Christianity

Mass. Leaders Say They Will Vote Against Marriage Amendment

December 12, 2003

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/12/01/in_lawmaker_poll_few_back_limiting_marriage/

On December 12, 2003 The Boston Globe reported, "The state Senate president and the House majority leader, responding to a Globe survey of Massachusetts legislators, say they would vote against a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage and civil...

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Minnesota Students to Enjoy Diverse Holiday Break

December 12, 2003

Source: The Minnesota Daily

[daily.umn.edu/articles/2003/12/12/7872]

On December 12, 2003 The Minnesota Daily reported on the diverse ways Minnesota students will spend the holiday season. While Christian students prepare for Christmas, Hindus, Jews, pagans and students of other religions will also take part in activities during the holidays. Hindu students will celebrate Sankranti, a festival that traditionally marks the end of southern Asia’s harvest. 40 Jewish students will be on their way to Israel for a 10-day trip...

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After Initial Refusal, South Carolina Gov. Endorses Local Religious Diversity

December 12, 2003

Source: The Herald

http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/3124008p-2828730c.html

On December 12, 2003 The Herald reported, "Gov. Mark Sanford has bestowed the state's official blessings on Parrotheads, the martial arts, poultry and former President Ronald Reagan, so his refusal to issue a proclamation celebrating the state's religious diversity mystified a University of South Carolina professor. At a public forum earlier this week, Dr. Carl Evans, chairman...

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No Current Plans to Change 1993 Religion Law Privileging Buddhism

December 11, 2003

Source: Forum 18 News Service

http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=210

On December 11, 2003 Forum 18 News Service reported, "Mongolia's 13-member consultative Council for Religious Affairs believes the country's existing law on religion to be 'relatively fair,' that body's secretary and only full-time paid member, Samdan Tsedendamba, has told Forum 18 News Service. Consequently, there are no current plans to change the law, he remarked in the capital Ulaanbaatar...

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More Americans Making Room for Prayer

December 11, 2003

Source: USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-12-12-home-chapels_x.htm

On December 11, 2003 USA Today reported on the increasing number of American homes that include altars or private chapels for worship. "Carving out a spiritual space in the home, whether it be a separate room or a quiet corner, is increasingly common, says Peg Streep, author of Altars Made Easy and Spiritual Gardening. Why the change? Eastern culture, which 'doesn't distinguish between...

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Nativity Play at British School Reflects Religious Diversity

December 11, 2003

Source: The Independent

[education.independent.co.uk/schools/story.jsp?story=472036]

On December 11, 2003 The Independent reported, "At Cranford Infant and Nursery School, the rehearsal for the nativity play is going well. The shepherds look a little nervous, the angels a little boisterous - it is no different here from hundreds of schools up and down the land as the nativity season gets under way. It is not every school, however, in which Mary will be played by a Filipino Christian six-year-old and Joseph by a Punjabi...

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Christians and Jews Discover Common Ground at Maryland Islamic Center

December 11, 2003

Source: The Washington Post

[washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53432-2003Dec10.html?referrer=emailarticle]

On December 11, 2003 The Washington Post reported that Christians, Muslims and Jews recently gathered at Jaferia Islamic Center in Burtonsville to learn about Islamic culture and discover common bonds in the midst of this period of international conflict. "The event, sponsored by the Maryland Muslim Council, was an effort to help dispel misconceptions about Muslims and foster friendships. It included a forum, an...

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Committee Recommends Ban of "Conspicious" Religious Symbols in Public Schools

December 11, 2003

Source: United Press International

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031211-032204-3206r

On December 11, 2003 United Press International reported, "Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large crosses are to be banned from French public schools, according to a report presented to President Jacques Chirac Thursday. More 'discreet' religious symbols, such as small crosses, Muslim Hands of Fatima and Stars of David should be allowed, a 20-member committee...

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Christians Fear Attacks from Muslim Extremists in Sulawesi

December 11, 2003

Source: Cybercast News Service

[CNSnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200312\FOR20031211a.html]

On December 11, 2003 Cybercast News Service reported, "As Christmas approaches, Christians in Indonesia's Sulawesi province are worried that despite an influx of troops and police, the deteriorating security situation of the last two months may worsen. Christian campaigners working in the area say many are too scared to live normal lives, afraid to tend, harvest or market their crops for fear of attack...

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South Carolina Forum Highlights Increasing Local Diversity

December 10, 2003

Source: The State

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/7455691.htm

On December 10, 2003 The State reported that "words of Christian and Baha’i scripture, Hindu chants, and prayers offered in the Lakota Sioux language welcomed a crowd of about 60 to USC’s Gambrell Hall Tuesday night. The diversity of the offered prayers reflected the reason they had gathered — a forum on the increasing diversity of South Carolina’s religious...

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African Immigrants Change the Face of Christianity in America's Capitol

December 7, 2003

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42128-2003Dec6.html

On December 7, 2003 The Washington Post reported on the rise of African Christianity in the D.C. area, a fact that is changing not only the face, but the sound of Christianity in America's capitol city. The Post recently described an African church service, reporting that '"the priest and congregation of more than 200 people, most of them African and Caribbean...

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Interfaith Forum Says Human Failings Responsible for Lack of Peace

December 7, 2003

Source: New Straits Times

http ://w ww.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20031208074840/Article/

On December 7, 2003 the New Straits Times reported on a forum on "Religion and Violence: The Spiritual Response to Terrorism" held by the Malaysian Interfaith Network (MIN): "Speaking as chairman [of the MIN], [Datuk Anwar Fazal] saw much of the world not being at peace with itself because people were not at peace with themselves and, by that token, with others...Representatives of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism,...

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Editorial: Marginalized Christians Should Embrace "Pluralism by Providence"

December 6, 2003

Source: World on the Web

http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/12-06-03/closing_2.asp

On December 6, 2003 the evangelical Christian magazine World on the Web published an editorial by Marvin Olasky on the "providential" nature of religious pluralism in American society. According to the article, today "we have pluralism by providence, an abundance of factions religious and temporal. Some of us might wish that we lived in a different time, but that is coveting a...

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In New York, Los Angeles, Crowds Flock to Honor Our Lady of Guadalupe

December 6, 2003

Source: The Journal News

http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/120603/a01p06juandiego.html

On December 6, 2003 The Journal News reported, "Four years after Pope John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the patroness of not only Mexico but the Americas, New York's diverse Catholic community is demonstrating the growing devotion to the indigenous Mexican vision of the Virgin Mary. Hundreds came to St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday to see a tiny...

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