Christianity

"New York Spirit" to Document Prayer

March 24, 2003

Source: Daily News

On March 24, 2003 the Daily News reported that "whether Christian, Jew, Buddhist, animist, Muslim or a practitioner of any other faith, Muriel Stockdale believes we're more alike than different... Though we may be divided by what we believe, we're united in our devotions to those beliefs, Stockdale said... That's why Stockdale, 50, has joined fellow filmmakers Manech Ibar and Casey Meade Rothstein-Fitzpatrick, both 27, to create 'New York Spirit,' a documentary of how we pray."

Interfaith Prayer Service in Chicago

March 24, 2003

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On March 24, 2003 the Chicago Sun-Times reported that "the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago will hold an interfaith prayer service for peace... at St. James Episcopal Cathedral, Wabash and Huron... The council includes bishops and leaders of diverse religious groups, including Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago; bishops of the Episcopal and United Methodist churches; various Protestant, Eastern and Orthodox Christian leaders; the head of the Chicago Board of Rabbis;...

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National Council of Churches Joint Statement on War in Iraq

March 24, 2003

Source: National Council of Churches

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/03news23.html

On March 24, 2003 the National Council of Churches issued a joint statement with Secretary Generals of the Islamic Circle of North America and the Islamic Society of North America. It stated, "we are deeply saddened that military action against Iraq has begun. We pray now for a quick conclusion to this war, for the loss of as few lives as possible, and for peace. In the darkness of war, let us be...

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Quaker Group Organizes Protest in Western Massachusetts

March 23, 2003

Source: Boston Globe

On March 23, 2003 the Boston Globe reported that "At Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, 90 miles west of Boston, a rally of 2,000 antiwar protesters included three-dozen who locked arms to block the main road leading into the base... Organized by the Western Massachusetts American Friends Service Committee, protesters entwined themselves in yellow, red, and blue yarn, to symbolize the "web of justice," they said. Committed to civil disobedience, they ignored the police countdown that gave them 2 minutes, then 1 minute, then 30...

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Editorial: Federal Funds to Restrictive Churches

March 23, 2003

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On March 23, 2003 the St. Petersburg Times printed an editorial stating that "to get a job as a residential counselor/houseparent at the United Methodist Children's Home in Decatur, Ga., you have to be at least 21 years old, a high school graduate and 'a professing Christian.' The job announcement goes on to explain that while non-Christians 'have done much good in our world,' the Children's Home is 'an agency of a Christian Church' and in order to preserve that identity, only Christians will be hired... You have to appreciate...

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Interfaith Communities United for Peace and Justice in Los Angeles

March 23, 2003

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/la-me-sublopez23mar23,0,5305794.column

On March 23, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "they've been gathering every Friday morning at 7 o'clock since Sept. 11, 2001, trying to keep the world from unraveling... Muslim and Jew, Hindu and Christian, Buddhist and Sufi, one of these and one of those. It's a Los Angeles crowd, for sure, and a nice idea... Love, peace, common ground... this flock of clergy and...

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North Carolina Religious Leaders Remain Neutral on War in Iraq

March 23, 2003

Source: News Observer

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2366598p-2207123c.html

On March 23, 2003 the News Observer reported that "the United States is waging a war fraught with religious overtones, but leaders of Triangle churches, synagogues and mosques [in NC] are steering far clear of the fray. On the first weekend of war in Iraq, they are sticking to eternal themes of peace and love, saying the politics of war have no place in the pulpit. The reasoning is...

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St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Church

March 22, 2003

Source: Buffalo News

On March 22, 2003 the Buffalo News reported that "in the nearly five years that the Rev. Stepan Kuklich has donned his gold-embroidered robe to stand behind the wooden screen and sing Sunday Mass in Ukrainian, his unusual American congregation has pleased and surprised him. 'They don't speak Ukrainian at all and they come and they pray,' Kuklich said at the end of one service with air scented with incense and the sound of bells from the altar. 'I'm just glad that they find a way to be part of the church...' When Kuklich first arrived...

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Religious Leaders Speak Out as War in Iraq Commences

March 22, 2003

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/la-me-religreact22mar22,0,436663.story

On March 22, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "prayers go out for civilians and for the U.S. troops in Iraq. But some from various denominations oppose Bush's actions... Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles: 'With American troops in harm's way, let us pray earnestly for a quick resolution to the present conflict in Iraq with a minimum...

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Religious Groups Speak Out Against War with Iraq: Mar. 2003

March 22, 2003

Source: The Boston Globe

On March 22, 2003 The Boston Globe reported that "the protesters who gathered on City Hall Plaza for the city's first interfaith antiwar march yesterday joined hands and prayed aloud to Jehovah, to Allah, to Jesus, and to Buddha for peace in Iraq. Then, in unison, they condemned the man they say is the real ultimate power behind the war: George W. Bush... Led by four Buddhist monks, nearly 200 protesters chanted songs, banged drums, and stuck daffodils in their hair as they walked from Cambridge to Copley Square, past the State...

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Interfaith Maine Pleas Against Backlash

March 21, 2003

Source: WMTV

http://www.wmtw.com/Global/story.asp?S=1192106

On March 21, 2003 WMTV reported Interfaith Maine's statement that "the beginning of military action against Iraq fills us all with a sense of dread and apprehension... We fear for the combatants themselves, young men and women of various races, religions, and geographic backgrounds, who must face their mortality at time when they should be living their life to the fullest... We fear for the mothers and fathers who...

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Pittsburgh Interfaith Community Warns Against Ethnic Bigotry

March 21, 2003

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On March 21, 2003 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that "with war under way it is no longer time for debate but for prayer, Bishop Donald Wuerl told Catholics gathered for noon Mass at St. Mary of Mercy Church, Downtown... Later in the day, flanked by Muslim, Jewish and Protestant religious leaders, he would issue an interfaith statement with similar themes, which also warned the community against falling into religious or ethnic bigotry... About 350 people attended the noon Mass, slightly more than usual but not enough...

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Religious Groups Speak Out Against War with Iraq: Mar. 2003

March 20, 2003

Source: The Hartford Courant

On March 20, 2003 The Hartford Courant reported that "more than 25 churches in Connecticut have declared themselves "sanctuaries for peace" and will open their doors starting today for people to gather and pray... While congregations' opinions may be divided about the war, religious leaders say it's important that people have a place to go at such a crucial time... But the peace sanctuaries are not just a place for anti-war people to gather, Hughes said... 'Families may be coming from different perspectives -- some may be very...

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Fears of Backlash Rises as War Continues

March 20, 2003

Source: Tolerance.org

http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_print.jsp?id=731

On March 20, 2003 Tolerance.org reported that "suspicion, backlash, anger and fear... are the homeland insecurities that surround us in times of war... Muslims will feel it. Arab-Americans will feel it. Peace activists will feel it. The divides that separate us will be drawn into sharper relief... If 9.11 taught us anything, it taught us that our biases are emboldened in times of stress and...

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