Monthly Archives: January 2003
NEWS STORY: As Talks Fall Apart, Prayers for Mideast Peace
By Elaine Fletcher — January 1, 2003
c. 200O Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ Only a few hours earlier they had met in a joint prayer for peace _ a few dozen Jews, Muslims and Christians invoking God’s name together with a group of visiting Japanese Shinto priests. But by Tuesday (July 25) afternoon, it became clear those prayers wouldn’t be answered […]
Harvard Divinity School May Return Gift From Arab Leader
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS) Harvard University is discussing whether to give back a $2.5 million gift from the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), citing “extremely offensive” statements from a center that the president’s son directs. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is the son of the UAE president and deputy prime minister of […]
NEWS STORY: Poll Finds People of Faith Believe Politics, Not Religion Causes Violence
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Muslims outside the United States overwhelmingly believe that politics, not religious tenets, are at the root of violence and civil unrest in their countries, and U.S. Catholics and Protestants agree, although by much narrower majorities, according to a new poll on global religious attitudes released Thursday (Oct. 16). The […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Philosopher Emil Fackenheim Dead at 87 JERUSALEM (RNS) Rabbi Emil Fackenheim, a prominent Jewish philosopher who postulated that Judaism and Jewish life must continue and flourish after the Nazis slaughtered 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, died in Jerusalem on Sept. 19. He was 87. A prolific writer whose books included […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Senator Seeks DOD Inquiry of Groups Approving Muslim Chaplains WASHIGTON (RNS) Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has renewed his request that the Department of Defense investigate organizations involved in approving Muslim chaplains after an Army chaplain of that faith was detained upon his return from the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News British Anglican, Catholic Leaders Say War `Deeply Disturbing’ LONDON (RNS) In a rare joint statement, the leaders of Britain’s Anglican and Roman Catholic churches have called on Britain and the United States to work through the United Nations in their effort to make Iraq comply fully with U.N. requirements that it […]
NEWS STORY: Religious Groups Press Bush on African Concerns
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious groups urged President Bush to deploy peacekeepers to the wartorn country of Liberia as the president tours Africa and weighs American involvement in the peace process. Bush, who is making his first official visit to Africa, said Tuesday (July 8) that the United States would get involved, […]
NEWS STORY: Study: Public’s Attitude Toward Islam Becoming Negative
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ More and more Americans perceive Islam as a religion that encourages violence, according to a new study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. According to the survey, 44 percent of Americans feel Islam promotes […]
NEWS STORY: Bono, Religious Leaders Press Bush, Congress on AIDS Spending
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Pop star and AIDS activist Bono joined religious leaders Tuesday (Sept. 16) in urging President Bush to work with Congress to gain full funding for fighting AIDS and other assistance for foreign countries. “The AIDS emergency is just that,” said the lead singer of the rock band U2. […]
NEWS STORY: Political, Religious Leaders Mark National Day of Prayer
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious and political leaders joined together for a National Day of Prayer observance Thursday (May 1) on Capitol Hill as similar gatherings were held across the nation in locations ranging from the White House to stadiums to office buildings. Hundreds of Christians meeting at the Cannon House Office […]
NEWS STORY: Protest, Prayer and Politics Mark Legal Abortion’s 30th Birthday
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Protesters, press conferences and prayer services all marked the 30th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision, which has fueled debate about abortion in the decades since the controversial Supreme Court verdict. Tens of thousands of abortion opponents gathered Wednesday (Jan. 22) beneath the Washington Monument to hear […]
NEWS STORY: Religious Leaders Offer Mixed Assessment of Bush Speech
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious leaders reacting to President Bush’s State of the Union speech seemed generally pleased with his proposal to further address the AIDS crisis in Africa but remained divided over his plans for confronting Iraq as well as domestic issues relating to cloning, abortion and faith-based groups. Faith groups […]
NEWS STORY: Bush Signs `Partial-birth’ Abortion Ban
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Interrupted by standing ovations and shouts of “amen,” President Bush signed the “partial-birth” abortion ban into law Wednesday (Nov. 5) while abortion rights advocates prepared an attempt to reverse the ban in the courts. “For years, a terrible form of violence has been directed against children who are […]
NEWS STORY: Views on Gay Issues Fueled by Religion, Poll Shows
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious beliefs and personal experience are the two biggest factors shaping Americans’ attitudes toward homosexuality and the volatile issue of gay marriage, according to a new poll released Tuesday (Nov. 18). The poll, conducted in mid-October by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, was released the […]
NEWS STORY: Religious Leaders, Scientists Issue `Manifesto’ on Cloning, Biotechnology
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ More than 25 religious and scientific leaders have signed a new “manifesto on biotechnology” that calls for the banning of all human cloning and legislation that will prevent discrimination based on genetic information. “We are thankful for the hope that biotechnology offers of new treatments for some of […]
