2002-MAY-2: HI: Physician Assisted Suicide bill to be voted upon: The "Death with Dignity Act," HB 2487, was passed by the Hawaii House of Representatives on 2002-MAR-7 by a vote of 30 to 20. The bill then went to the Senate. Senator David Matsuura, the chairperson of the Senate Health Committee, personally disagreed with the bill, and refused to allow it to be voted upon by his committee.  In a surprise move, the Senate overruled Matsuura by voting to pull the bill out of the Health Committee. House Bill 2487 was rejected by the state Senate on 2002-MAY-3 by a slim margin. It will probably be re-introduced during the next term. ₁₁ More details.

2002-MAY-8: CA: Newspaper reports anti-Wiccan demonstration: The Antelope Valley Press of Palmdale, CA, reported on what the called "Wiccagate:" a demonstration by Christians against a group of Wiccans who were rededicating the Witches Grove: a store in Lancaster CA which sells Neopagan material. The ritual also involved the celebration of the spring equinox, and honored the Pagan Goddess Brigid and the God Thor. "Store proprietors alleged that Christian protesters bumped participants in the Wiccan ritual, screamed Bible verses and blared Christian rock music in the store's back parking lot, where the rededication ceremony took place." ₁₁ Cyndia Riker, a Wiccan high priestess and owner of the store, said that the Sheriff's Department took five hours to respond to a phone call for help. One of the Christians alleged to have taken part is Billy Pricer, a volunteer sheriff's chaplain and pastor of Life Changers Christian Center. He was reported as saying that the event was "totally blown out of proportion." He said that the protest was not organized. However, Riker said that representatives from three local Christian churches arrived in rental cars at about the same time and that some of the protestors communicated via walkie-talkies. Pricer is reported as saying that the protestors only went there to pray in public for the Wiccans.

The lesson? If you are a non-Christian and plan to hold a public ritual, we suggest that you request police protection in advance. As a minimum, have a member videotape the entire ritual.

2002-MAY-1: CA: More on Christian interruption of Pagan ritual: About twenty conservative Christians interrupted a Pagan religious service in Lancaster CA. The fifty Pagans were present near the time of the spring solstice to dedicate the Witches Grove gift store. "Words were exchanged. A praying man, who turned out to be a sheriff's chaplain, was blaring Christian pop tunes through his SUV speakers. 'Forgive them, Lord,' he said. 'They don't know what they're doing. The pagans said they felt intimidated and called the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Although the Lancaster station is three blocks away, it took deputies 4 1/2 hours to respond. By the time they arrived, everyone was gone." The event triggered intense debate among the locals about First Amendment Rights, hate legislation and the limits of tolerance. The Antelope Valley Interfaith Council has scheduled a day of prayer on MAY-19 in response to the event. Council President, Bishop Bernard Price, of the Orthodox Christian Church of St. Thomas said: "What technically happened was not a crime, but a great deal of hatred motivated the action. The Christians accused [the Pagans] of being Satanists, and [the Pagans] don't believe in that. It's only the religious right that believes in Satan." [Actually, Muslims believe in the existence of Satan as well.] In recent years, valley leaders have attempted to "combat the area's reputation for narrow-mindedness...[they have founded] a hate crimes hotline, a human relations task force and an anger management course for teens drawn to bigotry....The man blaring his stereo was...John Canavello, then associate chaplain at the Lancaster sheriff's station." He has since been suspended because of his involvement in the incident. ₁₂

2002-MAY-8: Ireland: Dean Furlong of the Church of Ireland avoids heresy trial: Very Rev. Andrew Furlong, former Dean of Clonmacnoise and rector of Trim and Athboy, had written an article on a parish web site. In it, he expressed his idea that Jesus was human, not God. This is a common belief among very liberal Christians. It is shared by some theologians who have investigated the life of the historical Jesus, and by the 1^st century Jewish Christians led by James. For his beliefs, Bishop Richard Clarke suspended Furlong 2001-DEC, and initiated a heresy trial in 2002-MAR.  Furlong has resigned both posts. He hopes that he will be allowed to remain a member of the Church of Ireland. The church is part of the Anglican Communion, which is been known for its tolerance of unorthodox beliefs among its clergy and laity. ₁₃

2002-MAY-10: MI: Mutual discrimination between gay supporters and Christians:In the Fall of 2001, Pioneer High School at Ann Arbor, MI, adopted a non-discrimination policy. Student clubs were asked to sign a policy to not discriminate against members on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. The Christian club could wanted to preserve its policy of discriminating against gays and lesbians and so asked and received an excecption. The school's Gay Straight Alliance, which is composed of gays, lesbians and heterosexuals who support an end to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation complained. The group's faculty advisor said: "Either we have a non-discrimination policy or we don’t." Later in the school year, the annual Diversity Week arrived. Some Christian club students asked to participate in a GSA-sponsored panel on sexuality and religion. They were refused. Instead, the GSA invited local clergy who supported equal rights for gays and lesbians. They justified their decision on the basis that it was their panel, and that the diversity week was all about promoting diversity, not discrimination. It appears that neither group understands the importance of tolerance.

2002-MAY-10: VA: Christian college refused accreditation: Patrick Henry College in Northern Virginia aims its services at home-schooled children. The college teaches creation science as truth. According to its "Statement of Biblical Worldview," it requires that evolution, 'theistic' or otherwise, will not be treated as an acceptable theory." Its faculty is chosen on the basis of their belief that God created the universe in six 24-hour days. The college was denied accreditation by the American Academy for Liberal Education. According to the Academy, the College failed to meet two standards:

	One standard requires that: "Liberty of thought and freedom of speech are supported and protected, bound only by such rules of civility and order as to facilitate intellectual inquiry and the search for truth."
	Another standard mandates that "The general education requirement ensures a basic knowledge of mathematics and the physical and biological sciences."

Patrick Henry College President Michael Farris is reported as saying: "I think what they are saying is that because we teach creationism we've introduced what to them is faux science into our courses." ₁₄