Christianity

Menorahs, Star and Crescent, but No Nativity? Catholic League Sues New York's Education Holiday Policy

December 11, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17348

On December 11, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "New York is discriminating against Christian students by allowing Islamic and Jewish holiday symbols to be displayed in public schools while banning Nativity creches, a Catholic organization suing the city charged yesterday. 'All we're asking for the city of New York to do is to treat Catholics the same way they do Jews...

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Religious Groups Speak Out Against War with Iraq: Dec. 2002

December 11, 2002

Source: National Council of Churches

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/02news100.html

On December 11, 2002 National Council of Churches reported that "a broad coalition of leaders of religious and civic organizations announced here today the launching of a movement titled 'Keep America Safe: Win Without War.' They will seek to bring the case of alternative action to stop Iraqi militarism without resorting to American militarism.  Coalition members, who include National Council of...

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December: Celebrations and Dilemmas, 2002

December 11, 2002

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/11/nyregion/11NATI.html

On December 11, 2002 The New York Times reported that "aided by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, a Queens family sued the city on Monday in United States District Court in Brooklyn, charging that its policy on holiday displays in schools discriminates against Roman Catholics. The policy permits what it calls secular holiday decorations, including 'Christmas trees,...

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Interfaith Awareness Week Celebration at Wisconsin State Capitol

December 11, 2002

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

On December 11, 2002 Wisconsin State Journal reported that "Buddhists set up [a] display alongside those of other religious groups at the fifth annual Interfaith Awareness Week program Tuesday at the state Capitol. Other faiths participating in the noon program were Orthodox Christian, Mennonite, Unitarian Universalist, Jewish, Hindu and Muslim. The Interfaith Awareness Week program was organized by the Rev. John-Brian Paprock... a priest at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison.

December: Celebrations and Dilemmas, 2002

December 10, 2002

Source: The Richmond Times-Dispatch

On December 10, 2002 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that "seven-year-old Alana Amrose stood entranced, looking at the fruits, animals, faces, symbols and writing of the Hindu calendar - a Nakara Chaturdasi. She glowed with excitement at the Children's Museum of Richmond's 'Our Community, One World in Celebration' exhibit featuring six miniature houses decorated with symbols of holidays observed around the end or beginning of the year. The girl's first stop last week was the Diwali display, focusing on the Hindu...

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December: Celebrations and Dilemmas, 2002

December 9, 2002

Source: Bluefield Daily Telegraph

On December 9, 2002 the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported that "Christianity isn't the only faith in a nation that is founded on the principles of religious freedom. Religious diversity is a way of life in Four Seasons Country, but during the holidays, Christmas is in the air. 'We celebrate Christmas,' Dr. Bhasker Pujari said. 'We don't have any qualms about it.' Pujari is a Hindu. He said that Hindu philosophy encourages embracing all faiths. 'We have a saying: 'All that exists is but one,'' he said. Doris Sue Kantor and...

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Dedication of New Menorah after Vandalism

December 9, 2002

Source: Sun Journal

http://www.sunjournal.com/story.asp?slg=120602menn

On December 9, 2002 the Sun Journal reported that "it was a night for both Jews and non-Jews to celebrate the Hanukkah holiday. In the basement of Main Street’s Goff Building [in Maine], about 50 people gathered Thursday for a city-run Hanukkah party with food, toys and music. Meanwhile, at the Auburn synagogue, another 50 people gathered to dedicate the new menorah, replacing a 'mega-menorah'...

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New Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Missouri

December 9, 2002

Source: The Daily Statesman

http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/884/public/news403974.html

On December 9, 2002 The Daily Statesman reported that "legislation proposed this week by Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, could strengthen Missourians' abilities to practice their faith. The bill was filed in advance of the 2003 legislative session that begins in January. It would require the state to have a compelling interest in regulating...

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"Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet" to Air on PBS

December 9, 2002

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1209/p09s02-coop.html

On December 9, 2002 The Christian Science Monitor printed an editorial by Alexander Kronemer that stated, "Pat Robertson has taken issue with the president, after Mr. Bush recently reaffirmed his belief that Islam is a peaceful religion that has a welcomed place among the other faiths practiced in America... In rejecting the president's words, Pat Robertson and other Christian...

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Play Portraying Lesbian Mary Draws Protest in Boston

December 8, 2002

Source: The Boston Globe

On December 8, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "singing songs and chanting prayers, more than 100 people from several Catholic organizations gathered for a vigil in Davis Square yesterday to protest the opening of a multimedia rock opera 'Jesus Has Two mommies...' Eric Schmider, music director and one of three producers of the opera, said the show's message, despite its provocative title, is not to mock the religious icons or offend Catholics, but to encourage discussions about people's concepts of relationship and self."

Interfaith Conference Discusses Thought-Provoking Questions

December 7, 2002

Source: Suburban Chicago News

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/city/w07religs.htm

On December 7, 2002 the Suburban Chicago News questioned "why would a loving God permit human suffering? What is the surest path to spiritual enlightenment? How can both doubt and belief spring from the same insurmountable questions?" Then suggested that "these and other weighty matters will be broached during some thought-provoking discussions being offered by faith...

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Equal Stature for Religious Holidays in the Schools

December 5, 2002

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On December 5, 2002 the St. Petersburg Times reported that "Hillsborough school [FL] officials have decided they no longer will penalize high school students who take time off to observe a religious holiday. As always, students who miss class for a religious observance will receive an excused absence. But that absence will no longer cost them the exemption from semester exams awarded students who maintain perfect attendance. Such exemptions are a coveted privilege in many high schools. The new policy comes nearly two years...

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Unitarian Universalist Church

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Equal Stature for Religious Holidays in the Schools

December 5, 2002

Source: The Boston Globe

On December 5, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "growing up in Philadelphia in the mid-1970s, Rona Gugliemino had the day off from school on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana. Now she is raising her family in Berlin [MA], where the regional school district closes on Good Friday but not on the two holiest days in the Jewish faith. Along with another mother in the district, she is asking school officials to reconsider their policy, citing many other towns in the area that have moved in that direction. The School Committee has agreed...

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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Renews Anti-Discrimination Message

December 4, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5995-2002Dec3.html

On December 4, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iraq and continued concerns about terrorism, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has renewed its message to employers that it is illegal to discriminate against foreign-born workers. The agency issued updated anti-bias guidelines yesterday...

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