Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/04/movies/04PASS.html

On February 4, 2004 The New York Times reported that "Mel Gibson, responding to focus groups as much as to protests by Jewish critics, has decided to delete a controversial scene about Jews from his film, 'The Passion of the Christ,' a close associate said today.

A scene in the film, in which the Jewish high priest Caiaphas calls down a kind of curse on the Jewish people by...

Source: Xinhuanet

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/03/content_1296290.htm

On February 3, 2004 Xinhuanet reported, "For the first time in more than half a century, two Christian churches will be built in the capital city. At the same time, plans to renovate two ancient temples for Buddhist and Taoist religious rites are in the works. It is the first time churches are going up in the city since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. One...

Source: The Central City Appeal

http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/centralcity_appeal/article/0,1426,MCA_15698_2611627,00.htm

On February 1, 2004 The Central City Appeal reported on celebrations for the Vietnamese New Year at Sacred Heart Church in Memphis Tenn. "Sacred Heart is the church home of Memphis Catholics from around the world: Vietnam, Portugal, India, Canada, Mexico, Central America, England, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and...

Source: The Arizona Republic

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0201aramaic01.html

On February 1, 2004 The Arizona Republic ran a story from the Christian Science Monitor on the use of Aramaic, a language used in the Middle East during the time of Jesus, in the Greek portion of Cyprus. The article reported, "Aramaic is still used in everyday life by most of the 130 elderly Maronite Catholics in Kormakiti, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea......

Source: The State

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/7840904.htm

On January 31, 2004 The State reported, "People of faith from a wide range of traditions came together at Washington Street United Methodist Church Friday night to affirm their commitment to fight poverty and injustice in the world. The interfaith worship service, which drew a diverse crowd of more than 200, was part of the People’s Agenda for Economic Justice, a two-day effort...

Source: Daily News

http://www.dailynews.lk/2004/01/31/new13.html

On January 31, 2004 the Daily News reported on statement released by the National Christian Council in Sri Lanka on the violence against Christians in that country. The statement read, "The National Christian Council is gravely concerned over the continuous stirring up of resentment against Christians and the increasing incidence of unchecked violence directed at Christian places of worship. It is obvious from...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.projo.com/ap/ma/1075580031.htm

On January 31, 2004 The Associated Press reported, "Readers looking for the one true Jesus won't find him in Boston University professor Stephen Prothero's new book 'American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon.' Instead, they will discover the extraordinary range of identities Jesus has assumed in American culture - in art, music, literature and more - over the past four centuries. The range...

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/30/opinion/30COQ.html

On January 30, 2004 The New York Times ran an op-ed piece by Guy Coq, author of a book on secularism in France, in which he argued for the value of laïcité, the closed French word to "secularism." Coq writes, "Our uneasiness about head scarves and other religious symbols in schools is a result of our long, often painful, history. If we bow to demands to allow the practice of religion...

Source: BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3445229.stm

On January 30, 2004 the BBC reported, "An increasingly polarised presidential election appears to be in the offing. One of the fault-lines is religion and, in particular, President George W Bush's evangelical faith and how that guides his political beliefs." The article outlines the muscle of the Christian coalition, many of whom are hoping that President Bush will help "keep the deterioration of society at bay...

Source: SikhNetwork

http://www.sikhnet.com/s/PopeMessage

On January 30, 2004 the SikhNetwork reported, "[T]he Vatican issued a message from His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Tarlochan Singh, Chairman National Commission for Minorities in India in response to Tarlochan Singh's previous communication to the Vatican regarding the proposed ban on the turban for Sikhs in the schools of France...[The Pope writes,] 'Communities of believers, an expression of the religious...

Source: Forward

http://www.forward.com/issues/2004/04.01.30/news7.html

On January 30, 2004 Forward reported, "With the controversial film "The Passion of the Christ" set to open next month, some Christian groups are launching campaigns to counter theological errors that may exist in Mel Gibson's account of the death of Jesus, while several Roman Catholic scholars are calling on their church to outline publicly its doctrinal belief as a counterbalance to the movie....

Source: The Commercial Appeal

http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/local_news/article/0,1426,MCA_437_2615673,00.html

On January 30, 2004 The Commercial Appeal reported that "Shelby County school officials will ditch political correctness and call a midyear vacation Christmas break. The name change is either a nonissue or a sign of religious insensitivity, depending on whom you ask. Tim Wildmon of the Tupelo-based American Family Association said...

Source: The Associated Press

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0128/p06s01-woaf.html

On January 28, 2004 The Christian Science Monitor reported, "[A]n end to Sudan's 20-year civil war - between mostly Muslim northerners and Christian and traditional southerners - is in sight. Conciliation is in the air. Officials appear to be moderating their religious policies. Now the test is whether Sudan can morph from an ethno-religious killing ground into a modern melting pot...

Source: Zenit

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=48120

On January 28, 2004 Zenit reported, "In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Christians are forbidden to celebrate or pray in public and priests are denied visas to enter, says a bishop in neighboring India. Bishop Stephen Lepcha, whose Diocese of Darjeeling includes the kingdom, explained that Buddhism is the official religion of Bhutan, and every other form of religion and mission is prohibited....