Interfaith

St. Charles County Holds Interfaith Vigil Against Hate

October 9, 2000

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On October 9, 2000, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the St. Charles County Social Justice Alliance, "an organization of faith-based and civic-minded residents working for equity regardless of race, gender, economic status, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity appearance or ability," held a Stop the Hate vigil and interfaith service on Thursday night. The community recognizes that it is probably entering a period of rapid growth which will likely increase its diversity. Some members of the alliance described the...

Read more about St. Charles County Holds Interfaith Vigil Against Hate

Ex-Nun Explains Religious Differences

October 9, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 9, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported on Karen Armstrong. It explained that, "for years she was tagged the 'runaway nun,' the rebellious ex-Catholic with outspoken opinions about religion--comparing, for example, Pope John Paul II to a Muslim fundamentalist. Now, with her 12th book, "Islam, a Short History" (Modern Library), Karen Armstrong has changed her image. She can still be sharp-tongued, inclined to draw conclusions that get a rise out of critics. But something closer to reconciliation, rather than anger, is...

Read more about Ex-Nun Explains Religious Differences

Christians React Strongly to Vatican Statement

October 7, 2000

Source: The New York Times

On October 7, 2000, The New York Times reported that "On Sept. 5, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who heads the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a document titled 'Dominus Iesus' ('The Lord Jesus') that condemned certain 'relativistic Theories' of religious pluralism. A month later, the dust has still not settled. In some eyes, Cardinal Ratzinger was only saying the obvious and doing his job. Haven't Christians always believed that it is through Jesus Christ and the church of the Gospel that salvation has...

Read more about Christians React Strongly to Vatican Statement

Jewish Youths Organize Commemoration of Victims of Gun Violence

October 7, 2000

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On October 7, 2000, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "during the Jewish High Holidays, members of the youth committee of Congregation Temple Israel in Creve Coeur are collecting hundreds of pairs of shoes - one pair for each Missourian who was killed by gun violence this year. The youths will focus on children killed...The youth committee will display the "silent march" shoe exhibit as part of an Interfaith Forum for Sensible Gun Laws at the temple on Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m."

Lawsuit Over "In God We Trust" Sign

October 7, 2000

Source: Star Tribune

On October 7, 2000, the Star Tribune reported that "the sign has gotten bigger and the word 'God' has shrunk, but Shawnee County Treasurer Rita Cline still faces a lawsuit over a sign at her office proclaiming, 'In God We Trust.' The American Civil Liberties Union last month filed a petition in U.S. District Court in Topeka, asking the court to force Cline to take down the sign. The ACLU accused Cline of inappropriately using her office to push her religion. The ACLU had said the message went beyond the national motto because the...

Read more about Lawsuit Over "In God We Trust" Sign

Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

October 7, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 7, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the latest crisis in the Middle East that has flared into bloody confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians is putting already troubled efforts in Southern California to promote dialogue between Muslims and Jews to a severe test. The Muslim-Jewish Dialogue group, set in place in July 1999, and its newly formed crisis management committee were designed to give the two communities a forum for talking over differences on issues before issuing public statements. But as...

Read more about Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

October 7, 2000

Source: The Plain Dealer

On October 7, 2000, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) reported that "about 700 Arab-American demonstrators marched from the Federal Building to Public Square yesterday afternoon, chanting 'Stop the killing, stop the crime, our children are dying in Palestine.' As nine more Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire yesterday and a 10th died of previous injuries, the political positions of the Barak-Sharon coalition appeared intractable. And so did the feelings of the Muslim and Christian Arab communities in Cleveland. 'We're here to...

Read more about Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

October 6, 2000

Source: The Buffalo News

On October 6, 2000, The Buffalo News reported that in an event "described as the first such meeting in recent memory, local Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders came together under one roof Thursday to denounce the violence that has erupted in Jerusalem and has threatened hopes of reviving the Middle East peace process. The local leaders signed a statement pleading for President Clinton to redouble his efforts to bring the parties back to the negotiating table so this conflict can be settled with conversation and not...

Read more about Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

Interfaith Families Create New Traditions

October 6, 2000

Source: The Boston Herald

On October 6, 2000, The Boston Herald published an article entitled, "Guiding Light: Interfaith Families Share Ancient Traditions - and Create New Ones."

Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

October 5, 2000

Source: The New York Times

On October 5, 2000, The New York Times published an article entitled, "New Hostility in Mideast Echoes in a Brooklyn Neighborhood." It reported that "along Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn's Sunset Park, Hasidic Jews and Palestinian Muslims cross paths at every corner. Women with unmistakable Yiddish accents shop in Islamic markets, alongside Arabic women in head scarves. In the evenings, Jewish fathers pass Muslim fathers clutching the Koran, each on the way to pray to God or to Allah. A few return home to the same blocks. In Sunset...

Read more about Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

October 3, 2000

Source: The Courier-Journal

On October 3, 2000, The Courier-Journal (Kentucky) reported on "a few acres of flat, elevated turf in Jerusalem's old city, revered by Jews as the site of their ancient temple and by Muslims as the scene of a miraculous visit by the prophet Mohammed." It reported that "Louisville-area Jews and Muslims alike say they were not surprised that right-wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon triggered violence just by showing up there. Five days of fighting have followed Sharon's visit last Thursday on the site that Muslims call the...

Read more about Effects of Fighting in the Middle East Felt in the U.S.

A Buddhist in a Presbyterian World

September 30, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On September 30, 2000, the Los Angeles Times told the story of Ai Tasedan. She has "attended services at St. Mark Presbyterian Church faithfully for the past 25 years. She got married there. She goes on church-sponsored mission trips and volunteers wherever needed." And, surprising to some, she is a Buddhist. "It's an ecumenical twist that doesn't bother the liberal Newport Beach congregation very much, if at all. St. Mark's elders decided in 1975 to help rescue Tasedan and her family, Vietnamese refugees who were in living in a...

Read more about A Buddhist in a Presbyterian World

Pages