From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG Bergen (County NJ) Record Letter Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 23:16:44 -0400 (EDT) The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 10 congregations and religious organizations and 48 clergy from 14 faiths and denominations. If you are in the general Philadelphia area and represent a congregation or religious organization or are clergy, let us know if you want to be added - all faiths are welcome. We will also be happy to help start similar organizations in other areas. October 14, 1997 Bergen Record 150 River Street Hackensack, NJ 07602 Dear Editors: We were alarmed by the precedent of printing Rev. Adriana Mueller's rebuttal of an article profiling a gay church. Are you going to give equal time to Mueller whenever you do a story about people with religious beliefs that are different from hers? Will articles about conservative Catholics be accompanied by a warning that not everyone believes in papal infallibility or the importance of Mary? Will features about synagogues and mosques be balanced by a statement that Christ is the one true way? How about clarifications on the merits of infant baptism, the correct interpretation of communion or the faith vs. works debate? The debate over sexual orientation, while current and newsworthy, is just one of many differences in belief among people of faith. Balanced articles detailing differences of opinion among groups are both helpful and educational in that they demonstrate that people of many faiths can coexist peacefully. Articles profiling individual religious groups can also serve the same purpose. But rebuttals specifically attacking a particular group's beliefs suggest a natural hierarchy of religions that promotes animosity and do not contribute to a civil society. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators -- Interfaith Working Group Religious organizations, congregations iwg@libertynet.org and clergy supporting gay rights, http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/ reproductive freedom, and the 215-235-3050 separation of church and state.