Civic

Allegheny County and Americans United for Separation of Church and State Fight Over Display of Ten Commandments Plaque

December 20, 2000

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On December 20, 2000, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Vince Gastgeb, an Allegheny County Councilman, is trying to gather votes to pass a resolution that supports keeping the Ten Commandments mounted on the side of the courthouse. He needed 10 votes, but he was one short. The council voted to further debate the issue and get advice from county lawyers. Americans United for Separation of Church and State is threatening to sue the county over the mounted Ten Commandments. This nonprofit organization says that the...

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Salvation Army Is More Than A Goodwill Group

December 17, 2000

Source: The Washington Post

On December 17, 2000, The Washington Post reported that "for many Americans, the Christmas season is incomplete without the Salvation Army's ubiquitous red kettles, tinkling bells and brass bands urging harried shoppers to remember the needy. Some know that its dependable track record of serving the poor and afflicted has led Americans for the last eight years to give it more money than any other private charity--$ 1.4 billion in 1999 alone. But few people realize that the Salvation Army is an evangelical Protestant denomination...

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Controversy Over School Nativity Scene

December 9, 2000

Source: The Boston Herald

On December 9, 2000, The Boston Herald reported that "Norwood selectmen voted pro-creche this week, placing themselves on the opposite side of the Nativity scene issue that has entangled Lexington officials in court." Lori Novick requested that the creche, located in front of a public school, be removed. She is concerned that it might make non-Christian children feel marginalized and left out. An attorney for the ACLU is monitoring the situation, as is attorney and head of the Citizens for the Preservation of Constitutional...

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Knights of Columbus Lose Court Case Over Display of Creche in Public Green

December 7, 2000

Source: The Boston Globe

On December 7, 2000, The Boston Globe reported that "a federal judge ruled yesterday that Lexington selectmen aren't violating anyone's rights by refusing to allow the Knights of Columbus to display a creche on the town's historic Battle Green during the Christmas season. In a 12-page ruling, US District Judge Nancy Gertner concluded that a new town ordinance that bans unattended structures from being placed on the common for more than eight hours was designed 'primarily to protect the historic and aesthetic qualities of the...

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Los Angeles Schools Debate Display of Holiday Lights

December 7, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On December 7, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "despite objections last year--and the state's power crisis--parents put up holiday lights at a Newport Beach public school but were compelled to take them down after a warning from the school board president. Many parents, who spent hours Saturday cleaning the grounds at Mariners Elementary School and stringing colored lights around the buildings and white lights in adjacent olive trees, said Wednesday that they were bitter over the thwarting of their show of holiday...

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Christian Video To Be Distributed In California Neighborhoods

December 6, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On December 6, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "whether they want it or not, most residents of San Juan Capistrano will receive an early Christmas gift in the mail next week--an 83-minute movie on the life of Jesus. San Juan Capistrano residents will be among the 1.1-million households in 10 cities across the U.S. who will get the 'Jesus' video this holiday season from local churches and Christian leaders. The campaign is run by the San Bernardino-based Jesus Video Project, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. In...

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Interfaith Hospitality Network Helps Homeless

December 6, 2000

Source: The Plain Dealer

On December 6, 2000, The Plain Dealer reported that "as a volunteer for the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cleveland, the high-spirited [Connie] Hanson spends countless hours each week transporting furniture and other donated items to housing for the homeless." Families are given shelter at night and counseled during the day on day care, employment, and housing, to help them achieve independence and stability. Hanson values being able to help people: "It's so concrete," she says. "It's so on the firing line, just like...

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Interfaith Hospitality Network Volunteer Helps Those In Need

December 6, 2000

Source: The Plain Dealer

On December 6, 2000, The Plain Dealer reported that "to some people, she is known as Connie the Schlepper; to others, she is the Hospitality Queen. But these names don't begin to describe the lengths to which Connie Hanson goes in helping homeless families. As a volunteer for the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cleveland, the high-spirited Hanson spends countless hours each week transporting furniture and other donated items to housing for the homeless. The Interfaith Hospitality Network, a national agency that opened a...

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Interfaith Gathering Promotes Forgiveness andLove in New York

December 3, 2000

Source: The New York Times

On December 3, 2000, The New York Times reported that "Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Buddhists and Bahais prayed together. An American Indian dance troupe shared the stage with a lesbian and gay men's gospel choir. And a former New York City police officer, Steven McDonald, a paraplegic since he was shot by a teenager in 1986, talked about learning to forgive. It was a lovefest at Convent Avenue Baptist Church, at 145th Street and Convent Avenue, last Monday night, as hundreds of people gathered for a service to help New...

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Jewish Groups Issues Warning To Schools

December 2, 2000

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On December 2, 2000, the St. Petersburg Times reported that "the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish group that advocates strict separation of church and state, has issued a 'December Dilemma' pamphlet warning public schools about observing Christmas and other religious holidays. Pamphlets are being sent to schools, and the league posted the text on its Web page. The U.S. Constitution, it says, prohibits 'school-sponsored endorsement or promotion of religious beliefs of any kind.' Because the U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on...

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American Muslims Celebrate Ramadan

November 25, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 25, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "a few days before the Islamic holy season of Ramadan, many of Leah Greenwald's seventh-graders at McFadden Intermediate School in Santa Ana were meeting a real, live Muslim for the first time in their lives. Maria Khani, a speaker from the Council on Islamic Education, wore a black jacket, a long gray skirt and a silk head scarf--but said that at home she dressed as she pleased. She brought in a Koran, a prayer rug and a small model of a mosque--but also a toy camera, just...

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Thanksgiving for Local Atlanta Residents Is About Helping Others

November 25, 2000

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On November 25, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "Miguel and Lydia Ayala are co-pastors of a small church in Canton called Iglesia Pentecostal El Faro (the Lighthouse) whose members are mostly Latinos. 'For many, this is the first time they hear of it (Thanksgiving),' said Lydia Ayala. 'It is something we have to do. And they are very happy that the nation gives thanks together,' she said. 'It is very American, and it's something that's very important.'Miguel and Lydia and their four sons...

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Local Los Angeles Groups Celebrate Thanksgiving in Unique Ways

November 22, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 22, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "thirteen-year-old Kevin Rosenberg and his classmates at Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School assembled 32 gift baskets Tuesday, complete with turkey and trimmings, dessert, flowers, cards and a can opener. The baskets were delivered to Jewish Family Service's Family Violence Project, which will give them to victims of domestic violence...Heschel Day School is among many nonprofit organizations around the San Fernando Valley that are serving disadvantaged residents this holiday...

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