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Appendix B:
NCCJ
PROGRAMS IN PLURALISM ™
March-April, 1984 Number 2
CONFRONTING PROSELYTIZATION
Model: Arizona Region Don Eagle, director
Introduction
Few
intergroup conflicts are more difficult to resolve, or, sometimes, even
to
address,
than those caused by religious proselytization. Fundamental civil and
re-
ligious rights
are involved, along with sensitive historical and
theological
perceptions.
Proselytization, of course, occurs in various forms and
intensities,
and of
the varieties none is more challenging to workable pluralism than that
in
which
aggressive missionary zeal targets a particular "other," persistently
criticizes
the
targeted group's beliefs and practices and publicly questions its
religious
integrity.
Such
religious "anti-ism" has significantly declined in the United States
across
recent
decades. But it still happens. When it does, NCCJ is called upon to use
its
best
skills in promoting interreligious respect that is conscious of genuine
religious
differences.
For
more than a
year--March,
1983 through March,
1984--the
Arizona Region worked
to
understand, analyze and creatively respond to a local conflict about
proselytization
with
nationwide implications. The controversy was sparked by Concerned Christians,
Inc.
of
Mesa, a group whose published purpose includes the "exposing" of the "false"
teachers
of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). Similar groups
function
in
other parts of the country.
The
Arizona experience offers an adaptable model of a responsible NCCJ
approach
to
special-target missionary activity. The process was deliberate and open and
re-
sulted
in an advisory report addressed to the religious leadership of the state.
The
best
introduction to the situation and to the response is the report itself,
printed
here
in full. Following the document, the steps in the process are delineated,
illus-
trated
and implications are drawn.
A
service of the National Office of Program Development, Programs in
Pluralism™ is a trademark of
The
National Conference of Christians and Jews,
Inc.
The
Document Page 2
AN
ADVISORY REPORT
TO
THE
RELIGIOUS
EXECUTIVES OF ARIZONA
BACKGROUND
For
more than three years, an organization known as "Concerned
Christians,
Inc."
of Mesa, Arizona has conducted programs In the Valley area (and
Into
neighboring
states) which have two purposes:
1.
"exposing and bringing to full knowledge the real doctrines of
false
prophets and teachers of the Mormon Church."
2.
"service to the Christian community by keeping them Informed,
equipping
them...that they may be effective witnesses."
(Quotations
from Information brochure published by Concerned
Christians,
Inc.)
Much
of the activity of Concerned Christians, Inc. has been In the form
of
presentations
in churches often accompanied by the showing of a 59 minute,
color
film titled,
The Godmakers. The group
has also sponsored meetings In
rented
public halls
for lectures and showing of the film.
Public
awareness of a developing controversy became wide-spread
following
the
publication of a feature article (about a March 8, 1983 showing of the
film)
which
appeared in the Mesa
Tribune.
Shortly thereafter, a delegation of
sixteen
Mesa
citizens asked the Arizona Region of the National Conference of
Christians
and Jews
to investigate and to assist in any way possible. An ad hoc
study
committee was
appointed, composed of representatives of several faiths
(includ-
ing both
laity and clergy). Since mid-summer 1983, it. has met numerous
times,
viewed the
film In question, Interviewed Concerned Christians leaders on
three
occasions,
listened to Dr. Truman Madsen, holder of the Richard L. Evans
Chair
for Christian
Understanding at Brigham Young University, and ultimately
pre-
sented Its
information to the full Arizona SCCJ Board for a decision at
the
March 2, 1984
board meeting.
NCCJ
REAFFIRMS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
The
National Conference of Christians and Jews reaffirms its allegiance
to
the
First Amendment of the Constitution and our American tradition of
religious
freedom
in both faith and practice. At the same time, we strongly urge
respon-
sible
use of that freedom. It must be exercised with self-restraint,
fairness,
good
judgement and in a spirit of tolerance for the convictions of
others.
The
NCCJ does not seek — nor has It ever sought — to censor,
restrict
or
limit the activities of any religious group. Neither do we take a
judge-
mental
position with regard to the theology or doctrines of any religious
body.
Page
3
We do,
however, recognize that in a complex, religiously pluralistic
society
such
as we live In today, a great variety of sincerely held beliefs guide
the
individual and
collective consciences of the American people. Each Is
deserv-
ing of our
mutual respect and forbearance.
