[HANASHIR:9247] "completed Jews"

[janeen kobrinsky <janeen...>]

I know ... I know ...  but I think this is a really important item ... we
all need to think about it
janeen


----- Original Message -----
From: "Equal Partners in Faith" <epf (at) voicenet(dot)com>
To: <Recipient list suppressed>
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2001 9:28 AM
Subject: EPF Alert: FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE DRAWS MORE CRITICISM after
"Completed Jews" comment by Teen Challenge


> EPF Alert:  June 2, 2001
> www.us.net/epf
>
> INTERFAITH LEADERS RENEW CONCERNS ABOUT BUSH'S "FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES"
>
> Potential Beneficiary of Proposed Program Tells House Panel about
> Conversions and "Completed Jews"
>
>
> (Washington DC) Leaders of Equal Partners in Faith, a national
multi-racial
> and multi-faith network of progressive people of faith, today expressed
> renewed concerns about President Bush's efforts to give tax-payer money
> directly to religious groups and organizations that provide social
services.
>
> The renewed concerns came as a result of comments by John Castellani,
> executive director of Teen Challenge International, one of President
Bush's
> favorite faith-based organizations. During testimony before the House
> Government Reform subcommittee, which was investigating the effectiveness
> of religiously provided social services, Castenelli reported that his
> organization has converted Jews to Christianity, thereby making them--in
> his words--"completed Jews."
>
> After his congressional testimony, in which he also stated that his
> organization does not hire non-Christians, Castellani attempted to clarify
> his remarks about "completed Jews." "In a sense, it's a complement," he
> told reporters. "They're not a Christian, they're still Jewish. They've
> just found another part of themselves."
>
> "These statements on the part of Teen Challenge clearly illustrate that
> Bush 's faith-based initiatives will actually fund religious intolerance,
> proselytizing and discrimination," said Rev. Meg Riley, Director of the
> Unitarian Universalist Washington Office for Faith in Action and the
> Co-Chair of Equal Partners in Faith. "Conservative religious organizations
> can proselytize and discriminate if they want to, but they have no
business
> receiving government money to subsidize their efforts."
>
> EPF Co-Chair and Managing Director Leslie Watson agreed with this
> assessment. "It is truly a shame that the leader of President Bush's
> favorite faith-based organization has such a disrespectful view of Jewish
> people of faith and their religion. It is even more shameful that
President
> Bush wants to fund such an organization with tax-payer's money."
>
>
> ###
> Equal Partners in Faith is a multi-racial national network of religious
> leaders and people of faith committed to equality and diversity. Our
> diverse faith traditions and shared religious values lead us to affirm and
> defend the equality of all people, regardless of religion, race, ability,
> gender, sexual orientation or gender identity. As people of faith, we
> actively oppose the manipulation of religion to promote exclusion and
> inequality.
>
> Please join us and help us promote a more inclusive vision for religion
and
> society.
>   (Please visit http://www.us.net/epf/pages/Support%20EPF.html  ).
>
> Equal Partners in Faith
> 2026 P Street NW
> Washington, DC 20036
> (202) 296-4672 ext. 14
> (202) 296-4673 fax
> email: epf (at) voicenet(dot)com
> http://www.us.net/epf