Kerry to Include Women and Girls in U.S. Foreign Policy
Ask new Secretary of State John Kerry to make promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights a priority during his term.
Take action here.


New Resources
Roe v WadeRoe v. Wade at 40: Most Oppose Overturning Abortion Decision
On January 16, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released a report on public attitudes towards the Roe v Wade Supreme Court Decision, finding that more than six-in-ten support maintaining the decision.
Read more here. 

State Policies in Brief: Sex and HIV Education 
This Guttmacher Institute brief summarizes state-level sex and HIV education policies based on an ongoing review of state laws and regulations.
Read more here.  


Faithful Voices Network

Faithful Voices Network
By J. Michael Cobb
Director of Outreach and Communications

 
Earlier this month, the Obama administration released proposed regulations on contraceptive coverage in the Affordable Care Act, making additional accommodations for religiously affiliated institutions to opt out of the contraception requirement. Within a week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that they would continue to fight the new proposed rules, prompting media coverage highlighting religious objections to contraception.

The protests of the Catholic Bishops have made for some dramatic headlines, but they ignore one very significant fact: no single religious voice can claim to speak for all religious people.

What has been lost in the media coverage of this debate is that over a dozen major religious denominations have policies that support contraception. Nine in ten Americans say that birth control is morally acceptable, including 82 percent of U.S. Catholics. And now, more than 1,000 religious leaders have publicly affirmed their support for safe, affordable, accessible, and comprehensive family planning services by endorsing the Religious Institute’s Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Family Planning.

Here is what the Open Letter says about Religious Liberty (bold added for emphasis):
“No government committed to human rights and democracy can privilege the teachings of one religion over another or deny individuals’ religious freedom. Individuals must have the right to accept or reject the principles of their own faith without legal restrictions. No single religious voice can speak for all faith traditions on contraception, nor should government
 take sides on religious differences.

We oppose any attempt to make specific religious doctrine concerning pregnancy, childbirth, or contraception the law of any country in the world. Religious groups themselves must respect the beliefs and values of other faiths, since no single faith can claim final moral authority in domestic or international discourse.
You can read the whole Open Letter here.

Endorsers represent more than 35 religious traditions, including each of the major mainline Protestant and Jewish denominations, plus Southern Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Muslim traditions. They include current and former presidents of national denominations, seminary presidents, seminary faculty, leading theologians, and the heads of more than twenty national religious organizations.

Policymakers need to know that a majority of people of faith and faith traditions support family planning, and so we will be sending the Open Letter and the full list of endorsers to key officials in the Administration and every member of Congress. They need to know that religious leaders and people of faith have been explicit about their support for modern methods of contraception since the early 20th century, and that this support continues to the present today. As people of faith, we must speak out!

Don’t let someone else misrepresent your religious values. You are part of a growing movement. And every time our faithful voices speak out, we bring the world closer to sexual and reproductive justice.  

Religious Institute News

Hymn ContestHymn Contest Winner: “Praise the Source of all Creation”
The Religious Institute is pleased to announce the winner of its first-ever hymn contest, on the subject of the gift of sexuality. The contest specifically solicited hymns that addressed the themes articulated in the Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing. The winning hymn text, “Praise the Source of all Creation” was written by Jann Aldredge-Clanton, Ph.D., an ordained minister, author, teacher, and chaplain.

Commenting on winning the hymn contest, Aldredge-Clanton wrote us,
"Words we sing in worship have great power to shape belief and action, helping congregations and individuals in our journey toward healing from sexism, heterosexism, racism, and other injustices. The Religious Institute’s prophetic mission inspired my hymn, and I feel honored to contribute to this mission of celebrating the goodness of all creation and affirming a sexual ethic based on justice, equality, and full inclusion of all persons."
The text is available here for use without charge by congregations in the Religious Institute network from now until March of 2014.

Welcome to our newest Board member!
The Religious Institute welcomes Calvin Mew, M.Div and Former Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Bozell Worldwide, Inc., as the newest member of our Board of Directors. We are very happy to have this business leader and longtime champion of sexual justice as a partner in our shared work.

Course Registration Now Open: Sexuality Issues for Religious Professionals
The Religious Institute is pleased to announce that registration is open for the Spring 2013 session of the online course, “Sexuality Issues for Religious Professionals” which begins March 1, 2013. The course was developed by the Religious Institute in cooperation with the Unitarian Universalist Association, but the majority of the course would be applicable to any religious professional who would like to become more sexually healthy and responsible. Read more here. 

Thank You For Your Support!
The Religious Institute would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of our Valentine’s Day Silent Auction, including those who donated items: Elizabeth G. Miller, Grandview Bed & Breakfast, photographer Suzanne Sheridan, Rozanne Gates, and an extra-special thanks to Religious Institute volunteer Ralph Tartaglione, who created and directed the auction.

Religious Institute on the Road

February 24, 2013, St. Mark's Episcopal Chapel in Storrs, CT

Director Marie Alford-Harkey will be preaching at 7:45 and 10 am.
Read more here.  

March 2 – 9, 2013, Rancho La Puerta, Mexico

Rev. Haffner will be conducting workshops on sexual health and spirituality.

Read more information here.  

March 3, 2013, The Unitarian Universalist Society in Stamford, CT
Director of Education Marie Alford-Harkey will be preaching at 10 am.
Read more here.  

March 11 – 13, 2013, Unitarian Universality District of Metro New York Retreat
Rev. Debra W. Haffner will be presenting the “Skills for a Sexually Healthy Religious Professional” workshop at this annual retreat.

March 21, 2013, Parenting Workshop, San Francisco Day School, San Francisco, CA
Rev. Haffner is speaking to parents on how to talk to your children from birth through adolescence about sexuality issues.
Read more here. 

March 22, 2013, Parenting Workshop, Marin Country Day School, Corte Madera, CA
Rev. Haffner is speaking to parents on how to talk to your children from birth through adolescence about sexuality issues. 8:30 AM.
Read more here. 


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