Christianity

Eastern and Western Traditions Come Together in Washington Church

June 29, 2001

Source: The Columbian

On June 29, 2001, The Columbian reported that "at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church [in Vancouver, Washington]...a certified Qigong instructor teaches the ancient practice of movement and meditation once a week." Qigong was created in China more than 4,000 years ago.

Women's Church Group Devoted to Service and Inclusion

June 28, 2001

Source: Dayton Daily News

On June 28, 2001, the Dayton Daily News reported that Ashton McDaniel is the newly elected president of Church Women United in Greater Dayton. "Church Women United is an ecumenical movement of Christian women who witness to their faith through worship, study, action, celebration and global relationships." It is open to all denominations.

Religious Leaders Demand Educational Reform in Pennsylvania

June 28, 2001

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On June 28, 2001, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that "Protestant pastors and a Jewish rabbi gathered at the state Capitol...to demand change in a school funding system they view as unjust, immoral and outrageous. They promised to organize their congregations and communities into a grass-roots campaign to 'target' lawmakers in the next election...They lamented the disparity between rich and poor school districts."

Methodist Chooses Conversion to Judaism

June 28, 2001

Source: The Morning Call

On June 28, 2001, The Morning Call reported on Albert Poe, who "was born into a Methodist family 41 years ago but stopped going to church in his late teens...He began discussing religion with Jewish buddies, and something felt right to him about a faith that he saw as 'a way of life.'...To convert, [he] took six months of classes, learning basic Hebrew, a brief history of Judaism and the basis for Jewish holidays."

Judiciary Committee to Vote on Faith-Based Initiative

June 28, 2001

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On June 28, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "legislation mirroring President Bush's faith-based initiative moves forward today after the White House and lawmakers reached an agreement on constitutional concerns. The full House Judiciary Committee will vote on whether to recommend" the bill. "The legislation...has been altered to strengthen the wall between church and state."

Visitors Convene in Minneapolis to Discuss Religion's Role in Public Service

June 28, 2001

Source: Star Tribune

On June 28, 2001, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that "more than 3,000 visitors assemble in Minneapolis... for the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service...Much discussion during their conference will focus on the role of religion in the nonprofit sector." The topic has been much discussed since Bush introduced his faith-based initiative.

First Communions Lavish Affairs in South Florida, Expecially Among Cuban-Americans

June 27, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On June 27, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that "the tradition of receiving the Roman Catholic sacrament for the first time threatens to go over the top in this city of lavish expenditures [Miami]...In many affluent Hispanic communities in South Florida...the extravagant affairs have become a common ritual, putting friends and neighbors in a competition to throw the biggest Communion bash...For many Cuban-Americans...[First Communion] is not only a rite of passage but an indicator of success and status."

School Board Considers Changes to Religion Policy

June 27, 2001

Source: The Seattle Times

On June 27, 2001, The Seattle Times reported that "students would be permitted to say nondisruptive prayers in the classroom, and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny could be part of holiday displays in school hallways, under proposed policy changes that will be presented tonight to the Kent School Board. The changes would replace strict guidelines the district put into effect last fall," that drew objections from students, parents and others.

Selectmen Vote to Allow Display of Menorah

June 27, 2001

Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette

On June 27, 2001, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that "the [Westboro, Massachusetts] Board of Selectmen...approved a menorah display for the downtown rotary in December, reversing its earlier position on the issue...Selectmen worried that allowing a menorah display would open it to any number of unwanted displays...Westboro Town Counsel Alan F. Dodd said in a report to selectmen last night that the town cannot forbid the free exchange of ideas at the rotary."

Baptists Express Uncertainty about Bush's Faith-Based Initiative

June 26, 2001

Source: The Providence Journal-Bulletin

On June 26, 2001, The Providence Journal-Bulletin reported that "delegates to the Biennial Meeting of the American Baptist Churches-USA voted by a ratio of 4 to 1 to approve a statement highly critical of [Bush's faith-based initiative] but without enough votes to make it official...The debate [at the meeting] made clear that the issue of separation of church and state remains a fundamental concern for American Baptists."

Clergy Insists Government Enforce Wage Violation Payments

June 26, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On June 26, 2001, The New York Times reported that "16 United States senators are at loggerheads with 18 bishops from various denominations...The senators...have urged the department to drop [an] enforcement effort, in which inspectors found wage violations at...51 poultry plants [and told the plants to pay $350 million in back wages]...But the religious leaders want the Labor Department to press ahead, saying the poultry workers need the government's protection."

Reports of Orthodox Catholic Family Slaughtering Sheep Discounted

June 25, 2001

Source: The Morning Call

On June 25, 2001, the Allentown Morning Call reported that "Bethlehem police stopped by [Tea Javashvili's] party...after receiving reports that partygoers were slaughtering sheep, a violation within city limits." Javashvili's Orthodox Catholic family had immigrated from Georgia, the former Soviet republic. They said the lamb they were using "was dead when they bought it from a local butcher, and they were cutting it up in their back yard as part of a religious practice."

Washington Archdiocese Reaches Out to Latinos

June 24, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On June 24, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "concerned about the loss of traditionally Catholic Latinos to Protestant evangelical and Pentecostal churches that energetically proselytize for new members, more Catholics have decided to respond in kind...About 200 Catholic Latinos from local parishes...fanned out in heavily Latino neighborhoods of Northwest Washington ...in an evangelization effort sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington...In the Washington archdiocese,...170,000 of the 510,000 Catholics are of Hispanic...

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Religious Rivalries in Ukraine

June 23, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On June 23, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on Ukraine, "an extraordinarily tense spot on the map of world religion, where three branches of Orthodoxy and two branches of Catholocism vie with one another, with Protestant missionaries, and with the legacy of 70 years of state-enforced atheism. 'Ukraine is ground zero of Orthodox-Catholic tension in the late 20th and early 21st century, and the tension has spilled onto the international scene,' said one member of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. "From the vantage point of...

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Groups Collaborate to Streamline Aid to Bosnian Immigrants

June 23, 2001

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On June 23, 2001, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Southside Bosnian Services Collaborative in St. Louis, which is an organization formed last year to help Bosnians in the region. It is composed of representatives from 40 organizations, including south St. Louis churches, Christian faith-based social agencies, medical clinics and hospitals. Several churches are trying to make Bosnian immigrants in the region feel more welcome.

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