We also have a list of religious tolerance news for this month. 
Sad to say, these are usually much shorter lists.

2002-JUL-2: USA: Objections to apparent new appointee to head CDC: The Family Research Council, a Fundamentalist Christian group, expressed regret at the  new appointee who will apparently head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They speculate that President Bush will shortly appoint Dr. Julie Gerberding to the post. She has allegedly, in the past, supported safe-sex education so that students who decide to become sexually active will know how to reduce their chances of STD transmission. She has also allegedly supported supplying emergency contraceptives in schools to female students who have had unprotected sex and may otherwise become pregnant. ₁₁ Dr James Dobson of Focus on the Family commented that Dr,. Gerberding "...has no apparent concern about the ineffectiveness of condom usage, nor any stated disagreement with the positions of the homosexual activist movement, or with the provision of free needles to drug users. To the contrary, her writings clearly show that she believes the 'safe sex' lie that has entrapped millions of our teenagers -- many of whom are now fighting incurable sexually transmitted diseases....The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is already the world's largest promoter of homosexuality and 'safe-sex' programs, and now the president has appointed someone whose positions indicate that the organization will continue dishing out more of the same." ₁₂

2002-JUL-2: Netherlands: A threat, in jest, against women's health ship: Women on Waves has outfitted a in order to provide reproductive health services including provision of contraceptives, general information, counseling, pregnancy tests, sexual education, and "safe and legal abortion services." They plan to go to countries in Asia, Africa and South America where these services are not generally available. They will stay off shore as necessary in international waters. Operation Rescue, an activist pro-life group, has implied, in jest, that it is looking to buy a submarine. According to CCN, "Jeff White, Operation Rescue’s national tactical director stated, 'Rebecca Gomperts of Women on Waves said she came up with the idea after working aboard Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior It would be justice to see the Aurora end up with the same fate [at the bottom of the ocean].' " (The Rainbow Warrior was attacked and sunk.) Troy Newman, director of Operation Rescue West stated, "The myth of a floating abortion clinic has been around for years. If some poor pro-abort is foolish enough to invest money in this urban legend, I say 'go for it.' Better to waste his money on the Sea Hag, or whatever they call it, than to give it to Planned Parenthood where they would use every penny they can get their hands on to kill innocent little babies." ₁₄

2002-JUL-4: WV: Pastor's prayer critical of culture: Prior to a speech before a crowd of 3,000 in Ripley, WV, Rev. Jack Miller gave a passionate invocation. He was critical of those who contribute to ethical and social change, who believe that the Bible is errant, and who promote multiculturalism, pornography, equal rights for homosexuals, lotteries, stem cell research, and abortion access. The prayer was: "Oh, Lord, we admit that over the course of time, we have strayed from Your guiding principles that have made the nation great. ...Yet this is what we have done--losing our spiritual equilibrium and inverting our moral values.  In Your presence, we confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your word in the name of multiculturalism.  We have endorsed pornography and sexual deviance in the name of freedom of expression and free speech.  We have exploited the poor and our system of education in the name of the lottery.  We have toyed with idea of making human lives a commodity, in the name of medical research.  We have killed our unborn in the name of choice."  Ken Connor of the Family Research Council quoted the prayer in his Washington Update. He added: "As we look for ways to throw off the shackles of political correctness, I can't think of a more appropriate response to Reverend Miller's eloquence than Amen!." ₁₅

2002-JUL-5: UK: Uproar in the House of Lords: A joint parliamentary committee has been formed of members of the House of Commons, an elected body, and the House of Lords, an appointed body. Its task is to determine the future of the House of Lords. Because the Church of England is the official church of Britain, some of the peers who serve in the House of Lords are bishops of the church. In the selection of the seats on the joint committee, none of the 26 bishops who serve in the House were chosen. The bishops are outraged. The Bishop of Guildford told his peers: "Composition of this house touches on two crucial aspects of our constitution - the nature of our parliamentary democracy and the establishment of the church." There is speculation that the ruling labor (socialist) party is planning to disestablish the Church. ₁₆

