Source: The Courier News

http://www.c-n.com/news/c-n/story/0,2111,903589,00.html

On February 9, 2004 The Courier News reported on the influx of religious centers being built in Franklin, a suburb of New Jersey. Muslim, Presbyterian, Jain and Hindu congregations all have plans to build in the area, and existing Jewish, Hindu, and Christian centers are expanding... The township has a tradition of religious diversity, said James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein...

Source: Religion News Service

http://www.religionnews.com/press02/PR021104C.html

On February 9, 2004 Religion News Service posted a press release that reported, "A delegation of European Christian leaders joined with their counterparts from the United States, Canada, Australia and Israel earlier this week to meet with top Israeli government leaders in a joint effort to draft plans for combating heightened anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in their home communities. Heavily...

Source: The Observer

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1143465,00.html

On February 8, 2004 The Observer reported, "In the Northern Ireland border town of Enniskillen, Roman Catholics and Protestants won't be seen dead with each other: the leaders of both communities have objected to a scheme that would have interred the remains of people of both faiths together...A plan by Fermanagh council to have an integrated cemetery at...

Source: The First Amendment Center

http://www.fac.org/rel_liberty/publiclife/news.aspx?id=12618

On February 8, 2004 The First Amendment Center reported that "the Ten Commandments are back in the Alabama Judicial Building, this time in an exhibit that opened Feb. 5 and features seven other historical documents.

The display stands just across the rotunda from the spot once occupied by a 5,300-pound granite monument to the commandments that cost Roy...

Source: CBS News

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/05/60minutes/main598218.shtml

On February 8, 2004 CBS News reported that "an estimated 70 million Americans call themselves evangelicals, and their beliefs have already reshaped American politics. In the last election, 40 percent of the votes for George W. Bush came from their ranks, and now those beliefs are beginning to reshape the culture as well -- thanks to a group of best-selling novels known...

Source: IslamOnline.net

http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-02/08/article09.shtml

On February 8, 2004 IslamOnline.net reported, "The United Church of Canada acknowledged a long history of hostility toward Muslims in Christianity and asserted that the image of Islam which 'today is too often depicted as a religion of violence' should be reversed. The Church, the main representative of Canadian Protestants, will release in mid-February a document...

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/07/leade

On February 7, 2004 The Boston Globe published the text of an Interfaith Statement against gay marriage, reading in part: "Today, the Roman Catholic Dioceses of the state of Massachusetts joined with over 3000 other religious communities within the state to offer a joint statement in support of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union...

Source: Zenit.org

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=48649

On February 7, 2004 Zenit.org posted a story on the rise of paganism worldwide, contrasted with incidents in which Christianity has been "singled out for exclusion." The article mentioned Denmark's legalization of marriages conducted by worshippers of the Norse gods and the U.S. federal court case in favor of allowing Wiccan Cyndi Simpson to deliver an invocation at a Chesterfield (Va.) county...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/religion/2391603

On February 6, 2004 The Houston Chronicle published an interview with Rice University sociologist Michael O. Emerson. Emerson, along with co-author Christian Smith, argues in his new book Divided by Faith that "white evangelicals -- despite many efforts to the contrary -- perpetuated racial divisions in the American pews. These folks were not necessarily racist, but they relied...

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0206/p02s01-ussc.html

On February 6, 2004 The Christian Science Monitor reported, "Even in a society that in many ways seems increasingly secular, fervent Christian movements continue to draw more members - and Latinos are an important part of the trend. Experts say as these immigrants plant new churches across the country, the texture of American Christianity is changing... Today, there are 9.2 million...

Source: Hindustan Times

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_561918,00050003.htm

On February 5, 2004 the Hindustan Times reported, "A major controversy erupted after UNICEF's UK branch printed a diary ignoring Hindu and Sikh religious festivals while listing religious festivals from Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. The diary which contains 25 days associated with Christianity, three days linked to Islam, two days for Judaism and one day for Buddhism...

Source: Ha-Aretz

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/391283.html

On February 5, 2004 Ha-Aretz reported, "Pope John Paul said Thursday that anti-Semitism and racism had to be utterly and repeatedly condemned and that violence in the name of religion was a desecration. The pope, addressing leaders of the American Jewish Committee visiting the Vatican, also said the Holy Land needed a solution that respected both Israelis and Palestinians. 'There is regrettably a...

Source: US Newswire

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=111-02052004

On February 5, 2004 US Newswire published the remarks by President Bush at the annual Prayer Breakfast: "There's another part our heritage we are showing in Iraq, and that is the great American tradition of religious tolerance. the Iraqi people are mostly Muslims, and we respect the faith they practice. Our troops in Iraq have helped to refurbish mosques, have treated Muslim...

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/05/national/05CHRI.html

On February 5, 2004 The New York Times reported, "Three weeks before the release of 'The Passion of the Christ,' a graphic portrayal of the torture and crucifixion of Jesus, Christians nationwide are busy preparing to use it in an immense grass-roots evangelistic campaign.

Mr. Gibson, who produced, directed and largely financed the film, has tried to stoke their enthusiasm by...

Source: Yahoo! News