Subject: IWG Boston Herald Don Feder letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1997 00:28:19 -0500 (EST)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 3 congregations, 6 religious
organizations and 37 clergy from 13 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.

February 27, 1997

The Boston Herald
1 Herald Square 
Boston, MA  02106-2096

Dear Editors:

It is yet again obvious from Don Feder's column
criticizing Catholic reformers that he is not familiar
with the wide range of religious beliefs and religious
governance systems in this country or anywhere else. 

There are many systems used by American Christian and
Jewish denominations and movements for determining
correct scriptural interpretation, among them:
individual conscience; congregational prayer,
discussion, and vote; congregational consensus with a
rabbi advising; vote by a congregationally elected
board of elders; vote at a denominational meeting by
elders and clergy; vote by a council of rabbis; and
separate votes by bishops, clergy, and laity. In
addition, each has different rules for determining the
level of dissenting opinion that will be tolerated once
a decision has been reached, and different systems for
dealing with dissenters.

Under these various systems many Christians and Jews
have agreed on different interpretations of scripture
than Mr. Feder, including interpretations of Leviticus, 
without disrupting any of the major tenets of their
faiths.

Our constitutionally guaranteed rights to decide our
own systems of religious belief and governance and to
discuss them freely in public are wonderful gifts and
we are glad that Mr. Feder chooses to exercise them,
but he really needs to study some comparative religion,
and to realize that without religious diversity he
would run as much risk of persecution as the Catholic
reformers he belittles.

Sincerely,
Barbara Purdom     Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators

-- 

Interfaith Working Group                Religious organizations, congregations
[email-masked]                      and clergy supporting gay rights,
http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/         reproductive freedom, and the 
215-235-3050                            separation of church and state.