2002-JUL-6: MA: Plebiscite restricting marriage being held up: About 130,000 voters in Massachusetts have signed a petition in favor of a state-wide referendum which would define marriage as "a union of one man and one woman." The Gay and Lesbian Advocates attempted to invalidate the petition on technical grounds, but lost their case in the state Supreme Court. However, before the measure can be placed on the ballot, 25% of the members of the House and Senate, meeting in joint session as a Constitutional Convention, must affirm it. Senate President Thomas Birmingham has twice blocked a vote. The next meeting of the Convention is scheduled for JUL-17. Time is of the essence. The latest polls indicate that about 60% of voters would approve such a plebiscite. This number is dropping fast. Thus, if the plebiscite is delayed too long, it might be rejected by the voters. ₁₇

2002-JUL-6: Lutheran pastor suspended for praying: The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod has suspended Rev. David Benke, one of its high-ranking pastors. He is a district president, the equivalent of a bishop. The denomination is requiring him to apologize to all members of the denomination and to all other Christians for an "offense both to God and to all Christians." His offense? After the 9-11 terrorist attack, leaders from many different religions, including Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sihkism gathered together in Yankee Stadium in New York, NY, on 2001-SEP- 23 at the Prayer for America interfaith service. It was held less than two weeks after the terrorist attack of 9-11. Rev. Wallace Schulz, second vice-president of the denomination, wrote in the suspension letter: "By President Benke's joining with other pagan clerics in an interfaith service [no matter what the intent might have been], a crystal clear signal was given to others at the event and to thousands more watching by C-Span. The signal was: While there may be differences as to how people worship or pray, in the end, all religions pray to the same God." Washington Post staff writer Alan Cooperman wrote: "The charges against Benke included 'unionism' -- mixing the beliefs of various Christian denominations -- as well as 'syncretism' -- mixing Christian and non-Christian views. Both are forbidden by the 1847 constitution of the Missouri Synod." ₁₈ The denomination has 2.6 million members and is the tenth largest Christian denomination in the U.S. The  more liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), at 5.1 million members, is the largest Lutheran group.

2002-JUL-9: Israel: Conflict over segregation in Israel: The coalition government in Israel, under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has overwhelmingly endorsed a controversial bill, by a vote of 17 to 2, with one abstention. It was introduced by members of an ultra-nationalist right-wing party. It would allow Jewish citizens of Israel to bar Arab citizens of Israel from living or purchasing homes in "Jews-only" towns. Numerous Israeli politicians and human rights groups have criticized the bill, regarding it as discriminatory and racist. Cabinet minister Dan Meridor was one; he said that "Israel is the state of the Jewish people. But because it is a Jewish state, it must not practice against its non-Jewish citizens the kind of discrimination to which Jews were subjected to in the Diaspora." Foreign minister, Shimon Peres said that his labor party would "fight with all its power against the racist decision" even if it means that they might quit the coalition. Right-wing and religious parties in the coalition government praised the bill because they regard it as protecting what they call the essence of Zionism. Education minister Limor Livnat of Sharon's Likud party said that it is an error to consider the bill racist. Its intent is to ensure a Jewish majority in the Galilee which is heavily Arab. "This [bill] does not stem at all from discrimination, rather from the main basis of Zionism -- the return of the Jewish people to its land." Tzipi Livne, another Likud minister said: "If the national interest....is to establish another settlement so that in the future [Arab] populations will be dispersed from each other, and so we will not face demands for territorial autonomy, then this must be weighed against the principle of equality...This is very far away from racism."

A reporter for The Scotsman, Scotland's national newspaper, wrote: "The cabinet move highlights how Israel, stung by terrorism, is increasingly adopting ardent nationalism at the expense of equality and human rights. The result is that the always precarious balance, where the state seeks to protect Jewish interests and yet maintain democracy, is unraveling at the expense of the latter. "

A few weeks earlier, the government approved a budget which pays higher social security allowances to Jews than Arabs. _19,20

2002-JUL-9: TX: Pastor and brother charged with felony injury to a child: The pastor of an independent fundamentalist church and his twin brother have allegedly been charged with severely beating an 11 year old boy for an hour, with a stick. The boy was reported as having been taken to hospital where he required a blood transfusion, and treatment for his kidneys which had failed. The boy has allegedly stated that he was accused of cheating on some memorized Bible verses. The men's lawyer has said that the church has a strict policy against corporal punishment. ₂₁