Django 1.0 is coming in early September
djangoproject.com
djangoproject.com
It might not make as many assumptions as RoR does, but IMHO that makes it simpler; you need to be explicit.
I think that's the key statement though. As well, your comparison to MFC/OWL is pretty apples to oranges as well. django isn't a library, it's a framework.
(Not being facetious, I just thought they were one of the cooler parts of django and am interested in your thoughts.)
Template tags should go the views file and work exactly the same way as the other views, but be called differently from the template. This is easier to understand and use than having to learn a new syntax again.
Django stands to gain a lot by simplifying things and encouraging more class use.