Source: The Washington Post

On June 4, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "in 1998, two Elkhart [Indiana] residents, aided by the Indiana Civil Liberties Union (ICLU), filed a lawsuit demanding the removal of" a monument in front of city hall that lists the Ten Commandments, on the grounds that it violated the separation of church and state. "Mayor David Miller...led the petition drive and helped design bumper stickers to save the monument. The issue was constantly on the front page of the local paper...Miller, 44, has made it a personal crusade to...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On June 3, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported on the parishioners of St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church, who "trace their denomination's origins to A.D. 52, when, they believe, one of Jesus' apostles, Thomas, traveled to Asia and established one of the earliest Christian communities." After years of dreams and work, this church was completed last month.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On June 2, 2001, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "St. Louis will host at least six major religious gatherings downtown between [June] and early October...Religious bodies gather to pray, elect their leaders, study Scripture and use their considerable influence to affect public policy." Roman Catholics will gather at the St. Louis Archdiocese Eucharistic Congress. The Women of Faith, a for-profit evangelistic group from Plano, Texas, will be meeting as well. Other cities will also host gatherings of religious groups...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 2, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "the pope's preacher and a newly consecrated cardinal top the speakers scheduled to address a national gathering of charismatic Catholics...in Houston...The gathering, the National Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference, is expected to attract more than 3,000 people. The goal of the conference is to revitalize the faithful and reach across denominations to Christians who share an emotional and Pentecostal approach to worship." The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a 34-year-...

Source: The Seattle Times

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 2, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported on Azusa Street in L.A., where the Pentecostal movement started in 1906. "This week, as thousands of believers gathered again in Los Angeles for the World Pentecostal Conference, a long-stalled effort to give the site its due took a significant step forward. In a ceremony...a multicultural memorial committee brought together Pentecostal and Japanese American leaders...Project members envision a mural and computerized kiosk that would tell of Azusa Street's rich and dramatic history......

Source: The Jerusalem Post

On June 1, 2001, The Jerusalem Post reported that "lined up along the Holocaust Memorial Wall across from the United Nations headquarters, Jewish, Christian, and Hindu leaders wore yellow stickers and spoke out in solidarity with Afghan Hindus, who are being forced by the nation's ruling Taliban movement to wear saffron- colored garments...Jewish and Israeli leaders condemned the [Taliban's dress-code] ruling, declaring it reminiscent of the Nazi era and the Holocaust."

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On June 1, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "some students and parents object to the singing of explicitly religious lyrics in public schools. These critics -- including the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which filed a lawsuit against Columbus schools last month on behalf of three families -- think the practice violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause." The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ohio chapter's president said he has no problem with the songs as long as they are initiated by students...

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On May 31, 2001, The Christian Science Monitor reported that officials in Harlan County [Kentucky] have found a way around the ACLU injunction forcing them to take down copies of the Ten Commandments that were posted in public places. "They simply bundled the Commandments with other classic texts, such as the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence, and reposted them as 'historical documents.' It's just one of several recent actions that have shown how determined some in the Bible Belt are to reintroduce...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On May 31, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported that "the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church that suffered under 70 years of Communist rule is celebrating the [1700th] anniversary of its homeland's conversion to Christianity...In an ecumenical ceremony yesterday rich in pomp at the Roman Catholic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception [in Washington, D.C.], national religious leaders prayed in thanksgiving for the survival of the church and for the road that lies ahead."

Source: The Denver Post

On May 30, 2001, The Denver Post reported on "sacred dancers [who] praise God through movement...Some dance for their congregations, others as a private form of prayer...They share a conviction that movement deepens the spiritual experience...Sacred dance...has a place in many religions and was part of the early Jewish and Christian church."

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On May 30, 2001, the St. Petersburg Times reported that "community activist Charles Schrader, who was ejected from a School Board meeting last week for praying a pagan prayer over Chairwoman Patience Nave's invocation, asked...whether he can lead the prayer at the next regular board meeting June 12" in the spirit of religious diversity. Nave responded that "it was the board's meeting. So they should be the ones conducting the prayers."

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On May 30, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "a hotly contested ruling that an Indiana city must remove a statue containing the Ten Commandments from outside City Hall will not face Supreme Court review, a divided court said." A lawyer supporting display of the Commandments said that the high court's decision not to review the case would "only add to the confusion surrounding the displays of Ten Commandments in communities across the country." His opponents, however, said that "the Supreme Court decision not to review...

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On May 28, 2001, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on the biannual West County Greek Festival. "'These events are really important for us because they celebrate Greek culture and really bring our people together,' said the Rev. Joseph Strzelecki. 'Greece is predominately Orthodox, and the church is the center of the social life. To Greeks, culture and faith are one.' Reflecting that union, the festival included traditional food, dance and music, as well as lectures in the church's 40-pew sanctuary."

Source: Newsday

On May 28, 2001, Newsday reported that "Armenians from throughout the Northeast and beyond converged on Central Park [in New York City] to welcome His Holiness Karekin II, leader of the Armenian Church, on his first pontifical visit to the United States." The role of Karekin II "is analogous to that of the Roman Catholic pope...The Armenian Church is an independent Christian church... The service -conducted in K'rapar, a medieval dialect of Armenian - represented the highlight of a weekend-long celebration."