Interfaith

A Lawsuit Threat Is Gone and Christmas Trees Return

December 13, 2006

Author: William Yardley

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/13/us/13trees.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

SEATTLE, Dec. 12 -- Fourteen Christmas trees that were abruptly sent to storage on Friday were back on display Tuesday in the main terminal of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, neither taller nor brighter than they had been before but clearly drawing more attention.

“I saw people taking pictures,...

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"Let's put the Holy Back into Holidays," a Commentary by Angelique Walker-Smith

December 13, 2006

Author: Angelique Walker-Smith

Source: IndyStar

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061213/OPINION01/612130368/-1/ZONES04

Have you heard? It's official. Christmas is back at Wal-Mart.

The specific mention of Christmas is no longer persona non grata within the array of the many holidays retailed at this time of year. But for many people of faith, the retailing of holy seasons like...

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New Core Loses 'Faith'

December 13, 2006

Author: LOIS E. BECKETT and EVAN H. JACOBS

Source: The Harvard Crimson

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=516372

The task force charged with replacing Harvard’s Core curriculum has dropped its headline-grabbing proposal for a “Reason and Faith” requirement - a category that would have made Harvard the only Ivy to require its undergrads to study religion.

The committeehas also suggested a new course requirement on...

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Interfaith Families Create a Season of Peace by Sharing Traditions

December 13, 2006

Author: Cassandra Spratling

Source: The News Sentinel/Detroit Free Press

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/16229194.htm

DETROIT - The exterior of the D'Amore-Braver home glows with sparkling Christmas lights, adding a festive flair to their street in a Troy, Mich., subdivision.

Inside on a recent Monday evening, Arnie and Andrea and their two sons, Alex and Andrew, string lights and place bows and ornaments to adorn...

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Dispute over Public Religious Symbols in Romania

December 12, 2006

Source: Ekklesia

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_061212rom.shtml

Churches in Romania have denounced calls from an anti-discrimination body for a French-style ban on religious symbols from schools in order to protect the state's secular character and ensure "freedom of conscience" for pupils - Jonathan Luxmoore for Ecumenical News International.

"The presence of religious symbols in schools is not the result of an...

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U.S. Military Chaplains Support More than 100 Faiths

December 11, 2006

Author: Judyth Piazza

Source: News Blaze

http://newsblaze.com/story/20061201142620tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html

As the demographics of the U.S. military have changed in recent years, the military has become more intent on facilitating religious practices of all of its members.

Chief Master Sergeant Aphrodite Kafka, an Orthodox Christian, who has served in the Air Force for decades, has seen...

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New Congress Brings with it Religious Firsts

December 11, 2006

Author: Jonathan Tilove

Source: Pew Forum

Wire Service: RNS

http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=12156

The new Congress will, for the first time, include a Muslim, two Buddhists, more Jews than Episcopalians, and the highest-ranking Mormon in congressional history.

Roman Catholics remain the largest single faith group in Congress, accounting for 29 percent of all members of the House and Senate, followed...

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Iran Defends Holocaust Conference

December 11, 2006

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6167695.stm

Iran's foreign minister has rejected criticism of a two-day conference being held in Iran to examine whether the Holocaust actually happened.

Manouchehr Mottaki told participants the event did not seek to confirm or deny the Holocaust, but rather to allow people to "express their views freely".

Israel's prime minister has condemned the gathering as "a sick phenomenon".

President...

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"Against Coercion," a Commentary by Martin E. Marty

December 11, 2006

Author: Martin Marty

Source: Sightings

http://marty-center.uchicago.edu/sightings/archive_2006/1211.shtml

Two events this season led me to go back to the Sightings archive, to a column dated October 29, 2001 ("Listening to Lactantius"). Giving evidence of our passion always to be current, we cited Lactantius from the years 302 and 303, because what he wrote then spoke so directly to current affairs. Incident one here is the flap over...

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People of Other Faiths Navigate the Holiday Hoopla

December 10, 2006

Author: Deepti Hajela

Source: The Shreveport Times

Wire Service: AP

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061210/LIVING/612100310/1004/LIVING

NEW YORK -- Christmas morning is a bonanza for my nephews and nieces, box after box from loving aunts, uncles and grandfolk. I love watching them open all the gifts, but I have to admit to a twinge of envy, even now...

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"The Elephant in the Room at the WISE Conference," a Commentary by Pamela K. Taylor

December 10, 2006

Author: Pamela K. Taylor

Source: The American Muslim

http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the_elephant_in_the_room_at_the_wise_conference/0012228

Attending the WISE conference organized by the ASMA society in late November was a tremendous experience. It was humbling to be sitting next to women from around the globe who had done so much, spoken out so fearlessly, and risked...

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Women Go Beyond Faith for Common Good

December 9, 2006

Author: Rebecca Rakoczy

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/living/faithandvalues/stories/2006/12/09/relinterfaith1209a.html

A candle is lit. A brass bowl is struck. The ringing sound echoes in a simple cinder-block office as eight women of different beliefs -- including a "fallen-away" Catholic, a secular humanist and an agnostic -- contemplate what they're grateful...

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London Bombings Led to Review of Policy on Religion and Race, Blair Says

December 8, 2006

Source: Boston Herald

Wire Service: AP

http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=171107

LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair stoked a simmering debate over religious tolerance and cultural assimilation on Friday, saying it was the duty of all immigrants to integrate into British society.

Blair announced plans to more carefully allocate funding to faith groups, saying grants would no longer be awarded...

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Muslims and Jews Partner to Improve Relations, Improve the City of Los Angeles

December 8, 2006

Source: Muslim Public Affairs Council

http://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:2785.450259202/rid:4f7eb1eb0b432aa8d45eed8b3cb021e9

(Los Angeles - 12/8/06) -- Moving beyond the ongoing crisis in the Middle East which often puts Muslim and Jewish Americans at odds, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA) are launching "NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change" -- an...

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