Christianity

Russian Orthodox Church Reaches Out to Muslims in Persian Gulf

August 4, 2004

Source: Beliefnet.com

Wire Service: AP

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/150/story_15070_1.html

On August 4, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "The Russian Orthodox Church said Wednesday that it hopes to develop closer ties with the predominantly Islamic Persian Gulf region, the Interfax news agency reported. Metropolitan Kirill, who heads the church's foreign relations department, said the decision to boost cooperation is based on the...

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PM: Muslims Fear Christians are Waging "War Against Islam" Worldwide

August 3, 2004

Source: Free New Mexican

Wire Service: AP

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/2588.html

On August 3, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "Muslims worldwide fear Christians are waging a 'war against Islam,' Malaysia's leader said Tuesday, blaming the campaign against terror on increased tensions between the religions. In an emotional speech to the World Council of Churches, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the events that followed...

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Joint Vatican-Muslim Statement Condemns Attacks on Civilians in Places of Worship in Iraq

August 3, 2004

Source: Catholic News Service

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0404238.htm

On August 3, 2004 the Catholic News Service reported, "Terrorist acts of violence waged against places of worship offend the name of God and religion, said an interfaith Vatican committee. In a joint statement released Aug. 3 by the Vatican, the two co-presidents of the Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee condemned all 'terrorist acts that continue to be perpetrated in Iraq and...

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Evangelicals Urge Bush to Take Action in Sudan

August 3, 2004

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35223-2004Aug2.html?referrer=email

On August 3, 2004 The Washington Post reported, "Thirty-five evangelical Christian leaders have signed a letter urging President Bush to provide massive humanitarian aid and consider sending U.S. troops to stop what they called the "genocide" taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan. The Aug. 1 letter marks a shift in focus for...

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Save Darfur Coalition Declares Aug. 25 "Sudan: Day of Conscience"

August 3, 2004

Source: National Council of Churches

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/04sudanconscienceaug25.html

On August 3, 2004 the National Council of Churches issued a press release that reported, "The Save Darfur Coalition, composed of National Council of Churches and 70 other faith-based, humanitarian and secular civic organizations, has identified Wednesday, August 25, 2004 as Sudan: Day of Conscience. On that day, communities across North America are urged to engage in interfaith...

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Christian Community Has Deep Roots in Iraq

August 2, 2004

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3526386.stm

On August 2, 2004 the BBC News reported, "Christians have inhabited what is modern day Iraq for about 2,000 years, tracing their ancestry to ancient Mesopotamia and surrounding lands. Theirs is a long and complex history. Before the Gulf War in 1991, they numbered about one million, but that figures is now put at about 800,000 and falling. Under Saddam Hussein, in overwhelmingly Muslim Iraq, some...

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Vatican Letter Condemns "Distortions" of Feminism, Details Proper Man-Woman Relationships

August 1, 2004

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30761-2004Jul31.html?referrer=email

On August 1, 2004 The Washington Post reported, "The Vatican issued a letter Saturday attacking the 'distortions' and 'lethal effects' of feminism, which it defined as an effort to erase differences between men and women -- a goal, the statement said, that undermines the 'natural two-parent structure' of the family and makes '...

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Different Views on the Future of Faith Based Office

July 30, 2004

Source: Religion News Service

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/150/story_15055_1.html

On July 30, 2004 Religion News Service reported that, "Call to Renewal, a religiously rooted anti-poverty group, has urged President Bush and Sen. John Kerry to keep the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives in the next presidential administration... The Interfaith Alliance sent letters in mid-July to Kerry and Bush seeking the dismantling of the office and its...

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Edwards Brings Religion to the Democratic Ticket

July 29, 2004

Source: Religion and Ethics Newsweekly

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week745/news.html

On July 29, 2004 Religion and Ethics Newsweekly reported on John Edwards and religion. The article noted that, "He's from a mainline Protestant denomination. He's Southern, and in that sense, he has perhaps a better ear for evangelical religion because he's simply a child of the South. He knows the rhythms and the cadences of Southern religion, which is something...

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Study Finds Detroit Arab Americans Are Mostly Christian, Diverse and Settled

July 29, 2004

Source: Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/news/metro/arab29_20040729.htm

On July 29, 2004 Detroit Free Press reported, "A two-year, $1-million study of metro Detroit Arab Americans concludes that these thousands of families are far more diverse, more settled and more eager to embrace American life than many observers around the world had assumed... The study focused on in-depth interviews with 1,016 men and women whose families came from Arabic-speaking countries...

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Conference Focuses on Peace and Dialogue Between Christians, Jews, Muslims

July 28, 2004

Source: Anglican Communion News Service

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/38/50/acns3861.cfm

On July 28, 2004 the Anglican Communion News Service reported, "A new 'Children of Abraham Peace Forum' for news, articles and discussions over the Internet has grown out of a large inter-religious conference held 11-13 June at the American Cathedral in Paris. The bi-lingual conference, entitled 'The Children of Abraham and the Art of Peacemaking:...

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Government Struggles With Separation of Church and State

July 28, 2004

Source: The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,3604,1270381,00.html

On July 28, 2004 The Guardian reported, "The arguments are old, but the passions they provoke are no less fiery. Spain's leading archbishop compared the situation Catholics found themselves in today with the early Middle Ages, when the Moors swept across the Straits of Gibraltar. The object of his ire was a decision by the new socialist government to cancel the reintroduction...

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Councilmen Refuses to Alter Opening Prayer in VA

July 27, 2004

Source: First Amendment.Center/ AP

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=13784

On July 27, 2004 The AP reported, "Despite a federal appeals court ruling and a reminder from civil liberties lawyers, a City Council member [Hashmel Turner, an associate minister of First Baptist Church of Love] said he won't change the prayer he uses to open council meetings... On July 22, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously in a...

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