Source: Star Tribune

On April 20, 2003 the Star Tribune reported on "the Northfield Buddhist Meditation Center -- a plain, handsome room above a jewelry store on the main street in town... There, about two dozen people gather every Sunday to meditate, to reflect on the direction of their life, to focus on injustice in the world and to be silent, peaceful. They sit or kneel on black cushions in a stark white room... Two private colleges in this town of 17,000 people, about 45 minutes south of the Twin Cities...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 19, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "the United Methodist Church in Garden Grove [CA]... and two other Garden Grove churches held an ecumenical observance of Good Friday -- the day, according to the Bible, that Jesus was crucified... The services began at noon in St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church, where a procession formed afterward behind the 8-foot cross and wound its way through 2 1/2 miles of streets, stopping at three other churches... At each, the 'stations' of Jesus' journey from condemnation to...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On April 18, 2003 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "last weekend, members of a small East Side congregation blended Jewish and Christian practices into a Holy Week/Passover worship ceremony that ended with a feast -- a springtime tradition of both faiths... The Church of God and Saints of Christ began with evening worship on Palm Sunday, followed by a Passover Seder, or festive meal... Celebrations in many other faiths are festivals rich in food, but not just at springtime... Bahais hold communal meetings every 19 days....

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48427-2003Apr17.html

On April 18, 2003 The Washington Post printed an letter to the editor by Stephen Goldberg stating that "the Pentagon's refusal to rescind its invitation to the Rev. Franklin Graham to deliver the Good Friday homily at the Defense Department, despite his labeling of Islam as an evil religion, demonstrates that the Bush administration's call for outreach to...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On April 18, 2003 The Baltimore Sun reported that "as images and news about the war in Iraq have loomed in recent weeks, Howard County religious leaders have been focusing on messages of peace... Members of many area churches and synagogues have been straddling the fine line between support for U.S. troops overseas and discussing whether the war is just. Whether their members have supported the war or opposed military action, many congregations simply prayed for a peaceful and just resolution... Bon Secours Spiritual Center in...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48427-2003Apr17.html

On April 18, 2003 The Washington Post printed an letter to the editor by Robert Kramer stating that "regarding the April 15 editorial 'Evangelize Elsewhere' and the news story of the same day 'Graham Invitation Irks Muslims at Pentagon': Somebody is missing the point... Why is the Pentagon hosting a Good Friday service to begin with? Are America's leaders so...

Source: Sightings

On April 17, 2003 Sightings printed an editorial by James L. Evans stating that "I admit to being a bit offended by the U.S. military's use of the words shock and awe to describe the bombing campaign which began the war with Iraq. Not shock so much, since obviously the stunning effect of explosives is part of the process of defeating an enemy. The ones who are not killed by the blast are demoralized by its shocking force... But awe is something else. Awe is basically a religious term. It combines feelings of reverence with affection or...

Source: The Star Press

http://www.thestarpress.com/tsp/news/local/03/apr/0413duelingprayers.php

On April 17, 2003 The Star Press reported that "the plan had been to unite the community in a moment of prayer. But organizers of Muncie's [IN] observance of the National Day of Prayer said they just couldn't imagine Jewish and Muslim prayers being offered at the May 1 ceremony at Muncie City Hall... 'We're praying in the name of the Father Creator, Jesus...

Source: News Observer

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2443400p-2272463c.html

On April 16, 2003 the News Observer printed an interview with Warren A. Nord, director of the humanities program at UNC-Chapel Hill, relative to U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige's recent remarks. Nord stated, "it's extremely important to get into a discussion of Christian values. But people are worried that Christian values will be taught in a privileged way. Many of the values...

Source: The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/5642668.htm

On April 16, 2003 The Miami Herald reported that "when Miami-Dade County police were called to a home in South Miami-Dade, they found people slicing up chunks of goat meat and plucking feathers from chickens. Blood spattered the feet of some of those in the house... 'You're killers! You're all going to jail!' one officer yelled as the elderly residents began to panic... The...

Source: The Arizona Republic

Source: Democrat and Chronicle

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/0416story4_news.shtml

On April 16, 2003 the Democrat and Chronicle reported that "sprinkled among Rochester’s [NY] numerous Christian churches and Jewish synagogues are signs of Rochester’s growing religious diversity -- Tibetan, Laotian and Vietnamese Buddhist temples, a Sikh Gurdwara and a handful of botanicas, or shops, catering to, among others, followers of voodoo and...

Source: The Associated Press

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.hoosiertimes.com/stories/2003/04/14/news.0414-HT-A6_PJR27254.sto

On April 14, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "a Christian-centered prayer service at Muncie's [IN] city hall excluding other faiths has prompted plans for a rival interfaith gathering for the same day and place... Unitarian Universalist minister Thomas Perchlik said he regrets that the May 1 observation of the National Day of Prayer...

Source: The Chicago Sun-Times

http://www.suntimes.com/output/falsani/cst-nws-faith13.html

On April 13, 2003 The Chicago Sun-Times reported that "religious leaders [are debating about] what kind of participation religious groups should have in the rebuilding of Iraqi society... Bishop Mark Hanson, leader of the 5.1-million member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, hopes the Bush administration will listen to certain American religious leaders who are...