Source: The Sun

http://www.sunspot.net/bal-ca.pagans01apr01.story

On April 1, 2003 The Sun reported that "gathered in the cramped but comfortable basement of a Finksburg church on a recent Friday night, the pagans joked about the difficulties of raising children and staying married. They riffed on contradictions they've found in the Christian Bible. They shared frustrations about growing up overweight, gay and apostate... Outside, not a single protester walked the dark,...

Source: The Washington Post

On March 31, 2003 The Washington Post reported that "as a top officer in a combat helicopter squadron, Army Maj. Mike Mahony is used to emergencies. Two of his pilots were shot down last week. His unit's AH-64 Apache helicopters were damaged by Iraqi artillery. But this morning, he was handling a different kind of emergency: getting Communion to troops near the front lines... Mahony is an emergency minister of the Eucharist, or EME, a layman trained to administer the sacrament of Communion because of a shortage of Roman Catholic...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On March 31, 2003 The Baltimore Sun reported that "overcome with emotion, Kay Ballard had to pause several times during yesterday's Prayers for World Peace, an event she coordinated to bring a diverse range of spiritual leaders to talk about peace... On the 12th day of the war in Iraq, Ballard gathered spiritual leaders to deliver their individual messages of peace. A rabbi spoke about making peace an active pursuit, while an imam talked about how the word peace in Arabic is a part of daily life... Interspersed in the two-hour...

Source: The Daily Oklahoman

On March 29, 2003 The Daily Oklahoman reported that "When Muslim John Graff watches television news coverage of the war in Iraq, he admits to having mixed emotions... There is a sense of distaste resulting from the harmful things Saddam Hussein and his regime have done to the Iraqi people. Yet, Graff said there is the hesitancy to support the American military going in 'full force' to stop the Iraqi leader, because the Iraqis in the middle are 'our brothers and sisters...' Unitarian clergyman Mark Christian said he understands...

Source: Repository

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=91839

On March 29, 2003 the Repository reported that "at the biweekly Zen Buddhist meeting in the basement of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, eight people sit cross-legged on mats to meditate. Each person is lost in the world of his or her thoughts. Any sound — a rustle, a footstep, a shift in weight, a passing car — cuts through the room like a round of artillery... 'We’re trying to develop a mind where the Ohio...

Source: Reuters

Source: San Antonio Express-News

On March 28, 2003 the San Antonio Express-News reported that "San Fernando Cathedral is the geographic center of the city, but many - including non-Catholics - consider it the spiritual center, as well... In 1847, Franois P. Giraud was appointed the city's first surveyor. He started at the city's center - San Fernando - and measured four miles each direction from the church's dome for the survey. Since then, the church has served as a backdrop to community gatherings, be they joyful or tearful... Samuel M. Stahl, rabbi...

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On March 27, 2003 The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "people say there is a peace that comes with understanding. Not in agreeing with each other. But in understanding each other... Maybe that's why Teresita Boggess, watching Muslims pray in their Clairemont mosque, decided to follow along with them... 'I found it just a different form of prayer,' said the 17-year- old Christian. "I kind of stepped into their shoes. I liked that...' Until this year, she didn't know young people outside her faith. 'I've always...

Source: Near and Far Digest

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=3b916a80620c9f55e53c60e814321e69#Japanese

On March 27, 2003 the Near and Far Digest reported that "spiritual leaders serving the Japanese American community of varying faiths came together for the first time to denounce a unilateral U.S.-led war on Iraq at a press conference held on March 5 at the Christ United Presbyterian Church in...

Source: School Library Journal

Source: Malibu Times

http://www.malibutimes.com/display/inn_news/news3.txt

On March 26, 2003 the Malibu Times reported that "as the United States-led invasion of Iraq continues, several of Malibu's religious leaders are addressing the war publicly with their congregations. All agree that any war is an unfortunate occurrence and must only be used as a last resort, and all are praying daily for a quick end to the conflict and for minimum casualties on both sides....

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On March 26, 2003 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that "Our Lady of Victory Church's 100th anniversary is the perfect time for its members to reflect on the close ties between culture and church. 'The church is the sign of the unity of our people. It's what keeps us together,' said Joseph Anthony, 66, a longtime member of the first Lebanese Maronite Catholic church in Pittsburgh... Anthony, like many American-born Lebanese, was baptized in the Maronite church in the Hill, where his parents immigrated, but attended school...

Source: WMTV

On March 25, 2003 WMTV reported that "religion and the law are sometimes seen as contending powers in a society. But today, we found special members of those communities who are serving as pillars - striving to uphold diversity in Maine... 'Our pledge is that any violence against any of our religious committees who are members of Interfaith Maine will be considered violence against all of us,' says Abraham Peck, of Interfaith Maine... a group that brings different religions together -- from Christianity and Judaism, to Bahai and Buddhism, and...

Source: National Council of Churches

On March 25, 2003 the National Council of Churches reported that "in a free society, all are responsible. That was among observations of four panelists - all religious leaders opposed to the war on Iraq - at a March 25 forum, 'From Winning the War to Winning the Peace: An Interfaith Dialogue on Resistance and Reconciliation...' More than 100 people filled the 'Great Choir' of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City for the forum, held in the early days of the war. 'This forum offers us a chance to reflect...

Source: The Associated Press