Source: Beliefnet.com

Wire Service: AP

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/158/story_15854_1.html

On December 24, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "Israel allowed free travel into Bethlehem on Christmas Eve and handed out candy to Palestinians and foreign pilgrims at roadblocks, the latest sign that Israeli-Palestinian relations have warmed since the death of Yasser Arafat. During more than four years of fighting, Christmas in the...

Source: Washington Times

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20041221-103610-9207r.htm

On December 22, 2004 the Washimgton Times reported, "Susan Rosenbluth and fellow Orthodox Jews yesterday came to Maplewood, N.J., to join a crowd of more than 100 carolers in singing Christmas and Hanukkah songs in front of Columbia High School. Holiday hymns were sung in response to school policies that Steve Lonegan -- the Republican mayor of nearby Bogota, N.J., who organized...

Source: NZZ Online/swissinfo

http://nzz.ch/2004/12/22/english/page-synd5418722.html

On December 22, 2004 swissinfo reported, "The religious landscape has changed in Switzerland, with the Catholic and Protestant Churches emerging as the biggest losers. A substantial proportion of the population say they are not religious and minority religions, such as Islam, are on the rise. About 75 per cent of the population are practising Catholics and Protestants, according to...

Source: Los Angeles Times

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-21-na-cheerleader21-story.html

On December 21, 2004 the Los Angeles Times reported, "a federal judge on Monday denied an appeal for reinstatement by a University of...

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4110861.stm

On December 20, 2004 the BBC News reported, "The top Coptic cleric has withdrawn to a desert monastery to draw attention to grievances among Egyptian Christians. Pope Shenouda III went into retreat at Anba Bishoy monastery in Wadi Natrun on 8 December, but his whereabouts were initially kept secret. Tensions flared during the last three weeks over fears that Christians were being forced to convert...

Source: Beliefnet

Wire Service: RNS

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/158/story_15812_1.html

On December 20, 2004 Beliefnet/RNS reported, "a rural Alabama judge began wearing a robe embroidered with the Ten Commandments to court this week, in his own way echoing the statement made by the state Supreme Court chief justice ousted over a Ten Commandments display. Covington County Presiding Circuit Court Judge Ashley McKathan said he ordered...

Source: The Australian

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11737834%255E2702,00.html

On December 20, 2004 The Australian reported, "Christian churches are divided about a religious vilification ruling that could see a failed Senate candidate for the religious-based Family First party forced to pay damages. Danny Nalliah, a pastor from the Christian fundamentalist church Catch the Fire Ministries, was found...

Source: Star Tribune

Source: The Muslim News

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=8555

On December 18, 2004 The Muslim News reported, "The Prince of Wales is brokering efforts to end the Muslim death penalty on converts to other faiths, The Telegraph has learned. He held a private summit of Christian and Muslim leaders at Clarence House this month to explore the centuries-old Islamic law under which apostates face persecution and even death. His intervention follows...

Source: Arabic News

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/041218/2004121835.html

On December 18, 2004 Arabic News reported, "The Islamic-Christian conference wrapped up Friday in Ain Al Sukhna with a call of rejecting distinction between the Egyptian people on the basis of race or religion. The three-day conference concluded that the three monotheistic religions should be respected, stressing Islam's longstanding principle that there was no compulsion...

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/12/15/for_conservatives_merry_christmas_becomes_a_cause/

On December 15, 2004 The Boston Globe reported, "emboldened by their Election Day successes, some Christian conservatives around the country are trying to put more Christ into Christmas this season. In Terrebonne Parish, La., an organization is petitioning to add 'Merry Christmas' to the...

Source: Beliefnet

Wire Service: AP

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/158/story_15804_1.html

On December 14, 2004 Beliefnet reported, "eight families have filed a lawsuit against a school district that is requiring students to learn about alternatives to the theory of evolution, claiming the curriculum violates the separation of church and state. The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the lawsuit is the first...

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Pushing-poverty-into-moral-values-debate-Some-2630308.php

On December 14, 2004 The San Francisco Chronicle...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

Wire Service: AP

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2945358

On December 13, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "They arrived as they do every December: gaily wrapped gifts destined for children at a kindergarten in rural northern France. But this year, teachers unwrapped a few, took a look and sent all 1,300 packages back to City Hall. The presents were innocent, but strictly speaking,...

Source: The Miami Herald

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/208248968/

On December 12, 2004 The Miami Herald reported, "after a nearly 30-year hiatus, Davey Hansen and his faithful dog Goliath are back to teach values to a new generation of young people. The Lutheran church is reviving the 1960s-era animated series for a holiday...