Christianity

Lawsuit Filed over Removal of Ten Commandments from Courthouse

March 21, 2001

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On March 21, 2001, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Americans United for Separation of Church and State "filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court in Pittsburgh yesterday, trying to force the removal of a Ten Commandments display from the Allegheny County Courthouse...The lawsuit...asserts that the plaque violates the First Amendment's establishment clause, the basis for the country's separation of church and state."

Resolution to Controversy over Prayer at City Council Meetings Reached

March 18, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 18, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported on "a controversy that erupted at recent meetings of the Marion City Council [in Ohio], where the Lord's Prayer is recited before every meeting...City law requires that a prayer be read." One citizen suggested a silent or nonsectarian prayer be read so as not to exclude non-Christians. "From now on, various ministers will be on hand to open the meeting with a nonsectarian prayer." Most residents nevertheless support the use of the Lord's prayer.

East Boston Church Accommodates Growing Numbers of Latino Immigrants

March 18, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On March 18, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on the hundreds of Latino immigrants who attend the Most Holy Redeemer Church in East Boston. The church "strains to accommodate everyone. [Rev. Robert R.] Hennessey estimates that 3,200 come to Spanish Masses each weekend...The church has been helping immigrants ease into American life for years."

Judge Asserts Right to Display Ten Commandments in Public

March 18, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 18, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "a movement to display the Ten Commandments in public has found an ally in a second Ohio judge...Judge Nelfred Kimerline said he hung a framed poster depicting the commandments in his courtroom in support of a...judge being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio...The ACLU suit says that DeWeese's poster violates the constitutional separation of church and state." Kimerline insists they are simply good rules to live by and are not shoved "down anyone's throat...

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Bush Administration Responds to Criticism of Initiative from Christian Right

March 17, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On March 17, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that, "to repair the rift with the Christian right, White House officials privately have repudiated critical remarks that the director of the office of faith-based initiatives made about evangelicals, and have assured conservative leaders their concerns will be addressed." Some of these leaders asked for DiIulio's resignation, while others merely see him as a political liability for Bush. In a recent speech DiIulio "accused conservative Christian leaders of lacking commitment to the poor...

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Catholic Nun Teaches Tai Chi Classes

March 17, 2001

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On March 17, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported on Sister Carletta LaCour, who teaches Tai Chi at the Christian Renewal Center in Dickinson, Texas. "Though part of the benefit of practicing the moves is physical, LaCour also emphasizes the spiritual." She sees no incongruence between Catholicism and Tai Chi.

Court Rules That Ohio State Motto Is Constitutional

March 17, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 17, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals "ruled 9-4 that Ohio's 42-year-old state motto -- 'With God, all things are possible' -- is constitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which challenged the motto on grounds that it is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion by the state, said it is considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court." The circuit court majority agreed that "Ohio's motto did not have the primary purpose of advancing religion."

New Center Celebrates Catholicism and Interfaith Dialogue

March 16, 2001

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

http://www.signonsandiego.com/

On March 16, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center is about to open in Washington, D.C. It "is slated to become a combination research center and interactive museum, art gallery and a bit of a presidential library." According to the cardinal who came up with the idea, the center is "designed to bring about a dialogue of cultures, to encourage ecumenical and interfaith activity...

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Members of Mission Celebrate Return of Swallows, History, in Annual Festival

March 15, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 15, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported on the annual Return of the Swallows festival at Mission San Juan Capistrano in Capistrano, California. "Today, the event has grown far beyond bird watching, with three days of festivities that also commemorate the 200-year history of the mission...Members of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, whose ancestors helped build the mission," play a significant role in the festivities.

Residents Oppose Expansion of Illinois Church

March 15, 2001

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On March 15, 2001, the Chicago Sun-Times reported on "Willow Creek Community Church, one of the largest congregations in the Midwest, [which] attracts between 17,000 and 20,000 worshippers each weekend...Willow Creek leaders want to build a new 7,200-seat sanctuary as part of a $70 million expansion." Many of the church's neighbors in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, oppose the expansion because of the traffic it would cause.

Churches Grow in Diversity Along with Their Communities

March 15, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On March 15, 2001, The Washington Post reported on changes in three episcopal churches in the Baileys Crossroads area in Virginia that reflect the growing ethnic diversity in the area. The predominantly older, white congregations of St. Patrick's Episcopal Church and St. Paul's Episcopal Church are now expanding to include many African and Asian immigrants. St. Paul's has a new Vietnamese minister and has changed its name to St. Patrick's Episcopal Church (Anglo-Vietnamese). When Holy Cross Korean Episcopal Church lost the space...

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Baltimore Mayor Seeks Support for His Faith-Based Initiative

March 13, 2001

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On March 13, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported that Baltimore's "Mayor Martin O'Malley called on religious leaders yesterday to support his faith-based initiative, Baltimore Rising, which will connect 300 mentors in inner-city churches with 100 youths deemed most likely to kill or be killed by violent crime...Solving the crime, violence and drug addiction in the inner city 'requires a spiritual element...,' O'Malley said."

Support for Faith-Based Initiatives Expected from Black Churches

March 11, 2001

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On March 11, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "the White House believes President Bush will pick up significant support for his faith-based initiatives" from "black churches -- despite opposition from some African-American leaders." GOP pollster Frank Luntz calls the faith-based initiatiave "the first successful effort I have seen to penetrate the black mind-set that has worked...They are the most faith-based segment of the population there is." Some African-American leaders and...

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ACLU Challenges Constitutionality of Ten Commandments Hanging in Courthouse

March 11, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 11, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch that the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation filed a lawsuit in federal court in Cleveland claiming that a poster of the Ten Commandments in a Richland County courtroom violates separation of church and state. Judge James DeWeese says he will "stand his ground over the display [in his courthouse], which includes the Bill of Rights, and sayings about the law from Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and James Madison."

Mixed Reactions to Funding of Faith-Based Organizations

March 11, 2001

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On March 11, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "the Bush administration is defending its faith-based initiative against a string of attacks from...the Christian right." Their fears include strings being attached to government funds, and fears that some faiths will be discriminated against.

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