Source: Chicago Sun-Times

http://www.suntimes.com/output/religion/cst-nws-matrix15.html

On May 15, 2003 the Chicago Sun-Times reported that "for four years, fans have watched "The Matrix" over and over, mining each frame for spiritual references. With today's release of the sequel "The Matrix Reloaded," the fervor is getting downright religious. At least a half-dozen books on the spiritual exegesis of "The Matrix" have been published on the blockbuster sci-fi...

Source: House.gov

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh09_kaptur/bigotry.html

On May 15, 2003 House.gov reported that "Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur today joined Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) to introduce legislation in the House of Representatives condemning violence and bigotry against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, South Asian Americans and Sikh Americans. Kaptur’s bill also calls upon law enforcement authorities to aid on the prevention and...

Source: Orlando Sentinel

http://www.OrlandoSentinel.com/

On May 14, 2003 the Orlando Sentinel reported that "a Unitarian minister Tuesday challenged the notion that America is an evangelical Christian nation, calling on local religious leaders to revive a group to promote tolerance and civility... 'We are not basically an evangelical Christian country,' said the Rev. John Higgins, president of the Florida chapter of The Interfaith Alliance. Higgins was among five speakers at the University...

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...

Source: Deseret News

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C495032733%2C00.html

On May 10, 2003 Deseret News reported that "the resident priest of Utah's newest temple has traded his revered place among the majority faith in India for leadership of a minority faith congregation in a state whose collective population is less than half of his native city... Pandit Shashidhara Somayaji, the new priest of Sri Ganesh Temple, moved from Bangalore, India, to take...

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...

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--religiouscows0508may08,0,1530564.story

On May 8, 2003 Newsday reported that "a judge has given a Hare Krishna couple 15 days to remove four cows from their property, ruling the animals violate a village law... Judge Michael Nenno issued the decision Wednesday, on the second day of court proceedings brought by the Village of Angelica against Stephen and Linda Voith......

Source: Casco Bay Weekly

http://www.cascobayweekly.com/cbw2003/cover/cover05.08.03-2.stm

On May 8, 2003 the Casco Bay Weekly published an editorial by Abraham J. Peck stating that "Professor Diana Eck of Harvard University argues in her recent book, A New Religious America: How a 'Christian Country' Has Become the World’s Most Religiously Diverse Nation, that 'the presupposition that America is foundationally Christian' is being challenged by a new...

Source: The Lawrence Ledger

Source: Daily Herald

http://www.dailyherald.com/special/passagefromindia/temple.asp

On May 4, 2003 Daily Herald reported that "'just as on every street corner there's a different type of church, Indians also have different types of temples,' said Subrahmanyam Vemuri, president of the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. ... There are 17 Hindu temples in the greater Chicago area. All of them are built primarily with donations from Indian immigrants. Many are...

Source: Daily Herald

http://www.dailyherald.com/special/passagefromindia/hindu.asp

On May 4, 2003 Daily Herald reported that "scholars and non-nationalist Hindus in the United States increasingly are concerned about the proliferation of RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] branches in this country, known here as the HSS, called shakhas. In 1991, there were just three shakhas in the United States; now, there are more than 50, according to the...

Source: Orlando Sentinel

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-locstemple03050303may03,0,3703483.story?coll=orl%2Dnews%2Dheadlines%2Dseminole

On May 3, 2003 the Orlando Sentinel reported that "construction is set to begin this month on a 13,000-square-foot Vedic temple that will fulfill a decades-old dream of Central Florida's Hindu community. When completed in about two...

Source: Indy Star

http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/0/039991-4390-P.html

On May 2, 2003 the Indy Star reported that "the Christians prayed, and so did Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Bahais, for one nation under God, indivisible... But they did so in separate services Thursday honoring the National Day of Prayer, challenging the very meaning of an observance meant to unite all Americans... At noon, an estimated 125 people gathered for an hourlong service on the...

Source: Penn Live

http://www.pennlive.com/living/patriotnews/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/living/1051781819113460.xml

On May 2, 2003 Penn Live reported that "students in a New American Religious Diversity class at Dickinson College [PA] this semester did fieldwork just a short ride from their dorms in Carlisle... The students were welcomed as Muslims prayed at a mosque in Steelton,...

Source: India-West

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=66b10da4b2bb6bcdf22324495852dc1f

On May 1, 2003 India-West reported that "Hindu organizations have loudly protested a NASDAQ-listed manufacturer's attempt to market flip-flop sandals with Ganesha images on its insole... Following an informal protest April 27 by Internet activist group IndiaCause.com and an...