European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 13, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse , november 13, 1993 religion the stars and stripes Page 9 new marriage Ines by David Briggs the associated press men submit to your wives share your tears a As Well As the laundry and the Bathtub scrubbing. Women be not afraid to get mad at your husband or to Tell him to spend equal time with the kids. In perhaps their most comprehensive attempt to address relations Between the sexes a committee of . Bishops is proposing a document on marriage that encourages roman catholics to move beyond the sexual stereotypes they grew up with. The Bishops draw from their own failed Effort to develop a pastoral letter on women and from the growing men s movement to encourage catholics to strive for Equality of the sexes in divid ing household and parental responsibilities. A marriage is a partnership of a Man and woman equal in dignity and value Quot the Bishops state in a follow the Way of love a pastoral message of the . Catholic Bishops to three Yean in development the statement from the prelates committee on marriage and family will be presented to the full National conference of Catholic Bishops at its annual meet ing in Washington next week. If approved Cardinal Joseph Bemar Din of Chicago will formally present it to the United nations on dec. 7 As the Bishops contribution to the 1994 International year of the family. The statement addresses Many family issues. Its Central theme is the importance of friends family and the Parish Community in helping married couples in the 59 million member Church to work through difficult times when possible. In a sign of the recent wanning Between psychology and religion the Bishops also encourage married couples to seek not Only pastoral but other professional counselling at the first sign of trouble. But some of the document s strongest language comes in a separate Section on a mutuality Quot that encourages men and women to move beyond gender stereotypes. The Issue of sexual Equality has been a difficult one for the Bishops who have come under intense criticism advice on families enter pts from Quot follow the Way of love a pastoral Massage of the . Catholic Bishops to families Quot a Quot an enduring marriage be More than simply endurance. It is a process of growth into an ultimate Friendship and a deepening peace. So we urge All couples renew your commitment regularly seek enrichment often and ask for pastoral and professional help when a Quot marriage must never become a struggle for control. For unlike other relationships marriage is a vowed covenant with unique dimensions in this partnership Mutual submission not dominance by either partner is the key to genuine Joy understanding what it takes to build a life together As Well As the individual skills and interests you bring in your common this unwritten Norm. A Quot when children Are bom both Mother and father Are important in nurturing and forming them. More and More fathers have been discovering How their involvement in parenting enriches both their children and themselves. This is a hopeful a Quot women who accept their own sett Worth Are More Able to express their beliefs ideas and feelings even painful ones such As Quot a a a a a a. A a. A Quot each of us needs to ask to what am i giving my precious time what Are my priorities do television sports making Money shopping getting ahead on the Job volunteering in the Church or Community Swallow up time that could be better spent with those i Lovet Soure the associated prom s4s from groups favouring the ordination of women. Disagreement Over that Issue caused them last year to abandon a pastoral letter on women after nine years of work. The new statement does not appear to conflict with any Vatican pronouncements on marriage and family but emphasizes american cultural concerns about the roles of men and women and the division of their responsibilities Between Home and work. The new document shows Bishops still have a voice in the societal debate Over sexual Equality consultants who worked on the statement say. A it s said in a Way people May be hearing it for the first time Quot said Joan Wagner a consultant to the Center for the study of family development at the University of Dayton in Ohio. A they take the scripture and apply it to the contemporary televangelist alive and Well communications expert says new Orleans apr at first glance scandals .4 l4 aim Ivy i Loti of Elf that hit the television empires of evangelists Jim Bak scr Jimmy Swaggart Oral Roberts and Robert Tilton appeared to have taken their toll on a business that blossomed throughout much of the 1980s. . Nielsen co., the overseer of television ratings says not Only have the number of religious shows dropped sharply since 1988, but the number of Homes reached by evangelists broadcasts has gone Down. But done to believe that televangelists Are a thing of the past says a communications professor who has extensively studied not Only the recent video preachers but those who go Back to the Pioneer Days of radio. A one of the characteristics of America is that we re disinterested in history a said Quentin Schultze of Calvin College in grand rapids mich., and author of televangelist and american culture. A we tend not to learn the lessons of history As Well As we should. Evangelists have always carried their share of baggage in the minds of some. Aimee