Thus,
we are concerned lest continuing religious controversy
unfavorably
affect
the peace, harmony and tranquillity of our Valley communities.
Prolonged
divisiveness
based on religious differences can be detrimental to the
business,
social,
political, educational and even the personal lives of the
citizenry.
We would
not like that to happen to us.
PROSELYTIZING
ACTIVITIES
The
NCCJ accepts without reservation the legal right of any
religious
group
to engage in proselytizing activities. We have little quarrel with
the
kind
of low-key, highly personalized proselytizing programs engaged In
dally
by numerous
religious groups. In fact, we note that wherever such
activities
are
prohibited by governments, tyranny results and a free society is lost.
We
would not wish
to live In a nation which imposes sanctions on religious
activity
of any
kind.
We
do question, however, those types of proselytizing activities
which
utilize
fraud or deception, e.g., numerous Instances have been reported to
us
of persons
posing as Jews, in order to gain entree in order to seek the
conver-
sion
of Jews to Christianity. We deplore such tactics.
Neither
do we believe that it serves the best interest of community
good
will
for any group to attack the central faith, beliefs, doctrines, or
validity
of any
other religious group. Religious belief is of vital importance to
many
Americans. It
must be recognized that very deep feelings and emotions are
stirred
when the most important concepts, traditions, personalities and
institu-
tions
of any religious group are alleged to be based on falsehood. Such
frontal
assaults
promote community divisions and cause persons to be deeply
hurt.
We
recognize as a positive value the right of any religious group to
assert
their
belief in the absolute truth of their own religious beliefs and
practices.
However,
this basic right also suggests the necessity for tolerance toward
others
who may hold
similar views about their own particular beliefs and
customs.
THE
GODMAKERS
FILM
Because
showing of
The
Godmakers
is an Integral part of the program of the
Concerned
Christians group, we offer these opinions based on our viewing of
the
film,
research and reflection.
The
film does not - In our opinion - fairly portray the Mormon
Church,
Mormon
history, or Mormon belief. It makes extensive use of
"half-truth,"
faulty
generalizations, erroneous Interpretations, and sensationalism. It
is
not
reflective of the genuine spirit of the Mormon faith.
Page
4
We
find particularly offensive the emphasis In the film that
Mormonism
Is some
sort of subversive plot - a danger to the community, a threat to the
Institution of
marriage, and Is destructive to the mental health of teenagers.
All of our
experience with our Mormon neighbors provides eloquent refutation
of these charges.
We
are of the opinion that
The
Godmakers
relies heavily on appeals to fear,
prejudice
and other less worthy human emotions. We believe that continued use
of this film poses
genuine danger to the climate of good will and harmony which
currently exists
between Valley neighbors of differing faiths. It appears to us
to be a basically
unfair and untruthful presentation of what Mormons really be-
lieve and
practice.
NCCJ'S
POSITION
The
National Conference of Christians and Jews has no power to coerce
Concerned
Christians or any other group into any course of action, nor do we
seek it. All that
we can do is to appeal to the Concerned Christian group to
reevaluate their
goals, methods, priorities and activities. We would like to
persuade them to
voluntarily monitor their own programs seeking to minimize any
which threaten our
climate of interreligious harmony and good will. We ask them
as responsible
community citizens to eliminate those which have or may prove to
be
divisive.
By
and large. Valley residents do not share the views of our Mormon neigh-
bors
espoused by
The
Godmakers.
We believe that most fair-minded people who
would happen to
view this film would be appalled by It, because their attitudes
have been
previously formed through many day-by-day experiences with Mormons
which demonstrates
that they are good friends, neighbors and fellow citizens.
There
are, unfortunately, some who lack adequate knowledge about the Mormon faith, who
may unwarily be misled by this film. We recommend to all persons that
they
utilize every opportunity for face-to-face dialogue with their neighbors in
an atmosphere of
mutual respect. This will help to provide authentic, first-
hand Information
about the faith of our fellow citizens. Dialogue will offer a
palliative for
controversy and a positive basis for continuing understanding,
good will and
friendship.
May
all our people enjoy fully their constitutional right to practice their
faith,
guided by conscience, free from stress or harassment from
others.
The
Arizona Regional Board of the
National
Conference of Christians and Jews
Page
5
The process
1.
Getting
involved.
