Jewish Magazine Defends “B.C.” Cartoon

JEWISH WORLD REVIEW , April 17 — Johnny Hart intended his Easter “B.C.” cartoon to pay tribute to the Jewish roots of Christianity, the online magazine reported.

Critics had charged that the cartoon portrayed Judaism as useless, superseded by Christianity. The strip opens with an introductory panel about the many appearances of the number seven in the Bible — seven loaves, seven seals, and so forth, closing with “seven candlesticks.” A seven-candled lamp, the Jewish menorah, speaks, saying, “Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do.” Then, the candles blow out one by one. The last frame shows a cross in the distance, a cave with a flask of wine and a loaf of bread, and the caption, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Binyamin L. Jolkovsky, editor in chief of Jewish World Review , defended Johnny Hart's Easter cartoon, arguing that the cartoonist's opponents were intolerant of religion in public life. He wrote that Hart's message “is one of love, not hate.” The menorah's transformation into a cross portrays the fact that “Christianity is rooted in Judaism,” Jolkovsky said.

Thirty papers considered dropping the strip, but Jolkovsky asked readers to call their local papers and either encourage them to keep the strip, or thank them for running it. As for Hart's critics, he told them to “grow some thicker skin.”

Christian Coalition Head Outrages Pro-Life Groups

THE WASHINGTON POST , April 18 — Pat Robertson, head of the Christian Coalition, downplayed China's “one-child” policy, the Washington daily reported.

Robertson told CNN's “Wolf Blitzer Reports” that although he disagreed with the policy, which has resulted in forced abortions and infanticide, China was “doing what they have to do” given its large population. He added that although he did not “agree with the forced abortion,” the U.S. should not “interfere with what they're doing internally.”

Robertson issued a “clarification” stating that he is “unalterably opposed to the policy which would result in forced abortions or sex selection.” But many conservative groups were not satisfied. Concerned Women for America issued a statement saying, “Babies are not the cause of China's problems. Communism is.”

Two More States May Consider Same-Sex ‘Marriage’

NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE , April 17 — Massachusetts and California face upcoming battles over homosexual “marriages,” the online magazine reported.

In Massachusetts, seven homosexual couples have filed a lawsuit seeking the right to same-sex marriage.

In California, activists are organizing a drive to amend the state constitution to permit same-sex marriage. Either state's actions could provoke the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the 1997 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed states to refuse to recognize homosexual unions performed in other states, is constitutional.