Group members losing ‘faith’ in mission

Stacy J. Willis

Saturday, Dec. 2, 2000 | 10:25 a.m.

When County Commissioner Dario Herrera took over the local chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice nearly three years ago, his mission was to raise the profile of the "human relations" organization.

Now some of that group's faith leaders are considering abandoning the 30-year-old chapter, charging it has strayed too far from its religious roots.

The NCCJ, formerly called the National Conference of Christians and Jews, is a 70-year-old New York-based organization with 65 chapters whose mission is to "fight bias, bigotry and racism" and "promote understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures."

But local religious representatives aren't sure they like recent changes in the organization.

"The role of the (NCCJ's) Interfaith Council is getting smaller and smaller, and NCCJ is moving more toward ethnicity and things like sexual orientation," said Garth Rasmussen, NCCJ Interfaith Council chairman and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"A lot of us are concerned about the direction we're going, and we're talking about taking our group of faith leaders and reorganizing outside NCCJ."

NCCJ's Interfaith Council is one of the oldest -- and one of few that's well-organized -- interfaith groups in the state. For years the council has hosted events such as the annual Interfaith Forum and Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, which are aimed at educating the public about various faith traditions and increasing tolerance for different cultures.

The more than a dozen members of the council represent a broad range of faiths, including several denominations of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Baha'i and others.

"But this year (NCCJ executives) were considering discontinuing the Interfaith Forum series, and we have had less of a say in planning things like the Mayor's Breakfast," Rasmussen said.

Changes began in 1997 when the national organization changed its name to the more inclusive "Community and Justice" instead of "Christians and Jews," according to Mujahid Ramadan, an NCCJ member for more than 15 years.

"We have a new strategy that reaches out to empower a larger portion of the community than just the faith communities," Ramadan, a Muslim leader and former chairman of the Interfaith Council, said. "I do understand the concerns the faith community is having, but this comes from the national level. We're reaching into avenues other than faith."

Administrators also are hoping to expand NCCJ's presence on social justice issues, increase fund-raising and serve as a political launchpad for like-minded community leaders such as Herrera.

"In the past, NCCJ has been more responsive than pro-active -- it tried to mediate or do conflict resolution," said Herrera, presiding chairman of the NCCJ regional executive committee.

More political mission

"But now we are trying to show that NCCJ is pro-active in matters of advocacy. Our mission today is more political."

Herrera was key in raking in a $75,000 Clark County grant two years ago that absolved the local chapter's long-standing debt to the national organization.

But strengthening the NCCJ's anti-bigotry presence in Southern Nevada also means facing a divisive issue within the faith community: discrimination against homosexuals.

In September an NCCJ executive committee hired one of Las Vegas' best-known gay-rights advocates, Lee Plotkin, as the new local executive director -- without input from the Interfaith Committee, Rasmussen said. Although Plotkin is not the first openly gay person to work for the NCCJ, he is one of the gay community's most outspoken activists.

"That's one of the reasons we hired Lee Plotkin. Now we have a person in the executive director position who can be like (vocal ACLU leader) Gary Peck," Herrera said. "I want us to take a stand on issues."

In fact, Herrera said he was disappointed that the Southern Nevada NCCJ didn't take a stand on Question 2, a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Northern Nevada's chapter issued a statement opposing the measure, which voters approved Nov. 7 by 70-30 margin.

"I'm taking the approach that our mission is about conflict resolution," Plotkin said. "I don't plan to be a bull in the china shop. There is so much value in the work that the faith community does, I hope we can work together.

"However, I won't compromise our purpose, which is to fight bigotry and bias in all forms -- not just some forms."

Members of the Interfaith Council differ on their beliefs about sexual orientation in accordance with their theological beliefs.

"To be racially biased is unthinkable -- none of us on the Interfaith Committee would be in conflict with efforts to fight racism. But sometimes there are a few moral issues that divide us, like sexual orientation," Rasmussen said.

'A moral issue'

"Many in the faith group feel that (sexual orientation) is a moral issue," Rasmussen said. "Tolerance has become a buzzword. The only thing that doesn't seem to be tolerated is people who don't tolerate everything ... If we had issued a statement like (the northern chapter's), I wouldn't have signed it."

At the national level, NCCJ Senior Vice President Brian Foss said the organization is dedicated to fighting "the last form of socially acceptable discrimination -- against gays and lesbians.

"And I would hate to see people of faith walk away from the challenging issues," Foss said. "I would never ask them to change their faith beliefs; but there is a larger social justice issue to consider here."

Several Interfaith Councils in other states have separated from the organization, Foss said.

Gard Jameson, a longtime local Interfaith Council member, said the group has become "disenfranchised" from the larger mission of the NCCJ.

Jameson said the council has registered with the North American Interfaith Network and is considering registering with United Religions Initiative -- both of which would give the council national affiliations should it decide to leave the NCCJ.

"But then the issue becomes whether we can generate funds for the council without NCCJ," Jameson said. "I think we can."

Stacy J. Willis

covers religion for the Sun. She can be contacted at (702) 259-4011 or by e-mail at willis@lasvegassun.com.