State           Reference       Sponsor

Alaska           H.B. 387	      Croft

Arizona          S.B. 110        Smith

California       S.B. 38         Baca

Connecticut      S.B. 93         Judiciary Committee

Delaware         Coalition Forming

Hawaii           H.B. 1696       Stegmaier
                 S.B. 1447       Bunda

Idaho            S.B. 1394       Ipsen & Stevenson

Louisiana        H.B. 1522       Long

Maryland         H.B. 966        Rosenberg (Session ended)
                 S.B. 674        Kelley

Missouri         S.B. 551        Flotron
                 H.B. 1799       Kelley

New Mexico       H.B. 419        Martinez
                 H.B. 458        Thompson

New York         S.B. 242        Kruger
                 A.B. 5139       Silver

New Jersey       A.B. 412        Weingarten

Ohio             Coalition Formed

Oklahoma         S.B. 1162       Pruitt

Oregon           H.B. 3469       Starr (Session ended)
                 
Pennsylvania     H.B. 1689       Cohen

Virginia         S.B. 448        Mims
                 H.B. 1225        ?
*Corrections welcomed.

Berrien Springs, Michigan--Adventist News Network--Religious Freedom Conference.Academic and religious leaders from Christian and Jewish communities explored the impact of the holocaust on religious freedom, theology, and Jewish-Christian relations at a symposium hosted by Andrews University on May 1 and 2. Racism, religious persecution, and human rights were discussed against the background of the genocide of Jews during WWII. Dr. John Graz, director for public affairs and religious liberty for the Seventh-day Adventist church, said "What happened to the Jewish people can happen to other minorities. As Christians we should be very sensitive to the process which leads a government to discriminate against and persecute a minority. Being a Christian after Auschwitz will help me say 'No more-no more political or religious persecution, no more discrimination on social, racial, religious bases." The event was co-sponsored by the International Religious Liberty Association, the Institute of Jewish-Christian Studies, and Andrews University, an Adventist tertiary institution located in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

"Sectophobia" in Maryland?--Last year's session of the Maryland state legislature created a "Task Force to Study the Effects of Cult Activities on Public Senior Higher Education Institutions". The task force is required to report its findings to the governor of Maryland by September 30, 2000. The resolution creating the task force stated that "college students who become involved with cults undergo personality changes, suffer academically and financially, are alienated from their families and friends, are robbed of the very things universities were designed to encourage..." It does not define a cult or name any specific cults. Opponents fear that the Task Force will be used to stifle freedom of speech, particularly for small groups. They point out that in Europe, governments have named Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholic charismatic groups, and even the YWCA as "dangerous".
It has been reported that students at the University of Maryland, based on a task force directive, are required to fill out a questionnaire in which they are asked about their religious preference. Does this mean a "black list" will follow? Is the next step going to be that the Task Force tells students which religions are OK? Or maybe scholarships will be denied based on religious preference?
A small group of intolerant individuals, fearful of "cults", can manipulate legislation by presenting one-sided arguments and pushing legislation through a crowded legislative calendar. When Maryland House Joint Resolution 22 was debated in the Appropriations Committee, the list of witnesses included nine proponents and one person who declared both "proponent" and "no position". Both house and senate hearings were stacked with "experts" from the anti-cult movement. No civil liberties groups testified, nor did representatives of the mainline religions who generally oppose such measures, nor any representatives of the groups who would be directly affected by the action. In fact, opponents of the resolution did not learn of its existence until it had already passed the lower house and was within two days of passing the Maryland Senate. By that time, senators were rushing to deal with hundreds of bills and it is doubtful that many had any idea exactly what was in the bill. Stay tuned for developments...

--John Arulanandam was first a catechist for the Catholic church in his village near Thiruvarur. Through another Christian pastor he began to understand the perfect freedom that comes to following Jesus Christ and the Bible only. He decided to leave his former church. When that happened he was driven from the village and one year's salary owed him was not given. The Panchayat (village council) told his parents that they must not talk to him nor give him any share of his property. Now driven from his village and his family he went to the village of Perugavatham and bought a small plot of ground and built a thatchd shed and began to witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The Lord blessed his efforts and soon he had a congregation of 100 members. Then he learned about the Sabbath truth and the soon coming of Christ and was thrilled with the message that Adventists are preaching. He readily accepted it and began sharing it with all of his members. Just this month John Arulananadam was baptized along with 87 of his members. The remaining 13 are scheduled for the next baptism. This pastor's testimony is a thrilling one of how God has blessed in his desire to follow Jesus Christ and the Bible only.

ADVENTIST PASTOR FREED FROM PRISON COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - [ANR] Seventh-day Adventist pastor Anthony Alexander was released on Monday, May 15, after spending more than two years in a Sri Lankan prison on charges of "terrorist activity." Citing insufficient evidence, the High Court judge dismissed the remaining charges and, in an unprecedented move, waived the usual two-week waiting period and instead ordered Alexander's immediate release. Alexander is now in the care of Adventist Church leaders in Sri Lanka and has been reunited with his wife, Saratha, and their five children. "There is insufficient evidence to convict Anthony Alexander of the charges presented before me," the judge said in his ruling. "He has been detained long enough, therefore I am ordering that he be released immediately." The decision came just four days after a judge threw out related charges against Alexander, saying that the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.