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By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service (RNS) Several prominent evangelical leaders have endorsed “A Reconciliation Referendum” that says Sen. Barack Obama’s recent address on race did not go far enough, and pushes church leaders to speak up more about the need to address racism. “Opinion leaders in the national media praised the speech as…

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service The World Evangelical Alliance has responded to a Muslim overture for interfaith dialogue by saying its members want to “live in peace with Muslims” but disagree with their view of God. Last fall, more than 100 Islamic clerics and scholars issued their open document, “A Common Word Between…

Associated Press Ashland, Ky. – A high school student won’t be allowed to proceed with a lawsuit against his school district for instituting a policy that barred him from expressing his opposition to homosexuality, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 vote, said Boyd County High…

Associated Press Seattle – The Dalai Lama will mark his first visit to the United States since the recent turmoil in Tibet by anchoring an ambitious conference on compassion. Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader was expected to arrive here Thursday, a day after pro-Tibetan demonstrators disrupted the Olympic torch run in San Francisco. The Dalai Lama’s…

United Press International Boston — A Catholic lay group based in Boston called Wednesday on Pope Benedict XVI to address the issue of sexual abuse by priests while he is in the United States. Voice of the Faithful placed a full-page advertisement in The New York Times. ”How can our Church be a moral beacon…

Associated Press Boston – Jonah Pesner is looking ahead to his crucial carb-loading, fuel-up meal on the night before running his first Boston Marathon. On the menu: matzoh. It’s not the usual choice for marathoners loading up on carbohydrates to drive their run, but Pesner, a rabbi, has limited options. Passover begins just two days…

Associated Press Eldorado, Texas – A polygamist compound with hundreds of children was rife with sexual abuse, with girls spiritually married to much older men as soon as they reached puberty and boys groomed to perpetuate the cycle, child welfare officials allege in court documents. The documents released Tuesday also gave details about the hushed…

Kevin Eckstrom Religion News Service Washington – A federal religious freedom watchdog panel has urged President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics unless “there is substantial improvement” in China’s treatment of Tibet. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said China must open “direct and concrete talks” with the Dalai Lama,…

By Carlyle Murphy Religion News Service Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — A group of visiting Japanese scholars was making a routine courtesy call recently on King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz when the monarch raised a subject that, as he put it, had “obsessed me since two years ago.” Distressed by what he described as disintegrating family…

By Carol Ann Campbell Religion News Service Pope John Paul II would kneel to kiss the ground of foreign countries. He unleashed doves to signal peace. He placed a prayer of atonement in cracks of Jerusalem’s Western Wall. And the cameras clicked. John Paul, a former actor, reveled in the power of image. In contrast,…

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