January 6 1997

ARTICLE TOOLS

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A group of 120 liberal, moderate, and conservative religious leaders gathered November 21-22 in Washington, D.C., and drafted a position statement against pornography.

"This is the first document of its kind that has been crafted and signed by such a diverse listing of faith group representatives," says Jerry R. Kirk, cochair of the Religious Alliance Against Pornography, which organized the summit.

"We oppose pornography, in both its adult and child forms, because of its consequences," the declaration reads. "Those exploited in its production are often horridly abused."

The meeting also marked the first time that the Religious Alliance Against Pornography issued a formal statement denouncing computer porn.

"The mere existence of such technologies serves as a license for exposing children to pornography or eliminating the responsibility of the pornography distributors to shield their materials from children," the declaration reads. "Child pornography and obscenity, which are not protected by the United States Constitution, are evils which must be eliminated."

Signers of the statement included National Association of Evangelicals President Don Argue, Southern Baptist Convention President Tom Elliff, Church of God in Christ Bishop George D. McKinney, Baltimore Roman Catholic Archbishop William Keeler, Salvation Army Commander Robert Watson, Assemblies of God General Council member Thomas Trask, and Jesse Miranda, president of the Hispanic National Alliance of Evangelical Ministries.