From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG Jane Eisner letter Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 20:40:30 -0400 (EDT) The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 9 congregations and religious organizations and 38 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. Jane Eisner The Philadelphia Inquirer PO Box 8263 Phila., PA 19101 Dear Ms. Eisner: Thank you very much for your April 6 comments on the need for religious diversity and the separation of church and state. Obviously everyone believes that their religion is best for them, and most probably believe that their religion would be right for everybody, but the reality is that we all have different beliefs and we all need to get along. Media recognition of the fact that Americans subscribe to many different religious systems and coexist peacefully despite having many different opinions on religious and social issues can go a long way toward preserving our religious freedom. We must not accept that any one individual or organization speaks for everyone in a given faith. There are many who are unwilling to tolerate diversity within their own religion or religious diversity in the society at large, and who have the financial and political clout to do something about it. You have more power than most people to assure a balanced presentation of religious opinions on social issues. We hope that your interest in this subject will lead you to further research American religious diversity and the organizations that support and attack it. Thank you again. 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. From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG Inquirer Letter re David Boldt Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 20:44:11 -0400 (EDT) The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 9 congregations and religious organizations and 38 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. April 6, 1997 The Philadelphia Inquirer PO Box 8263 Phila., PA 19101 Dear Editors: In his column encouraging school districts to use William Devlin's sex education program, David Boldt wonders why anyone would object to a program that suggests that sex should be reserved for marriage, or that points out a correlation between homosexuality and AIDS. Whether there is a correlation between homosexuality and AIDS is simply not relevant. The only relevant issues in guiding students' behavior should be cause and effect, and homosexuality does not cause or spread AIDS. Unsafe sex and certain types of drug-use spread AIDS. Any program which suggests that sexual activity should be limited to partners in a mixed-gender marriage is clearly designed to exclude non-heterosexual students, and Mr. Boldt should consider the possibility that a failure to discuss the concerns of gay students in sex- education classes has contributed to the correlation between AIDS and homosexuality. If Devlin were capable of producing a curriculum which did not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation then we would be more willing to accept Boldt's assertion that the program is not religiously based. Removing references to the religious basis for a particular course of instruction while keeping the conclusions does not render the program areligious; it merely makes it seem even less logical, and an illogical approach by educators is not going to help any student avoid a sexually transmitted disease or an unintended pregnancy. If we are going to include a moral component in sex education, then a comprehensive survey of the many moral and religious approaches to human sexuality would be much more useful. 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.