Semple Mcpherson was accused by critics of staging her own kidnapping in the 1920s. Father Charles Coughlin a anti semitic and anti new Deal broadcasts were squelched by the Catholic Church during the 1930s. The latest round of scandal went like this Bakker went to Federal prison for mishandling his followers contributions. Swaggart was connected with prostitutes and sued for defamation by a rival Louisiana evangelist who claimed that Swaggart was afraid of his planned to Competition. Roberts turned off Many with his claim that god would kill him if he did no to raise enough Money. Just last month Robert Tilton fighting to the Texas attorney general and numerous unhappy contributors in court pulled his television shows off the air amid allegations that among other things requests for prayers were tossed in the trash can after the checks were deposited. A the fact that Tilton was so successful on the heels of the other scandals shows that people done to learn anything a Schultze said. Schultze sees a a very Bright future for televangelist. For now the scandals have Hurt and an economic recession has further dried up the flow of checks. According to . Nielsen the number of regularly scheduled religious programs shown on Over the air television dropped from 55 to 39 Between 1988 and Early 1993. Those carried by at least 100 stations fell from nine to six. But Many televangelists Are now buying cheaper time on Cable television where they can target a More specific audience Schultze said. Of course not All religious programs can be painted with the same Brush Schultze said. He Points to Day of discovery a top 10-rated religious show that alternates hosts. A they have never asked for Money on a single program a Schultze said. A that defies the logic of these people who assume you have to use huckster ism and Nave a personality cult to raise victorious gambling foes foresee increased leverage from wire reports Indianapolis a Church based opponents of riverboat gambling say the defeat of floating casinos in four votes last week should give the religious Jobby political influence on other social issues such As curbing violence and casing racial tensions. A i am confident now that the Church can provide the forum and the invitation for very diverse people who have not agreed on other issues to come together and tackle social concerns a said the Rev. Scott Schiesswohl a consultant for the United methodist Church. But Brian Vargus a pollster at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis said most Casino opponents cited fears of increased crime and congestion rather than religious or moral objections. A religion was not a key Factor. Lets face it most hoosiers done to feel that religion and politics should mix a Vargus said. Riverboats were voted Down in Clark Floyd a a t a a. _ it a Porter and Warrick counties and approved in Scott Ohio Vanderburgh la Porte and Dearborn counties and in the cities of Hammond and East Chicago. A hotel offers Buddhist Book guests at one of the largest hotels in los Angeles can find something new along with the old faithful Gideon Bible on their night table the teaching of it provides yet another indication of the growing popularity of buddhism in the United states a Randall Balmer an associate professor of religion at Barnard College said after a recent stay at the hotel the Wustin Bonaventure in los Angeles. The teaching of Buddha is not the first addition to the travellers religious Library for years Marriott hotels have carried the Book of mormon. The Buddhist tract was placed at the Westin by the society for the promotion of buddhism. A spokeswoman for the hotel said that curiosity aside the Buddhist work also appealed to guests who already have Buddhist roots. Or. Rogers receives Honor Louisville by. A the Rev. Fred Rogers Host of or. Rogers neighbourhood was recently honoured for 25 years of television ministry by the Pittsburgh presbytery of the presbyterian Church .a. A your Church and the entire Pittsburgh Community thanks Fred Rogers for making life special for children and their families across the country a said the Rev. John s. Clement executive presbyter. A no words or gifts can express How deeply we indebted to Fred a dedication and commitment Over the Rogers was ordained by the presbytery a to work with families in the mass Media a according to presbyterian news service. Church finally gets pastor Nysted neb. A if patience is a virtue St. Peders evangelical lutheran churches congregation should be Well rewarded. After 35 years without its own pastor the congregation in this tiny farm Community of 26 has persuaded the Rev. Don Voorhees to move his family from Texas to Central Nebraska to be minister Here. The Community has a handful of houses the Church and remnants of an old school. There Are about 15 families from Nysted Dannebrog and grand Island who attend St. Peders Church. Nysted was once a successful danish settlement known throughout the state for its Folk school run by . Skovgaard minister of St. Peders. Skovgaard founded the school and built a wooden Church in 1887. Nysted a Prosperity ended in the 1930s with the great depression. St. Pecker a a survived through the ears with borrowed pastors and Seminary students. 7or the last 23 years the Church has been served by the Dannebrog Baptist minister. Voohrees said he came because a i could see these people were committed to getting this Church going it 8 i
