Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On June 23, 2001, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "thousands of Baha'i believers, followers of a faith whose teachings say the time has come for all people to be unified in a single global society, will converge on Milwaukee next week for a national conference unlike any they have held before... Invitations...have gone out to 10,000 non-Baha'is across the country...'This conference is specifically designed to demonstrate not only to the Baha'is but to the general public the community building aspects of a...

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...

Source: The Morning Call

On June 23, 2001, the Allentown Morning Call reported on the Columcille Megalith Park near Bangor, in Pennsylvania. "The park is a spiritual retreat and meditation sanctuary for the public...in Upper Mount Bethel Township...Today...Columcille holds its annual Summer Solstice Celebration... Historically, sacred rituals held at megalith sites signaled such seasonal crossings... The array of activities at [the] event is symbolic of that New Age philosophy that draws equally on Celtic legend. The sacred sounds of Native American...

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.

Source: Newsday

On June 23, 2001, Newsday reported that many Catholics have begun practicing Zen, a Buddhist form of meditation. One of them explained that "practicing meditation doesn't mean you have to give up your Catholic faith. I find it helps me to bring more to...my Catholic exercises." Another said "he believes Zen is becoming more popular because the world 'is shifting away from the dogmatic religion and moving toward a meditative type of spirituality.'"

Source: Religion...

Source: southofboston

http ://l edger.southofboston.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2001/June/21-1170-news03.txt

On June 21, 2001, southofboston.com reported that the Resthaven Nursing Home in Braintree "was recently purchased by the Vietnamese Buddhist Community of Massachusetts. The Venerable Thich Thien Hue, a Vietnamese monk who is setting up a temple and community center at the site, hopes that residents from Braintree and beyond will soon visit to meditate and learn about Buddhism."

Source: The Washington Post

On June 21, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "four churches in Hyattsville that were once all-white have morphed into a polyglot of faith and racial togetherness[, as] Prince George's County has changed from a predominantly white county to one that is predominantly black...At First United Methodist Church...[an] African American pastor booms out sermons to pews filled with blacks, whites, Hispanics and immigrants from 38 nations. At the Redeemer Lutheran Church...the son of German immigrants... [preaches to] congregants...

Source: The Kansas City Star

On June 21, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported that "the leader of the National Conference for Community and Justice called on churches and synagogues to quash racism, bigotry and bias" at the organization's regional conference in Kansas City...He said faith-based groups in America have gotten away from fighting social ills such as racism because they have gotten too caught up with other issues."

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On June 20, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "Federal Express Corp. must allow employees to wear beards for religious reasons, the U.S. District Court in Augusta has ruled. The decision came after [Muslim] Khaleed Abdul-Azeez filed a complaint through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming that the company violated his religious beliefs and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with its policy prohibiting employees in customer-contact positions from wearing beards."

Source: In-Forum

http://www.in-forum.com/pub/06202001/25733.shtml

On June 20, 2001, In-Forum, the online media partner of The Forum, of North Dakota, reported that organizers of "the second annual Pagan Hands Across the Red River are hurt by what they call 'bad publicity' about the four-day pagan festival 40 miles south of Fargo. Letters published on The...

Source: The Virginian-Pilot

On June 20, 2001, The Virginian-Pilot reported that two scholars "urged...in a forum broadcast live on public radio...a model in which religion is treated with respect and taught in the curriculum" in public schools. "But we keep the government from imposing or denigrating religion," they said. Both scholars "work with the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, whose focus is religious liberty...The scholars said that teaching about religion can be - and should be - included in school curriculums that are based on sound...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 19, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "southland Muslim and Jewish leaders decided...to restart a troubled interfaith dialogue group after Mideast tensions moved the Islamic side to freeze the effort last month...The group...has lost members in the last several months as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stoked emotions and suspicions on both sides." Many, however, believe that the issues need to be squarely addressed in interfaith dialogue.

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 19, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "a year after striking down student-led prayers before high school football games in Santa Fe, the U.S. Supreme Court...let stand a lower court's ruling [in Alabama] allowing such prayers." Having previously ruled that the student-led prayers violated the separation between church and state, "the justices did not explain why they chose to pass on hearing the [Alabama] case...Lawyers for the American Center for Law and Justice...hailed the action as a 'critical victory for...

Source: The New York Times

On June 19, 2001, The New York Times reported that "it is in the United States that the consciousness of being part of a single Hispanic world -- absent in Latin America -- has been emerging as varied Hispanic peoples experience identical conflicts with American culture...Such conflicts are essentially religious." Hispanics share similar values, which can follow the Republican or Democratic policies, depending on whether these policies "have their origin in Catholic social thought."