Source: Salt Lake Tribune

Wire Service: AP

http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2557177

On February 6, 2005 the Associated Press reported, "In a few months, the stewards of the Grand Shrine of Ise, or Jingu, will begin constructing replicas of these buildings, then transfer the deities to the new sites and commit what seems unthinkable: tear down the old ones. Destroying some of the country's most cherished religious monuments sounds like...

Source: Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/religion/2898242

On November 12, 2004 the Houston Chronicle reported, "As old perhaps as Japan itself, Shinto is a rich mixture of folklore, reverence for all things natural and the Japanese nation itself. But to say one believes in Shinto has become almost meaningless: For most Japanese, the worshipping side of Shinto is relegated to a small cadre of priests and their helpers, most of whom...

Source: The Japan Times

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2004/05/01/national/unesco-heritage-bid-challenged-over-gender-bias/

On May 1, 2004 The Japan Times reported, "...

Source: The Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040317a5.htm

On March 17, 2004 The Japan Times reported, "The Matsuyama District Court on Tuesday rejected compensation demands in a lawsuit that charged Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine violated the constitutional separation of state and religion. The court rejected the suit, filed by 133 people and two religious groups seeking compensation from...

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-me-beliefs3jan03,1,2771185.story?coll=la-news-religion

On January 3, 2004 the Los Angeles Times reported that members of the Konko Church of Los Angeles celebrated the new year with a purifying ceremony using elements of an ancient Japanese ritual "aimed at clearing out the negative energies of the past... Although New Year's Day has become a secular...

Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin

http://starbulletin.com/2003/12/27/features/story3.html

On December 27, 2003 Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported on the Hawaiian tradition of visiting a Buddhist temple or a Shinto shrine to celebrate the new year. The visit is a religious and cultural tradition for thousands of island residents seeking amulets for good fortune.This year, two Honolulu temples will offer special programs open to the interfaith community, including a...

Source: Appeal-Democrat

http ://w ww.appeal-democrat.com/071303/071203mhsObon.shtml

On July 12, 2003 the Appeal-Democrat reported that "Saturday night, [Toshiye] Kawamura danced several dances with a group of women and girls on stage at the Buddhist Church of Marysville [WA] during the annual Obon Festival. A larger circle of revelers, many of whom had practiced four or six times previously, followed their guides' moves... Japanese paper lanterns kept the evening glowing and dancers dressed in flowing yukatas, the summer...

Source: Dallas Morning News

http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/6136000.htm

On June 21, 2003 the Dallas Morning News reported that "in recognition of the radical changes in the American religious landscape of the past 30 years, [The Pluralism Project, Webby-award winning Web site developed by Diana L. Eck at Harvard University] was initiated to study and document religious communities, particularly those of immigrant communities... Through...

Source: Stanford Report

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2003/june18/bac-618.html

On June 18, 2003 the Stanford Report reported that "Sumir Meghani, a graduating senior in economics, read... lines of Hindu scripture Saturday morning in the Quad at the beginning of the 2003 [Stanford] Baccalaureate Celebration... The event, which also included readings, prayers and music from the Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Shinto traditions, took place on an...

Source: KXLY

http://www.kxly.com/common/getStory.asp?id=28197

On April 23, 2003 KXLY reported that "a community outraged by the burglary and vandalism of a Sikh Temple in the Spokane Valley last weekend came together to repair the damage and provide information that led to the arrest of the 14-year-old suspect Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff’s detectives arrested the teenaged suspect who lives not far from the temple after residents called the sheriff’s office and...

Source: The Seattle Times

On March 27, 2002, The Seattle Times featured an article on Seattle's Japanese Garden, "a gift 42 years ago from Japan and the city of Tokyo... A Shinto blessing ceremony Friday will celebrate the reopening of the garden after being closed six months for major repairs."

Source: The Honululu Advertiser

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Mar/04/ln/ln06a.html

On March 4, 2002, The Honululu Advertiser featured an article on the "miniature temples, established a century ago by Japanese immigrants of the 1,300-year-old Shingon sect of Buddhism... in Lawa'i, Kaua'i... To many people it is a place of special power, a place of...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 3, 2002, the Los Angeles Times featured an article on UCLA Medical Center's Spiritual Care Unit. The unit is "the hospital's chaplaincy training program... The full-time staff [at the hospital] includes a priest, a minister and a rabbi, with Muslims and Buddhists on call. Fifteen years ago, when the program was new, the full-time staff consisted of one Baptist minister... These days, religious diversity is redefining hospital chaplaincy work. While the patient directory at UCLA is usually about 65% Christian, the number...

Source: The New York Times

On September 13, 2001 The New York Times reported that the backlash following the terrorist attacks are impacting "the lives of ordinary Arab- and Muslim-Americans -- and surprisingly, those who are neither Arab nor Muslim but look to untutored American eyes as if they might be." The article mentioned numerous incidents against Muslims, as well as "people who had nothing to do with the Islamic world but who might appear alien to untutored American eyes. Indian women chose not to wear their flowing, pajama-tunic outfits. Sikh men,...

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/797614.stm

On June 21, 2000 the BBC News reported that "the Prime Minister [of Japan], Yoshiro Mori, has become an electoral liability following comments he made at a recent meeting with Pro-Shinto politicians. Mr. Mori, brought back memories of the way things used to be. He described Japan as a divine country with the emperor at its centre. This belief system was once used to justify Japanese aggression against...