Civic

Native Africans Find Community In Local Columbus Church

November 3, 2000

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On November 3, 2000, The Columbus Dispatch reported that the Ebenezer United Methodist Fellowship, a church that caters to native Africans in central Ohio, is known for its sense of community. Members say they can rely on each other for support during trying times. The congregation, which formed in March, is "trying to meet both the spiritual and secular needs of African immigrants," according to David Orgen, board chairman. Last summer, the congregation moved from Orgen's home to the basement of Linden United Methodist Church...

Read more about Native Africans Find Community In Local Columbus Church

Jewish Activist Files Suit Against City of Burbank for First Amendment Violation

November 2, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 2, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that Judge Alexander Williams III of the Los Angeles Supreme Court will preside over a case that debates 1st amendment rights. Jewish activist Irv Rubin filed suit against the city of Burbank to stop the references to Jesus Christ at Burbank's City Council meetings. Officials say "Rubin's demand is unlawful because it would force the city to censor speakers, adding that the council has no role in selecting the clerics who give the invocations." It is the Burbank Ministerial Assn....

Read more about Jewish Activist Files Suit Against City of Burbank for First Amendment Violation

Witchcraft and Religious Rights

October 31, 2000

Source: ABCNEWS.com

On October 31, 2000, ABCNEWS.com published an article entitled "Right to Practice Witchcraft: Louisiana Town Trying to Silence Witches", in which they reported that "Houma residents fear Wiccans are bringing dangerous, anti-Christian spirits into the community and are resurrecting an old parish ban on fortunetelling. The witches believe that through rituals, their gods and goddesses will help direct their futures." The ACLU has become involved to...

Read more about Witchcraft and Religious Rights

Halloween as a High Holiday

October 31, 2000

Source: The Plain Dealer

On October 31, 2000, a Plain Dealer article stated that "For 10 years, the Pagan Awareness Coalition of Cleveland has held a samhain ritual on Public Square to increase public understanding and acceptance of paganism. About 300 people attended Saturday...'We want people to see that we're a positive religious force,' says Cerridwynn, who goes by her Celtic pagan name to avoid harassment. 'We aren't people to be feared, people who conjure demons and hurt animals.' Her husband, the son of a Lutheran minister, accepts her beliefs and...

Read more about Halloween as a High Holiday

School Silence in Line with First Amendment

October 31, 2000

Source: The Washington Post

On October 31, 2000, The Washington Post reported that "a federal judge in Alexandria ruled yesterday that Virginia's controversial law requiring public school students to observe a daily minute of silence does not violate the First Amendment separation of church and state. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the suit on behalf of several students, vowed immediately to appeal, setting up a battle that could head to the U.S. Supreme Court. The ACLU had argued that the law was a veiled attempt to force students into...

Read more about School Silence in Line with First Amendment

ADL to Display Hateful Symbols

October 30, 2000

Source: The Denver Post

On October 30, 2000, The Denver Post reported that "the best way to fight hate is to display it, the Anti-Defamation League believes. So the organization is displaying symbols used by hate groups as a way to educate people about the groups. The symbols are on a special Web site linked to the ADL site http://www.adl.org and will be sent on hard copy to school principals and law enforcement officers across the country. 'It's an early-warning system,' said Saul Rosenthal, director of the Mountain States...

Read more about ADL to Display Hateful Symbols

CAIR Honors California Muslims

October 28, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 28, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that, "two Orange County residents will be honored at the Council on American-Islamic Relations' fourth annual conference and fund-raising banquet this evening at the Sequoia Conference Center in Buena Park. The council is a nonprofit organization founded to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. Event organizers for the Southern California chapter said they expect more than 650 to attend. Naziha Wareh, a Fountain Valley resident, will receive an award for...

Read more about CAIR Honors California Muslims

Controversy Over Prayers at Football Games

October 25, 2000

Source: The Times Picayune

On October 25, 2000, The Times Picayune reported that "school-sanctioned student-led prayers at public school football games, a practice ruled unconstitutional nationwide this year by the U.S. Supreme Court, have led to a parent's complaint against Natchitoches Parish schools. A letter from the Louisiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union asks the school district to stop the practice within 10 days or face a lawsuit. Through a spokeswoman, Superintendent Elwanda Murphy said: 'We will abide by the law.'

"'The...

Read more about Controversy Over Prayers at Football Games

Religious Leaders Fight for Workers' Wages

October 24, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 24, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that, "a group of religious leaders gathered Monday to protest Proposition KK, a controversial measure that would forbid the City Council from enacting a citywide wage law. The measure is backed by the city's luxury hotels. During a half-hour demonstration on the 3rd Street Promenade, representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Buddhist faiths quoted religious texts to demonstrate against the measure and support paying local hotel workers a living wage. 'This is not a new...

Read more about Religious Leaders Fight for Workers' Wages

Controversy Over Prayers at Football Games

October 22, 2000

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On October 22, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that, "the U.S. Supreme Court continues to place restrictions on prayer and religious activity involving public schools. But several DeKalb County high schools are testing the limits of the law by having Baptist ministers serve as chaplains to school football teams. The ministers, including televangelist Bishop Eddie Long and some of his associates at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, provide pregame prayers and devotionals. 'It has a...

Read more about Controversy Over Prayers at Football Games

Million Family March Held

October 17, 2000

Source: The Washington Post

On October 17, 2000, The Washington Post reported that "For all the preaching and politics, the Million Family March yesterday sometimes felt most like a big family photo album thrown open. For Seth Shaheed Muhammad, and his wife, Marcia, the moment was the renewal of their vows of marriage. The plan had always been to wait until their 50th wedding anniversary. But here they were, having journeyed from Oakland, Calif., in the 48th year of marriage, pulling a luggage cart along the Reflecting Pool. The cart was packed with a...

Read more about Million Family March Held

Million Family March Held

October 17, 2000

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On October 17, 2000, The Baltimore Sun reported that "hundreds of thousands of men, women and children gathered at the National Mall yesterday to celebrate family unity and racial and religious harmony in a Million Family March organized by Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam. Spread from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, families listened as Farrakhan delivered a rambling three-hour speech that touched on a variety of issues but mostly sounded a theme of the importance of family. 'The family is the basic unit...

Read more about Million Family March Held

Million Family March Hits the Mall

October 15, 2000

Source: The Washington Post

On October 15, 2000, The Washington Post reported that "Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan's latest fancy is the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church, a relationship three years in the making that culminates Monday, when Farrakhan plans to perform a Moon-like blessing of 10,000 married couples during his Million Family March in Washington. The association is part of Farrakhan's effort to move his message beyond the narrow constituencies that have followed him in the past. It is an evolution that has won the man...

Read more about Million Family March Hits the Mall

Buddhists Unite to End Youth Violence

October 14, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 14, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "more than 10,000 Buddhists are expected to gather at the Los Angeles Convention Center today to sign a pledge of personal responsibility to stop the violence that is claiming the lives of young people regionwide. The pledges will be assembled into a giant peace quilt at the event, sponsored by the lay Buddhist association, Soka Gakkai International-United States. The peace campaign, Victory Over Violence, has featured festivals, school outreach programs and meetings...

Read more about Buddhists Unite to End Youth Violence

Pages