Source: The Associated Press

Source: Beliefnet

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/141/story_14195_1.html

On March 17, 2004 Beliefnet reported, "The nation's 10 largest churches remain unchanged from last year, according to the 2004 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, with the American Baptist Churches in the USA reporting the fastest growth of any Protestant denomination. The annual report of church membership figures, compiled by the National Council of Churches, found 161 million adherents...

Source: The Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/s/nationworld/washington/031504cccapolchristiankids.8d0d7766.html

On March 17, 2004 The Dallas Morning News reported, "Early in his campaign for the presidency four years ago, George W. Bush was asked in a debate which political philosopher he most admired. He replied: Jesus Christ "because he changed my heart." At the time, his answer caused a stir. Christian...

Source: The First Amendment Center

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=12882

On March 17, 2004 The First Amendment Center reported, "The City Council voted March 15 to remove a controversial Ten Commandments monument from the grounds of City Hall.

The council voted 5-4 not to fight a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union. The MnCLU had filed a federal lawsuit to get the city to remove the monument because it was an...

Source: Beliefnet.com

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/142/story_14232_1.html

On March 17, 2004 Beliefnet.com posted a Religion News Service article that reported, "George F.R. Ellis, a South African cosmologist and mathematician who is equally at home in the realm of social criticism and political activism, is the winner of the 2004 Templeton Prize, arguably the most prestigious award for advancing understanding of religion and spirituality. Ellis, a Quaker...

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Source: News 8

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2004/03/14/MNGJB5KB9N1.DTL

On March 17, 2004 The San Francisco Chronicle reported, "The nation's three largest Christian denominations -- the 66-million- member Roman Catholic Church, 16-million-member Southern Baptist Convention and the 8-million-member United Methodist Church -- all stand opposed to gays and lesbians being allowed to marry in...

Source: Lutheran World Information

http://www.wfn.org/2004/03/msg00158.html

On March 16, 2004 Lutheran World Information reported, "There is increasing disagreement within the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) concerning the ban on the wearing of head scarves by Muslim teachers at public schools. EKD Council Chairperson Bishop Dr Wolfgang Huber, Bishops Dr Margot Kdssman (Hanover), Dr Johannes Friedrich (Bavaria), or Dr Gerhard Maier (Wirttemberg), are among those favoring a ban...

Source: West Virginia Gazette

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/Other%20News/200403159

On March 15, 2004 the West Virginia Gazette reported, "Members of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths came together Sunday at Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral to celebrate a story of hospitality common to all three religions. Sacred Heart held a special Mass on Sunday, and invited members of the Jewish and Islamic faiths to dedicate a new tapestry in the church's addition...

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0315/p02s02-ussc.html

On March 15, 2004 The Christian Science Monitor reported, "As the question of gay marriage flares across the US, pressure has mounted on state legislatures to pass constitutional amendments that define marriage as only between a man and a woman. In Massachusetts, the only state where the court has already mandated same-sex marriage, the deliberations have a particular urgency:...

Source: Reuters-UK

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-me-gender14mar14,1,7569074.story?coll=la-news-religion

On March 14, 2004 the Los Angeles Times reported, "Citing their Christian principles, trustees of a small Orange County school district are defying a state anti-discrimination law that allows students and school staff to define their own gender. A refusal by a three-trustee majority of the five-...

Source: The Herald Tribune

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040309/NEWS/403090556/1060

On March 13, 2004 The Herald Tribune reported, "Some two dozen members of the South County religious community took a first step Monday morning toward establishing a new ministerial association open to all faiths. The gathering was a response to the Venice Ministerial Association (VAMA), which is considering limiting membership...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/religion/2446589

On March 12, 2004 The Houston Chronicle reported, "The 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime, implicated in the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians from disease, starvation and executions, also preached atheism and sought to eradicate all traces of religion. The ultra-communists converted Buddhist pagodas into prisons, pig sties and armories, tore down Phnom Penh's imposing Roman...