RELIGION BRIEFING

Those who regularly attend worship services are more likely to say religion is losing its influence; three out of four weekly attendees (74 percent) said religious influence is falling, compared with 24 percent who thought its influence is on the rise.

The poll results are based on telephone interviews conducted Dec. 4-7 with 1,009 adults; the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

-- Religion News Service

RELIGIOUS LITERATURE

Pentagon Tightening Its Policy

The Pentagon is cracking down on evangelizing at its national network of recruit-processing centers, telling religious groups that it won't permit proselytizing at the sites.

A new regulation quietly distributed recently to commanders of the 65 centers says religious literature and publications produced by other "non-federal entities" may be made available to recruits at the sites but that they cannot show favoritism to any faith or group.

"Under no circumstances" will any outsiders "be permitted to proselytize, preach or provide spiritual counseling" to recruits or staff members at the centers, the regulation adds.

Also barred are publications that "create the reasonable impression that the government is sponsoring, endorsing or inhibiting religion generally," as well as secular publications like "sales flyers or commercial advertising."

The action comes amid complaints from civil liberties groups that some ministries have targeted the centers for their evangelizing and on occasion have tried to gain an advantage among recruits by tying themselves to the military. The civil libertarians argue that such church-state ties are barred by the Constitution but that some evangelicals routinely try to skirt the rules.

The centers run by the Military Entrance Processing Command are the last stop for recruits on their way to basic training. The newcomers get a final physical exam and take the oath of office as members of the armed forces.

Jeremy Gunn, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer whose warnings to the military apparently sparked adoption of the new rules, said a recruit at the Louisville, Ky., processing center complained about being approached by a representative of the Gideons, a group best known for providing Bibles in hotel rooms around the world.

Steve Smith, a Gideons spokesman, confirmed that the group routinely distributes Bibles and copies of the New Testament at the recruit processing sites. He declined to comment on the new Defense Department rules but said the Gideons don't engage in proselytizing.

-- The Virginian-Pilot