National Notes
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Judge rules Capitol prayers OK. A District of Columbia federal judge has ruled that a Maryland evangelist had the constitutional right to pray inside the U.S. Capitol and has ordered U.S. Capitol Police to no longer restrict people from bowing in prayer in the national landmark. In November 1996, Pierre Bynum accompanied a group of eight people on a "prayer tour" as associate pastor of Waldorf Christian Assembly in Waldorf, Md. In an order and judgment released April 3, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled that the police agency is "restrained from enforcing ... the ban on prayer against Rev. Pierre Bynum when he prays as part of the privately conducted prayer tours of the U.S. Capitol that he leads." The judge further ordered that restrictions on "bowing one's head, closing one's eyes and clasping one's hands within the United States Capitol" can no longer be enforced.
___ Anti-Semitic violence declines. Anti-semitic violence within the United States last year fell to its lowest level since 1989, but in New York and California such violence was on the rise, according to a report issued April 11 by the Anti-Defamation League. Reports of anti-Semitic acts in 1999 decreased by 4 percent from the previous year, but that decrease was mitigated by three incidents in the summer, said Abraham Foxman, ADL's national director: the June firebombing of three synagogues in Sacramento, Calif., the July shooting of six Orthodox Jews in Chicago who were walking home from Sabbath services and a shooting spree in August that injured five people at a Los Angeles Jewish community center.___
___ Reorganized LDS Church gets new name. Delegates to a worldwide meeting of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints voted April 7 to change the church's name to Community of Christ. The church traces its beginnings to the start of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known as Mormons, in 1830. Members of the "reorganized" body began their own church in 1860 under the leadership of Joseph Smith III, son of the Mormonism's founder.___
___ Graham given Reagan Award. Evangelist Billy Graham has been honored by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation for his contributions to freedom. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan presented Graham with the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award at a dinner April 5.
___ Falwell registers voters. Jerry Falwell launched a campaign April 14 to register 10 million new voters before the November elections. While he stressed that his organization would be non-partisan, he acknowledged most of the churches he wants to work with are filled with political conservatives who most likely would vote for George W. Bush over Al Gore. "If I'm right, the Republicans are going to feel a very positive result on this from the top to the bottom of the ticket," he said.
___ Pro-gay Protestants to meet. As three major Protestant denominations prepare to debate the issue of homosexuality this summer, leaders of pro-gay movements within those churches plan to hold their own convention in August. The conference, Witness Our Welcome 2000, is the first time pro-gay movements within the churches have united. The United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA) and Episcopal Church all plan to tackle homosexuality at conventions.
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