ARIZONA
Different handling of care for 2 boys stirs faith issue
The Arizona Republic
"They're both 9 years old, and both were diagnosed with brain tumors at Phoenix Children's Hospital. But the similarities between Samuel Schaffer of Prescott and Bryce Garst of Mesa end there. When Bryce's parents refused doctors' orders of chemotherapy or radiation six years ago, they took their son to Texas for alternative treatment."

CALIFORNIA
More Americans Reject Organized Religion
People Still Maintain Faith In God
Channel 3000
"The number of Americans who say they have "no religious preference" is at an all-time high, say two sociologists from the University of California-Berkley."

LOUISIANA
Ieyoub revives Bible tax break lawsuit appeal
The Advocate
"Attorney General Richard Ieyoub has revived a lawsuit over tax breaks for churches, saying he wasn't in on an earlier decision to drop the case and make churches start paying taxes on Bibles and other literature."

MASSACHUSETTS
Buddhist meditation a path to healing
The Boston Globe
"LENOX - You'd be forgiven, peeking inside the dance hall, for thinking you'd stumbled across college-age groupies on an overnight vigil for concert tickets."

PENNSYLVANIA
Amish sect battles for right to say no to safety triangles
The National Post
"EBENSBURG -- It is a two-hour drive by horse-drawn buggy from Levi Zook's small farm in the Pennsylvania countryside to the Cambria County courthouse, which dominates the tiny downtown area of Ebensburg."

Healing power of faith explored
Religion, medicine are compatible, experts say at seminar
Post-Gazette.com
"A day-long seminar to examine the connection between faith and healing answered some questions, though many mysteries remained. Among those answered were these: How can faith-conscious doctors bridge the disparities in health care for minority people? What if God doesn't answer a doctor's prayers for healing?"

President of Unitarian Universalists calls for churches to be 'safe places'
Post-Gazette.com
"Just by showing up in Pittsburgh today, the Rev. Bill Sinkford, the new president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, offers a glimpse of a steadily diversifying faith."

UTAH
Green's Wife Files 'Victim Suit' in Rape Case
The Salt Lake Tribune
"NEPHI -- The prosecutors of polygamist Tom Green -- who allege Green committed felony child rape when he impregnated his child bride more than 16 years ago -- are so fixated on their case that they have forgotten all about the purported victim, says Linda Kunz, the polygamist's "head wife" and the girl he allegedly raped in 1986."

Salt Lake Catholics Mourn Damage to 'Weeping Virgin' Tree
The Salt Lake Tribune
Graciela Garcia leaned into the cold wind, gripping her cane and tucking a wisp of errant silver hair under her mantilla. "Come, see," she said. "See what someone did to the Blessed Mother."

COMMENTARY
Religious References Have No Place in Court
The Salt Lake Tribune
"Proofs of the depths of Utah's "unspoken divide" exist in its courtrooms. Unintentional, but potentially persuasive, references by judges or attorneys to religious tenets or other manifestations of bias cannot be taken too lightly in a court of law, state or federal. Such references can undermine the credibility of the courts and widen the divide in Utah."

VIRGINIA
College rejected for teaching creationism
WorldNetDaily.com
"A new Christian college aimed at home-schoolers has been rejected for accreditation because of its policy requiring faculty to adhere to a "biblical worldview" regarding the origin of the world."

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Indian tribes watching sale of public land to Mormons
The Associated Press
"WASHINGTON - Indians who have been lobbying the government for greater protection of their sacred sites on public land are watching a House bill that would order the sale of 1,640 acres in Wyoming to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

ENGLAND
Government minister criticises Muslims, sharp response
The Age
"A British government minister has criticised some Muslims for being "very isolationist", provoking a sharp response today from Muslim leaders."

ISRAEL
Rival Christian Clergy Unite
The Associated Press
"BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Clergy from rival Christian denominations held hands in the Church of the Nativity on Saturday, and said the Lord's Prayer in a rare display of unity as they reclaimed the shrine after a 39-day standoff between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen."

JAPAN
'Exorcist' gets death sentence
The Asahi Shimbun
"FUKUSHIMA-The Fukushima District Court on Friday sentenced to death a faith healer accused of killing six followers by repeatedly beating them with taiko drumsticks in 1995."
See news for May 10, 2002.

NIGERIA
Sheikh Warns Muslim Women Against Politics
This Day
"LAGOS -- As more women clamour for political offices in the forthcoming elections, an Islamic scholar in Bauchi has warned muslim women against participating in partisan politics."

PHILIPPINES
Magahat cult member killed in shootout
Sun Star Cebu
"A cult member was gunned down in a firefight with Misamis Oriental police in Sitio Nagpila in the town of Patrocenio Claveria at 4:00 p.m. last Saturday."

Ocon faces raps for selling 'holy oil'
Sun Star Cagayan de Oro
"It seems that it will not only be the Bureau of Food and Drugs (Bfad) and Department of Health (DOH) heads who will be facing raps for allowing Back to Christ "Banal na Langis" to be sold in the market but also its local distributor radio dxCC program director Zaldy Ocon."

Award-winning Pinamungajan coop ‘rises above’ church-cult hostility
Sun Star Cebu
"The multi-awarded Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC) assured its over 3,000 members that it is not affected by the controversy between the Catholic Church and a cult holding base in the barangay."

SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka's Buddhist monks meditate against ceasefire agreement
The Associated Press
"COLOMBO -- About 1,000 Buddhist monks gathered in the capital Colombo on Saturday and meditated against the recent ceasefire agreement between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels."

THAILAND
Army to promote Buddhism
Bangkok Post
"The army will seek co-operation from soldiers nationwide and all army-owned television and radio stations in promoting Dharma practice starting from May 26, Visakha Pucha Day."

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