Interfaith

Opening Prayers in Maryland Senate Spark Debate

January 30, 2003

Source: The Washington Post

On January 30, 2003 The Washington Post reported that "while some lawmakers have complained about ministers praying 'in Jesus's name,' some religious leaders are saying they don't see why they should eliminate Jesus from a prayer to accommodate other faiths... The matter arose when, in recent Senate sessions, some ministers didn't stick to the Senate policy of making the blessings ecumenical... The latest episode came last week when the Rev. Reginald Thomas of Greater Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church in Baltimore ended...

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Threatened Islamic Center Offers Reward for Information

January 30, 2003

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.dominionpost.com/a/news/2003/01/30/bg/

On January 30, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "an Islamic group targeted by vandals and threats is offering $500 for information about the perpetrators, whose actions have been condemned by some local Christian and Jewish leaders... The latest incident occurred Friday, when someone used a chain saw to cut down and steal a sign for the Islamic Society of Western Maryland's mosque on the...

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Joint Association to Improve Catholic-Jewish Relations

January 29, 2003

Source: The American Jewish Committee

http://www.ajc.org/InTheMedia/PressReleases.asp?did=740

On January 29, 2003 The American Jewish Committee issued a press release that stated, "the American Jewish Committee and the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union, the largest Catholic school of theology in the United States, have announced a joint association dedicated to further improving Catholic - Jewish relations......

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The Interfaith Alliance on Faith-Based Initiatives and War with Iraq

January 28, 2003

Source: The Interfaith Alliance

http://www.interfaithalliance.org/press/index.htm

On January 28, 2003 The Interfaith Alliance reported that "tonight, during his third State of the Union address to the nation, President George W. Bush is expected to urge Congress to swiftly pass his beleaguered faith-based initiative and issue an appeal to the American people for support on a possible war with Iraq. Both items have caused much controversy within the religious liberty...

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Boston Interfaith Service for Peace Concurrent with State of Union Address

January 28, 2003

Source: The Boston Globe

On January 28, 2003 The Boston Globe reported that "at the Capitol in Washington, amid all the pomp and circumstance that Congress can muster, President Bush is expected to lay out his case tonight for a possible war... At the same time, at Boston's storied Trinity Church, leaders of many of the state's religious traditions will be gathering in their full liturgical finery to make their own case, for peace... Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, [organized] tonight's religious event, at which...

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Religious Diversity in Irvine, CA

January 26, 2003

Source: Los Angeles Times

On January 26, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "Irvine... has emerged as one of the nation's most religiously diverse suburbs... Here, there's a Buddhist temple that can house 42 monks, a Korean church that boasts 4,000 members and a $50-million K-12 Jewish day school. There's a $ 4-million Islamic elementary school, the county's largest Greek Orthodox Church and a university run by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod... Ahead is a $37-million Jewish community center and a Mormon temple, which sits just outside Irvine'...

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Dovetail: National Resource Group for Interfaith Couples

January 25, 2003

Source: Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/5029347.htm

On January 25, 2003 the Mercury News reported that "in 1991, Joan Hawxhurst, the granddaughter of a Baptist minister, married Steve Bertman, the grandson of Jewish immigrants. Soon, she began looking for organizations to help her negotiate the unpredictable religious terrain she and her husband found themselves exploring. There wasn't much out there that was 'open-minded...

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Update: Federal Funds to Refurbish Religious Buildings

January 24, 2003

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17490

On January 24, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "the Bush administration wants to give religious organizations access to federal housing money that could be used to erect or refurbish buildings where religious activities are held, so long as the groups also provide social services in those buildings... Critics say the proposal, part of an array of 'faith-based'...

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Religious Groups Speak Out Against War with Iraq: Jan. 2003

January 23, 2003

Source: National Council of Churches

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/03news3.html

On January 23, 2003 the National Council of Churches reported that "Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, today (Jan. 23) called on people of faith to fast and pray for peace on Monday - 'the first of three days of events that will help determine history,' he said... On Monday, the United Nations Security Council is to receive a progress report on weapons inspections in...

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Religious Groups Speak Out Against War with Iraq: Jan. 2003

January 23, 2003

Source: Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/news/religion/god23_20030123.htm

On January 23, 2003 the Detroit Free Press reported that the "war with Iraq is exposing long-simmering tensions in metro Detroit's interfaith community, and they are likely to spill into the public sphere at the annual World Sabbath of Religious Reconciliation on Saturday in Bloomfield Hills... The annual observance, which has been promoted...

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Celebrations in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 2003

January 20, 2003

Source: WKYC-TV

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=2090

On January 20, 2003 WKYC-TV reported that "Ohioans observed Martin Luther King Day with marches in sub-freezing weather and programs honoring the slain civil rights leader... In Dayton, thousands of people met at different points of the city and marched to downtown... Soka Gakkai International, a lay Buddhist group, brought about 20 whites and Asian-Americans, the third year they've marched... More than...

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CAIR Calls for Religious Leaders to Repudiate Baptist Marquee

January 20, 2003

Source: CAIR

[.cair-florida.org/church.htm]

On January 20, 2003 CAIR reported that "Florida's office of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today called on religious leaders in that state to repudiate a Jacksonville Baptist church road-side display that says, 'Jesus Forbade Murder, Matthew 26 52, Muhammad Approved Murder, Surah 8 65.' 'All Americans must band together to condemn hate speech designed to divide our nation along religious and ethnic lines. Any attempt to marginalize or vilify...

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The Interfaith Alliance Calls Legislators to Defend Religious Liberty

January 16, 2003

Source: The Interfaith Alliance

http://www.interfaithalliance.org/press/index.htm

On January 16, 2003 The Interfaith Alliance reported that "on the heels of remarks made this past weekend by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, urging Congress to determine religious freedom through legislation, The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) today brought together members of the progressive community to call upon legislators to defend religious liberty in the 108th Congress... 'Today, on...

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Interfaith Pagan Pride Parade

January 15, 2003

Source: East Bay Express

On January 15, 2003 the East Bay Express reported that "the mission statement of the Interfaith Pagan Pride Parade defines 'pagans' as: 'Those who follow indigenous, tribal, polytheistic, Nature-based, and Earth-based beliefs.' For anyone who enjoys world music and other international folk arts -- especially from the undeveloped world -- and the spirituality that comes from nature, the 'interfaith pagan' belief system might not be that much of a leap, says Berkeley's Micha Dunston... There are many other pagan orgs around...

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Muslim Coalition Receives Federal Funding to Fight Substance-Abuse

January 15, 2003

Source: Islamic Horizon

On January 15, 2003 the Islamic Horizon reported that "the coalition for Human Development (CHD), a broad based coalition established in 2001 under the auspices of the MPSGP (Muslim Physicians Society of Greater Pittsburgh), has received a $100,000 government grant to organize programs to help reduce and prevent substance-abuse in Monroeville, PA."

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