01: Despite divisions on the official level, there is widespread support for gay and lesbian rabbis among educators, leaders and seminarians in Conservative Judaism, according to a survey commissioned by the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). The survey, conducted via the Internet, found that among 5,583 rabbis, cantors and JTS students, two-thirds of the respondents support openly gay rabbis and cantors.
Among the educators and other professionals, the approval rating was 76 percent. Support varied by gender: 86 percent of female respondents approved compared to 60 percent of males. The denomination is expected to make a final decision on the matter later this spring. Until now, the movement has accepted an amendment allowing for gay rabbis and same-sex ceremonies while retaining a ban on male homosexual sex, reports The Christian Century (March 6).
02: A new study finds that the American Jewish population is 20 percent higher than previously reported. The Brandeis University study estimated that there are 6 million to 6.4 million Jews living in the U.S., along with another million people with Jewish ancestry. The study disputes the 2000-2001 National Jewish Population study, which recorded a total of 5.2 million Jews. The Brandeis researchers add that the previous study underestimated the number of non-Orthodox Jews and those under age 55, according to the Christian Century (March 6). .
03: First time married couples who attend worship, even if only several times a year, have a 10 to 31 percent lower risk of divorce than those who never attend, according Statistics Canada. The data from 25,000 people and published in Canadian Social Trends, also found that choosing not to live together before marriage, avoiding teen marriage and accepting children were even more statistically important in reporting a low rate of divorce, reports the Canadian evangelical magazine Faith Today (March/April).
(Faith Today, M.I.P. Box 3745, Markham, Ont., ON L3R 0Y4 Canada).
04: Christians lead Hindus and Muslims in their level of patriotism in India, according to a recent survey by the BBC. Touchstone magazine (April) cites the survey as showing that 73 percent of Christians agreed with the statement “I am proud to be an Indian,” compared with 71 percent of Hindus and 60 percent of Muslims.
The magazine adds that Christians are the second-largest provider of health care and education after the government, with churches running more than 25 percent of the hospitals and health care centers and their schools educating over 20 million students.
(Touchstone, P.O. Box 410788, Chicago, IL 60641)
