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Adventist World Church President Dismayed by Planned Quran Burning

By Adventist News Network staff

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is deeply dismayed by a non-denominational pastor's plan to burn copies of the Quran on September 11.

In a statement released today (September 8), Adventist world church President Ted N.C. Wilson said the so-called "Burn a Quran Day" is "directly contrary" to the belief that Christians ought to relate to others with mutual respect.

Terry Jones, pastor of the Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center, recently announced his intention to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The church has since been denied a permit to set a bonfire, but Jones has vowed to proceed with the burning, the Associated Press reported this week.

"This causes us great consternation," Wilson said. "Efforts deliberately designed to inflame tensions between faith communities are irresponsible and deeply harmful."

Any deliberate show of disrespect to the Quran is viewed as offensive to Muslims, who consider the Quran the word of God and regard it with utmost respect.

Already eliciting widespread protests, international criticism and government warnings, the burning -- if carried out -- could kindle a significant reaction from the Muslim community, religious liberty advocates have warned. Many have predicted results similar to what followed a series of controversial cartoons depicting Mohammed published by a Danish newspaper in 2006.

In a climate increasingly "marked by growing intolerance and prejudice," the Adventist Church is "working diligently to end religiously motivated repression and violence," Wilson said.

"A hallmark of the Adventist Church is its defense of freedom of conscience, which it holds as a God-given universal human right for all peaceful people of faith, regardless of religious affiliation," he said.

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Read Wilson's full statement below:

The world press has reported that a non-denominational pastor in the United States has announced his intention to burn copies of the Quran on September 11. As Seventh-day Adventists, this causes us great consternation.

The so-called “Burn the Quran Day” is directly contrary to Christianity’s foundational principle that we should treat others in the way we would like to be treated.

Efforts deliberately designed to inflame tensions between faith communities are irresponsible and deeply harmful. In a time so marked by violence, growing intolerance and prejudice, the Adventist Church is working diligently to end religiously motivated repression and violence.

A hallmark of the Adventist Church is its defense of freedom of conscience, which it holds as a God-given universal human right for all peaceful people of faith, regardless of religious affiliation.

--- Ted N.C.Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church

New Religious Discrimination Guidelines Aid Sabbath Keepers

Compliance Manual’ Section Strengthens Worker’s Arguments, Adventist Says

BY MARK A. KELLNER, News Editor

Seventh-day Adventists in the United States will have some support from the federal government as they seek to observe the Bible Sabbath, a religious liberty leader said.

On July 22, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, created to help enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, issued a “Compliance Manual Section” on workplace discrimination on the basis of religion.

According to an EEOC announcement, the document “includes a comprehensive review of the relevant provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the EEOC’s policies regarding religious discrimination, harassment, and accommodation. The EEOC also issued a companion question-and-answer fact sheet and best practices booklet” relating to the topic, and said all three documents are available on the agency’s web site.

In the statement, the current head of the commission said that the information is designed to help employers accommodate the needs of workers.

“Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 seeks to ensure that applicants and employees enjoy the freedom to compete, advance and succeed in the workplace, irrespective of their religious beliefs,” EEOC Chair Naomi C. Earp said. “This Compliance Manual Section serves as a valuable resource for employers, employees, practitioners and EEOC staff seeking information on Title VII’s prohibition against religious discrimination.”

According to the commission, the document “addresses what constitutes ‘religion’ within the meaning of Title VII; disparate treatment based on religion; the requirement to reasonably accommodate religious beliefs and practices; religion-based harassment; and retaliation.” It also “provides guidance on the sometimes complex workplace issues involved in balancing employees’ rights regarding religious expression with employers’ need to maintain efficient, productive workplaces.”

The commission said it issued the new guidelines “in response to an increase in charges of religious discrimination, increased religious diversity in the United States, and requests for guidance from stakeholders and agency personnel investigating and litigating claims of religious discrimination.”

According to the commission, “religious discrimination charge filings with the EEOC nationwide have risen substantially over the past 15 years, doubling from 1,388 in Fiscal Year 1992 to a record level of 2,880 in FY 2007.”

The “best practices” document includes this advice: “Employers should work with employees who need an adjustment to their work schedule to accommodate their religious practices,” which, by implication, includes the Sabbath.

James Standish, legislative affairs director in the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department of the General Conference, lauded the “specificity” and “examples” provided in the documents.

“These documents are based on legal opinions from across the [federal] circuit [courts] across the country,” Standish told Adventist Review in an interview. “Employers don’t always understand the requirements” for accommodation, he added, “but EEOC guidelines say something” they can grasp.

For Adventists, “the bottom line is that it is easier to go to employers and explain the protections under the law.” Although the EEOC guidelines will be of use to Adventists and others seeking reasonable accommodation, Standish said the fight to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, or WRFA, will continue. (See Adventist Review, March 13, 2008, p. 18).

“There are many ways to advance the cause,” Standish said. However, he added, “this is an important step. It’s a big deal for us."

Cambridge Church of Seventh-day Adventists, Medford MA

Adventist President Dismayed by Planned Quran Burning

Adventist World Church President Dismayed by Planned Quran Burning

New Religious Discrimination Guidelines

New Religious Discrimination Guidelines Aid Sabbath Keepers

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