On April 30, 2004 The First Amendment Center reported, "In an unusual public reprimand, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi chastised Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington for omitting the words 'under God' while leading the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
It is unusual for the leader of a political party to publicly chastise a member of the party's rank-...
On April 30, 2004 The Detroit News reported, "The leaders of a Detroit Muslim congregation have submitted plans to city officials to build a mosque.
Officials with the Baitul Muzaffar mosque in Detroit have applied for a permit to build a $2.5 million, 16,000-square-foot mosque on Auburn Road, east of Crooks. It would be the second mosque in the city.
'It’s not too small...
On April 30, 2004 The New York Times reported, "France has long maintained one of the strictest antiterrorism programs in Europe, in part because the country was hit early by Islamist terror and because it has the largest Muslim population on the Continent. Many other countries in Europe have been far more tolerant in allowing radical discourse to flourish in...
On April 30, 2004 The Deseret Morning News reported, "The robe is black, with a rope around the waist and fabric that drapes voluminously through the sleeves. So now, as Mike Zimmerman stands before his teacher and prepares to sit, he must arrange the robe just so, folding and tucking and folding some more.
He once was chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court. In those days he...
On April 30, 2004 the National Catholic Reporter reported, "We had gathered here March 2 and 3 at the Rachem Rachel Hotel on the outskirts of Jerusalem at the invitation of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. The parliament will hold a major convocation in July in Barcelona, Spain, expected to draw upwards of 10,000 people. One...
On April 30, 2004 The National Catholic Reporter reported, "Assume for the moment that John Kerry’s Catholic critics are correct. That a Catholic legislator, or would-be president, cannot embrace abortion rights (or embryonic stem cell research, or gay rights or you name it) and be a 'good Catholic.'
It’s an interesting debate, one in...
On April 30, 2004 Zenit distributed a statement by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, to Buddhists on the occasion of Vesakh, a Buddhist religious holiday. The statement addressed the common need to address issues among children and youth: "I am writing to you again this year to express my heartfelt greetings on the occasion of your festival of Vesakh. I pray that each and every...
On April 30, 2004 The Portland Press Herald reported, "People come to Maine every year for the scenery, for the nature, for relaxation.
Geshe Lobzang Tsetan comes here ever year too. For the people.
Tsetan, a Buddhist monk who founded a school in northern India, has found a solid foundation of support and friendship in Maine. The 66-year-old teacher has been...
On April 30, 2004 The Rocky Mountain Collegian reported, "Student leaders, faith-based groups and faculty members making up an audience of about 50 people gathered on Thursday night in the Lory Student Center for an event called 'Embracing Unity through Dialogue.' The Interfaith Dialogue Committee hosted the event.
Joyce Bignell, regional...
On April 30, 2004 the Los Angeles Times ran an opinion piece by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, of Harvard University's Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, and the author of "Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust," on the recent...