Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

On June 17, 2001, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Linda Hauber, 29, who has become an observant Muslim. "Her rejection of Catholocism; the head scarf; her avoidance of church weddings and funerals...Christmas and Easter gatherings -- all have distanced her from family and old friends...The lingering estrangement arose not simply because [of] her conversion, but also because of her devout observances of Islamic convention."

Source: Star Tribune

On June 17, 2001, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on Guy Paulson, who "built a full-sized replica of a 13th-century stave church -- one of those uniquely Norwegian wooden structures with soaring spires, hand-carved beasts and a heavily shingled roof" -- with his own hands and his own money. "He built the church to honor his Norwegian and Christian heritage...But really, 'I just wanted to,' he said...The Hopperstad Replica Stave Church stands on...the Red River."

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 16, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "as the water from Tropical Storm Allison began to recede...a flood of donations and volunteers rushed into the fellowship hall of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church [in Houston] to help a trained troupe of parishioners activate a shelter for the American Red Cross...This 'miracle' was repeated throughout the Houston area last week as houses of worship became sanctuaries for residents fleeing the floods...Organizations such as churches, mosques and synagogues are...

Source: The Plain Dealer

On June 16, 2001, The Plain Dealer reported that "in a sign of a more comfortable Orthodox presence in public policy matters, religious leaders are meeting next week in Canton [Ohio] to form a North American chapter of the Holland-based international Orthodox Peace Fellowship...The first Conference of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship in North America will feature public lectures by prominent social justice voices in the Orthodox Church...In more private meetings, Orthodox activists throughout North America will talk about forming their...

Source: Newsday

On June 16, 2001, Newsday reported on an interfaith marriage panel, "which brought together four interfaith couples and four clergy members earlier this month at Huntington Congregational Church in Centerport [New York]." Among other things, the panelists discussed wedding ceremonies, raising children, cultural differences, and all that interfaith marriages can teach a couple.

Source: The Arizona Republic

On June 16, 2001, The Arizona Republic reported on "the belief-driven and politically motivated Humane Borders, a Tucson-based, non-profit group made up of church and civic groups...Humane Borders set up four water stations along the Arizona border" to help dehydrated migrants crossing the desert from Mexico into Arizona in search of work...Providing the water is a simple act of faith and conviction, but [is it] slapping U.S. authorities in the face?"

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 16, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported on Jesse Miranda, a Southern California Pentecostal minister. "President Bush's faith-based initiatives proposal and the rise of Latino Protestantism have pushed Miranda into the national spotlight...Miranda, 63...is winning respect for his ability to turn isolated Latino churches into a social force ...Latino Protestantism is attracting a growing number of members from Catholicism."

Source: India Abroad

On June 15, 2001, India Abroad reported that "a 15,000-square-foot high-domed Dradha Krishna temple...has been built...in Spanish Fork, Utah, by the Utah chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness...Among the guests invited for the celebration [of its opening] are...local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS)...In 1999 the LDS Foundation donated $25,000 toward construction and more than 800 local Mormons voluntered their time in the construction at various times."

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On June 15, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on the wedding ceremony of an Indian-American Hindu bride and groom. "The bride says her wedding day was perfect because it combined her Indian background and her American upbringing into one beautifully unique ceremony."

Source: The Rocky Mountain News

On June 15, 2001, The Rocky Mountain News reported that "the city of Grand Junction [Colorado]...said...it will fight an injunction being sought by the American Civil Liberties Union that demands immediate removal of the Ten Commandments tablet from City Hall...An injunction is necessary, the ACLU argued...because the city is moving toward construction of its 'Cornerstones of Law and Liberty,' of which the Ten Commandments is to be part."

Source: The State Journal-Register

On June 14, 2001, The State Journal-Register reported that "a decades-old law that prohibits anyone from being paid to tell fortunes was reaffirmed by unanimous vote of Hillsboro [Illinois] City Council. The issue came up...when [the Coven of the] Mystic Moon [asked to] hold a fund-raising festival on city property at Lake Hillsboro. Among the games and activities to be offered would be readings of Tarot cards and fortune-telling...The practice of divination, or fortune-telling, is part of their religion, [a member of the...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 12, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "the Supreme Court strengthened the free-speech rights of religious groups...ruling that a Christian youth group must be permitted to hold an after-school Bible study class in a public elementary school...The court's opinion stressing the rights of religious advocates should give a boost to President Bush's 'faith-based' initiative...In dissent, Justice David H. Souter said the ruling appears to stand 'for the remarkable proposition that any public school opened for civil...

Source: The New York Times

On June 12, 2001, The New York Times reported that "the Supreme Court ruled...that public schools must open their doors to after-school religious activities...The...decision [was based on the] principle...that the expression of a religious viewpoint is speech, protected by the First Amendment...While Justice [Clarence] Thomas described [the Good News Club] as teaching character and values from a religious point of view, both dissenting opinions said the activity consisted of worship and evangelizing...Another question was whether...

Source: The Washington Post

On June 12, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "public schools throughout the Washington area have increasingly allowed religious activities on their campuses, a practice that was reaffirmed yesterday when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Christian youth group could hold after-school meetings at a public school in Upstate New York." An ACLU legal director in the area said the decision "reaffirms what people understood. They have to treat all clubs equally, including nonreligious clubs and religious clubs."

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On June 12, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "the U.S. Supreme Court...ruled that schools cannot prohibit religious groups from using their classrooms after students have been dismissed for the day...The justices ruled against the Milford school district in upstate New York [which] had rejected a request from a local religious organization, the Good News Club," to use one of its classrooms after school hours.