While Concerned Christians of Mesa was organized In the
early
1980s, and caused alarm within the local Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-
day Saints,
public controversy did not flare until after a showing of
The
God-
makers
in Mesa's Centennial Hall in March, 1983, and coverage of the event
by
the Mesa
Tribune.
An audience of some 1,500 saw the film. Don Eagle
immediately
wrote
to
the
Tribune.
He set forth the need for citizens to respect both
reli-
gious freedom
and religious differences.
Religious
sentiments began to polarize. Mormons went on the defensive,
although
the
Mormon Church itself did not become embroiled in the conflict. In the
larger
religious
community, reactions were strongly mixed. The group of Mesa
citizens
approaching
NCCJ for assistance (see document, paragraph 3) included Eddie
Basha,
a
Catholic grocer and immediate past NCCJ chairman, who had called the matter
to
Mr.
Eagle's attention.
2.
Considering
options.
Don Eagle visited Mesa, meeting with Mr. Basha and other
civic
leaders. During the Summer, 1983, Don gathered information on
Concerned
Christians
and anti-Mormon sentiment In general. He notified the national
Office
that a
conflict was brewing and discussed options for NCCJ response. Don
also
took the
responsibility for a first draft of strategic options, including
pros
and cons in
terms of results. Those options ran from "do nothing" to a
long-
range
educational program on interreligious understanding. Work was begun on
a
philosophical
paper dealing with religious liberty and NCCJ's proper role in
re-
ligious
controversies.
On
September 1, the regional board met with a group of Mesa citizens
and,
after
full discussion, set up an ad hoc committee to study the issue and
recommend
action.
3.
Studying
the
issue.
The committee, chaired by Mr. Basha, moved quickly to
review
The
Godmakers,
solicit a range of assessments of it, and establish
contacts
with
Concerned Christians of Mesa. In all analysis and discussion, special
atten-
tion was
given to the First Amendment guarantee of religious freedom and to
the
impact of
interreligious tension on a
community
.
The
committee itself was broadly representative of the religious community
in
Arizona
and included regional board leaders. Although the press became
interested
in the
NCCJ review and wrote about it, the committee and the regional office
made
no
public statements on the conflict while the study was in
progress.
4.
Formulating
a
position.
By early December, the committee was ready with a
preliminary
report to be shared with parties involved, including Concerned
Chris-
tians. A
letter to the Mesa group stressed NCCJ's commitment to religious
liberty
but found
The
Godmakers
a "danger" to religious goodwill by
misrepresenting
Mormonism.—The
defensive reply by Concerned Christians was taken into
account
in
preparing the final draft of the advisory report.
Page
6
5.
Releasing
the
report.
The regional board approved the recommended report
of
the committee In
March, 1984, deciding to Issue it as an "advisory" to heads
of
religious groups
In Arizona rather than making it a press release. (Of
course,
the report
found its way to the press.) The rationale was that NCCJ had a
respon-
sibility to
share its conclusions with that part of the community most
affected
by the
conflict, that NCCJ, rather than becoming a combatant, should try to
help
religious
groups respond to the
conflict.
POINTS TO NOTICE ABOUT THE PROCESS AND THE REPORT
A
- the Arizona Region did its homework — months of it —
before
"saying"
anything about a sensitive and serious Issue.
B
- The ad hoc committee was In direct contact with every
principal
party
to the conflict.
C
- Options for action were considered and a philosophical
context
was
determined at the outset.
D
- The regional board played a pivotal role in initiating the
study-
process,
monitoring it and taking responsibility for the report.
E
- The National Office was consulted and kept informed on
progress.
F
- The report does not suggest any governmental action or
inter-
vention
in response to religious activities considered damaging
to
healthy pluralism; rather. Concerned Christians of Mesa are
asked
to voluntarily tone down its methods of proselytization as
a
matter of good citizenship. The appeal is to
fairness.
KEY
ELEMENTS IN THE PROCESS: A SUMMARY
1.
Identifying the issue
2.
Setting a philosophical framework for response
3.
Considering options for action
4.
Careful, consultative study
5.
Intensive board involvement
6.
Strategic release of report
USING THE MODEL
The
process followed by the Arizona Region in responding to the
controversy
around
Concerned Christians is adaptable to virtually any situation in which
one
religious group
singles out another as "false" or targets another for
conversion.
It
could also be adapted in the study of new or unpopular religious
movements.
Findings
and recommendations may vary from case to case. The model is found
not
in the content
of the report but in the process of calm, thorough
evaluation.
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