Christianity

No Zoning on the Basis of Religion

May 13, 2003

Source: Christianity Today

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/006/9.20.html

On May 13, 2003 Christianity Today reported that "leaders of an Evanston, Illinois, congregation are 'cautiously optimistic' that their five-year zoning battle is nearing an end. On March 31 a federal judge ruled that the city's zoning ordinance violates the church's constitutional rights to free assembly, free speech, and equal protection... In 1997 the 700-member Evanston Vineyard...

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Editorial: David Benke and Conservative Christianity

May 13, 2003

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-vpkea133280201may13,0,3066404.column

On May 13, 2003 Newsday published an editorial by Raymond J. Keating stating that "attacks on a Lutheran pastor, due to his actions during 'A Prayer Service for America' held at Yankee Stadium just 12 days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, raise questions about being 'conservative' in the Christian sense... Well, looking at Benke's words...

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Update: Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Dismisses Charges Against David Benke

May 12, 2003

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47260-2003May12.html

On May 12, 2003 The Washington Post reported that "the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod announced yesterday that it has dismissed all charges against a high-ranking pastor who had been suspended for praying with 'pagans' in an interfaith service at New York's Yankee Stadium after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001... The Rev. David Benke, 57, said the...

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Interfaith Ohio Group Continues to Pray for Peace

May 11, 2003

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On May 11, 2003 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "about 150 adults and children of different faiths gathered in the basement of Trinity Episcopal Church yesterday afternoon to pray, enjoy music and affirm their commitment to peace... 'Peace is more than just an end to war,' said Joe Keehner of the Grassroots Congress, speaking during the Ohio Peace Rally... One of the most troubling issues, they said, is the continued U.S. presence in Iraq... Gilly Running, a Lakota-Sioux medicine man who led a native prayer yesterday...

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Update: Mother's Day in Multifaith America

May 10, 2003

Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/05/10/loc_faithmatters10.html

On May 10, 2003 The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that "Mothers play an important part in the world's religions, such as the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus; Yocheved, Moses' mother who puts him in an ark on the Nile to save his life; and Khadijah, the Mother of Believers in Islam... In the Hindu tradition, a mother is a goddess, as is the case of both Bharat...

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Utah Schools Debate over Public Prayer During High School Graduation

May 10, 2003

Source: Deseret News

On May 10, 2003 Deseret News reported that "for the record, the student's... public prayer at a high school graduation... could be legal... But only within a slim set of legal standards... And that has some Utah school bosses, faced with balancing freedom of and freedom from religion, wishing graduation prayers would simply disappear. That's even though the U.S. Department of Education is offering specific guidance on how to allow such speech under the No Child Left Behind Act... The Supreme Court has struck down school-sponsored...

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Editorial: Religious Pluralism in America

May 10, 2003

Source: Honolulu Advertiser

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/May/10/il/il42a.html

On May 10, 2003 the Honolulu Advertiser printed an editorial by Robert Ganung stating that "it is almost impossible for me to write about spiritual matters without referring to my spiritual master, Thich Nhat Hanh. Although I am from another religious tradition (United Methodist minister), this gentle Zen monk from Vietnam has influenced my spiritual journey...

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Update: String of Fires Burn Religious Centers in Los Angeles Area

May 10, 2003

Source: MPAC News

http://www.mpac.org/

On May 10, 2003 the Muslim Public Affairs Council issued a press release stating that "the Executive Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Salam Al-Marayati, was invited by Los Angeles City Mayor James Hahn, Assistant Chief of Police for LAPD Jim McDonnel, and Councilman Jack Weiss to participate in a press conference announcing the arrest of a suspect for the arson attacks against a church, a Bahai temple, and synagogues in Encino,...

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Update: Debates Continue over The Workplace Religious Freedom Act

May 9, 2003

Source: Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/archives

On May 9, 2003 the Chicago Tribune reported that a "broad coalition of religious groups is pushing a bill that would protect religious expression in the workplace, but civil liberties groups are concerned the bill could be used to increase on-the-job proselytizing... The Workplace Religious Freedom Act, introduced recently by Sen. Rick Santorum, (R-Pa.), and Sen. John Kerry, (D-Mass.), would force employers to '...

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Update: String of Fires Burn Religious Centers in Los Angeles Area

May 8, 2003

Source: MPAC News

http://www.mpac.org/

On May 8, 2003 the Muslim Public Affairs Council reported that "on Wednesday, May 7, an Encino synagogue was the fourth house of worship to be set on fire in 11 days. Los Angeles police are investigating the incidents as hate crimes and believe that they have been committed by a single arsonist. The attack on the synagogue follows three other Los Angeles area attacks on an Iranian synagogue, a Bahai community center and a Presbyterian church."

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