Source: Sightings

On July 25, 2001, Sightings reported that "the front page of the Chicago Tribune Metro section for July fifth shows two pictures of religion in America that capture well its ambivalence as a public force. The first story concerns [a] Hindu leader...A woman of humble Indian birth, Amritandandamayi now touches the lives of a worldwide community...[She] hugs follower after follower, at times for eighteen straight hours...Directly below this story of religious diversity and the power of shared affection is a picture of Richard Loy,...

Source: The Washington Post

On July 25, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "a federal appeals court yesterday upheld Virginia's moment of silence law, ruling that requiring public school children to begin each day with meditation does not violate the First Amendment's ban on state-sponsored religion. Seven families backed by the American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the 2000 law, saying it promoted religion...ACLU volunteer attorney Stuart Newberger vowed an immediate appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court."

Source: The Baltimore Sun

on July 24, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported on "a weeklong vigil [in Baltimore] honoring more than 130 Israelis killed since Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in September...Vigil organizers with the Baltimore Zionist District, an Israel advocacy group, said the event is meant to personalize the killings and highlight the senselessness for Jews and gentiles alike." 500 Palestinians have also been killed in the fighting.

Source: The New York Times

On July 24, 2001, The New York Times reported that, "in Canada, Mr. Bush's [faith-based] initiative would be superfluous, because the government has financed faith-based organizations for most of the last 100 years without any worry that church and state were too close." Now the Canadian government is cutting back on funds to social services, however. The president of the housing corporation at Newtonbrook United Church siad, "I don't think it's good to have everything done by the government. But I think that maybe this has...

Source: The Boston Globe

On July 23, 2001, The Boston Globe published an editorial on Bush's faith-based bill, which said, "the bill ought to die in [the Senate] for sheer lack of clarity." Its guarantee to religious groups of autonomy and its prohibition of proselytizing, for example, are contradictory, the piece said. "The United States has thrived by keeping church and state at arm's length."

Source: Newsday

On July 23, 2001, Newsday published an editorial that said, "The House has just passed a constitutionally iffy bill...It's an improvement on the costly 'faith-based initiative' originally proposed by President...Bush, but it still needs a lot of work to merit passage by the Senate...The best thing the House did was shrink the new tax breaks the bill would offer to charitable givers...[However,] organizations, religious or otherwise, that violate state antidiscrimination laws shouldn't be eligible for federal funding."

Source: The Harford Courant

On July 22, 2001, The Harford Courant published an editorial on the faith-based initiative recently passed in the House, which said, "the House inadvisably strengthened what Thomas Paine called 'the adulterous connection of church and state.'...It will now be up to the Senate to say no to a well-meaning but constitutionally offensive."

Source: The Boston Globe

On July 22, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on "the potential financial bonanza for churches, synagogues and other religious organizations sitting on increasingly valuable parcels of land...In the city itself, the value of real estate owned by religious denominations has doubled over the last five years...At the same time, many religious denominations...are scrambling for money."

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On July 20, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported that "the House voted mostly along party lines...to approve a bill to allow more federal money to go to religious charities that deliver social services...The leaders secured the votes after pledging that changes would be made to the bill after it goes to the Senate to bar religious groups that receive federal money from discriminating on other grounds, particularly against homosexuals...The bill faces an uncertain future...in the Democratic-led Senate."

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On July 19, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution published an editorial, which said that "President Bush's faith-based initiative is about to be done in" by Democrats concerned about discriminatory hiring practices. "The more important issue, of course, is not who is hired or not hired to work in the programs but the recipients of the services. The issue that faith-based groups can affect a change in a recipient's behavior...has been drowned out by the insidious attacks of" Bush's opponents.

Source: Newsday

On July 17, 2001, Newsday reported that the "Montauk Community Presbyterian Church, which is hosting a series of sunrise and sunset worship services this month in the Montauk [New York] area...on local beaches and in parks," which bring together members of different churches and cultures. The hosts include Protestant ministers, a Catholic priest and a rabbi... Montauk's religious leaders are trying to break down the walls between churches."

Source: Lady Liberty League

On July 17, 2001, the Lady Liberty League issued a press release reporting that "Pagans of many paths from around the USA concerned about HR 7 have joined the growing numbers of American citizens calling and emailing their concerns to US Congressional representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Some info is online at Wren's Nest at the Witches Voice website: http://www.witchvox.net/xwrensnest.html...HR 7 is of special concern to Pagans because one of the most widely cited...

Source: The Washington Post

On July 17, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "leaders of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) criticized their party here today for often appearing hostile toward people with strong religious beliefs." They also "challenged President Bush to live up to the centrist rhetoric of his campaign, accusing the president of lurching so far to the right that bipartisan consensus is virtually impossible...The DLC conference is devoted to a discussion of values and how Democrats can regain the trust of more Americans on...