Religion: Sins & Crimes

Adultery should be a criminal offense, the Archbishop of Canterbury told the Canterbury Diocesan Conference in London last week. Although it is a "private act" and has never been a legal crime in England,-Dr. Fisher felt that because of the "tremendous damage" it causes in terms of broken homes and unhappy children, adultery should be punishable by more than mere church censure.

The archbishop also ticked off other matters of morals that he thought required attention:

PROSTITUTION : Should be treated as an evil, like dope peddling.

HOMOSEXUALITY: "All homosexual acts are sins," said the archbishop, but they should not necessarily be crimes. "Some of us think that this particular evil could be more effectively dealt with pastorally if it were not regarded as criminal."

GAMBLING: The Church of England "has never declared that betting and gambling are ecclesiastical crimes." Dr. Fisher came out in favor of the government's new bill to legalize off-track betting as a way to control a "grave social evil." But, he added, this does not mean the church is "saying that betting and gaming are good things. They are not."