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Christian employees of Albuquerque's Sandia National Laboratories have filed suit against their employer, saying they are denied the rights and privileges given to homosexual workers. The Christians say that they are being harassed for their religion and "have been subject to name-calling and ridicule," but that the company won't let them form a group similar to "the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Networking group," which received official recognition five years ago. According to conservative Web site WorldNetDaily, "Some employees have even been asked to remove photos of their wives and children, because they offend homosexuals, who are not allowed to marry and feel pressure not to publicize their own intimate relationships." The American Family Association is representing the Christian group.

Big Brother skateboarding magazine has been in trouble before. Last summer, syndicated radio host Laura Schlessinger went on the warpath against the Larry Flynt-owned magazine—a crusade that sent her to court. No sooner was her lawsuit settled than Flynt's company did something really, really stupid: it sent out copies of Hustler Taboo (tag line: "America's Most Twisted" porn magazine) to an undisclosed number of Big Brother subscribers. Flynt is reportedly "really (expletive) off," but ChristianityToday.com Weblog wouldn't put that anger against the fury of a mother who found Hustler Taboo in the mailbox.

Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne hailed Wheaton College's decision to retire its Crusader mascot in his Tuesday column. After summarizing Wheaton College President A. Duane Litfin's rationale for the change, Dionne comments, "Prejudices work in many directions, and Wheaton's move may help explode some prejudices that work against evangelicals. Litfin doesn't think his mascot decision should be seen as a 'big ticket item' and says he'd prefer that it had gotten little publicity outside Wheaton's circles. The humility is becoming, yet what Litfin did deserves notice. It shows that those who are truly serious about tradition, far from being narrow and closed in, are often forced by faithfulness to think and act anew."

The Canada Family Action Coalition and the Catholic Civil Rights League have filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission saying a popular Toronto radio program mocks Christian beliefs and Christ himself. Stunts on "The Humble and Fred Show" have included a Jesus Look-a-Like Contest, a mock crucifixion and give-aways of Jesus-shaped chocolates. Stewart Meyers, the radio station's program director, told Canada's National Post, "I am a very devout Christian and I personally don't take offence to the content that we use." It's not the first time the show is in religious trouble. Last year, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled against complaints, saying religion is as open to parody and irreverence as the rest of life.

The All-India Christian Council is condemning the country's National Commission for Minorities (NCM) report, which said attacks on the country's Christians were not based on religious motivations but were accidents or the unconnected acts of petty criminals. "We are aghast at the report," the organization said in statement. (See more coverage in The Hindu and The Times of India.) According to the BBC, Indian church leaders are also condemning plans by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to change marriage laws in hopes of discouraging interfaith weddings.

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May (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44