Source: No source given.

In Somerset, MA, a 60-year tradition of a creche on the front lawn of the Somerset Town Hall was ruled unconstitutional because it violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. On December 1st, 1998, the Boston Globe reported on the federal ruling by US District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns in Boston (December 1, 1998, Boston Globe, Metro/Region, Pg. B1). Stearns ruled this particular creche presentation unconstitutional because it offered "no superabundance of secular symbols to dilute the religious message...

Source: Newsday

On December 7, 1998, Newsday reported that a fire destroyed the Nativity scene of the Village of Massapequa Park on December 4th. Steven Zimmerman, assistant chief of the Massapequa Fire Department, stated that "we don't know exactly what caused the fire, but it does seem suspicious."

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 7, 1998, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Coptic Orthodox Church has dedicated a new church in Northridge, the first to be built in the San Fernando Valley. Due to the influx of immigrant Egyptian Christians, the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria created the Diocese of Southern California and Hawaii in 1995 to accommodate the burgeoning population. The diocese now includes 21 churches, with the new parish at Northridge being the fourth church built in the new diocese.

Source: The Boston Globe

On October 6, 1998, The Boston Globe published an article dealing with a proposed Bible-as-literature course at James Monroe High School in Monroe County, West Virginia. The proposal, which now rests with the school board to devise a Constitutionally- allowable curriculum, has met strong local opposition from four clergy members from three mainstream denominations. Their major concern is that "teaching the Bible purely as a literary gem - severed, as constitutional practice demands, from its spiritual and religious context -...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 3, 1998, The Los Angeles Times reported that a national-level Buddhist-Catholic dialogue was taking place at the Serra Retreat in Malibu on the weekend of October 3rd and 4th. James Fredericks, a professor of comparative theology at Loyola Marymount University, stated that the meeting was "historically important" for the understanding of Buddhism and Catholicism in this country. The event, sponsored by the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California, will hopefully spark...

Source: The Buffalo News

On October 3, 1998, The Buffalo News reported that representatives from both the Boy Scouts and the Unitarian Universalist Church will meet in Boston later in the month "in an attempt to patch up a relationship severed by disagreements over gay rights and religious freedom." Earlier this year, the Boy Scouts told the Unitarians that they could no longer give out the Religion in Life awards, which are bestowed to boys for their religious activities. The Boy Scouts, who encourage thousands of churches, mosques, and synagogues to...

Source: National Catholic Register

On September 6, 1998, the National Catholic Register reported that the Catholic Focolare movement and the Baltimore archdiocese sponsored an event entitled "Dialogue as a Lifestyle" at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore on August 23rd, 1998. The dialogue featured representatives of three faiths: William Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore, U.S. Episcopal moderator of Catholic-Jewish relations; Rabbi Jack Bemporad, director of the Center for Interreligious Understanding at Ramapo College; and Imam Abdulmalik Mohammed...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On July 11, 1998, the St. Petersburg Times published an article entitled "Dialogue Falls Flat as Pastor Blasts Islam During Interfaith Meeting."

Source: The Washington Post

On June 27, 1998, The Washington Post reported that Amish youth are not immune to the problems of drinking and drug use, as testified by the recent arrests of two young Amish men for buying cocaine and sharing it at parties. A rite of passage for youth called "rumschpringes" involves a period of relative freedom before actively choosing reentry into the church with adult responsibilities, and during this time youth may be exposed to behaviors otherwise incompatible with the Amish lifestyle. While only a minority of Amish...

Source: The Boston Globe

On June 14, 1998, The Boston Globe reported that The National Conference of Christians and Jews is celebrating its 70th anniversary by changing its name to the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ). This new name more clearly reflects their work for entire communities, which includes interfaith work and also work on issues of gender, class, race, gay and lesbian issues, and disabilities. In Boston, the NCCJ works on leadership development with a variety of programs that connect people, and they have recently...

Source: The Washington Post

An article entitled "Rabbi Receives Papal Award" appeared in the Washington Post, May 9, 1998.

Source: Orange County Register

Rev. Bao Xuan Nguyen, a Vietnamese Christian is called "pastor to the world." On April 4, 1998, the Orange County Register ran an article entitled "Power of Love" which profiled him and his action ministry.

Source: The Boston Globe

On March 8, 1998 The Boston Globe reported, "To measure this city's ethnic transformation, the Francis W. Parker elementary school in North Quincy is a good place to start. For generations, the students who filled the Parker's classrooms reflected the overwhelmingly white neighborhood around it. But Quincy has become a different city. An Asian migration that began as a trickle in the late 1970s picked up speed in the '80s and continues to gain momentum through the '90s has dramatically changed the look of the city. At the Parker...

Source: Pagan Educational Network

On August 17, 1996 the Pagan Educational Network released a press release stating that "In response to the burning of African-American churches across the South, the Pagan Community Fund (PCF) and the Pagan Educational Network (PEN) announce the birth of the Yemaya Fund... The birth of this fund springs from PCF's mission to assist those in need regardless of their faith and PEN's commitment to build community and religious freedom for all."