Christianity

Airline Pilot Asks Christians to Identify Themselves

February 9, 2004

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-02-08-pilot-religion_x.htm

On February 9, 2004 The Associated Press reported that "an American Airlines pilot asked Christians on his flight to identify themselves and discuss their religion with non-Christian passengers, the airline said. The case was handed over to the airline's personnel department for an investigation, spokesman Tim Wagner said Sunday... Wagner said the pilot had...

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Religious Leaders Join Rally to Oppose Gay Marriage

February 9, 2004

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0402/29/a03-58833.htm

On February 9, 2004 The Boston Globe reported, "Boisterous opponents of same-sex marriage sang, cheered and chanted Sunday at a rally to build support for a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. The demonstration on the Boston Common, a short distance from the Massachusetts Statehouse, broke out into chants of 'Let the people vote!'...

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New Jersey Suburb Sees Influx of Religious Centers

February 9, 2004

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...

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Christian and Jewish Leaders Pledge to Combat Anti-Semitism

February 9, 2004

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...

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Parents Sue Over Right to Distribute Religious Jellybeans

February 9, 2004

Source: The First Amendment Center

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=12633

On February 9, 2004 the The First Amendment Center reported that "parents have sued a suburban school district because a kindergarten teacher stopped their daughter from distributing bags of jellybeans with an attached prayer to her classmates. Allen and Sheila Wuebben of suburban Kettering say the school's policy of prohibiting students from distributing religious literature...

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The Ten Commandments Return to Alabama

February 8, 2004

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...

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Evangelicals and the "Left Behind" Series

February 8, 2004

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...

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United Church of Canada to Release Document Seeking Reconciliation With Muslims

February 8, 2004

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...

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Catholics and Protestants Reject Joint Cemetery Proposal in N. Ireland

February 8, 2004

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...

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Paganism on the Rise, Christianity "Singled Out for Exclusion"

February 7, 2004

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...

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Latino Pentecostals Change American Christian Landscape

February 6, 2004

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...

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Racial Divides in US Churches

February 6, 2004

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...

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Pope: Anti-Semitism and Racism Should Be Repeatedly Condemned

February 5, 2004

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...

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Bush Calls the "Sons and Daughters of Abraham" to Action

February 5, 2004

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...

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