2000-DEC-4: Indonesia: Religious massacres continue: According to Newsroom: ₂
In Indonesia's eastern Maluku province, attacks on Christian villages by Muslim warriors  have left more than 50 people dead. "The most deadly attack came on the same day that provincial leaders were planning ways to stop bloodshed during the upcoming religious holiday season, when sectarian attacks often are sparked."

2000-DEC-7: India: Christians attacked: According to Newsroom: ₂
"A spate of attacks on Christians across India has prompted New Delhi's new Catholic archbishop to seek immediate action from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. 'The Christian community is concerned about the incidents of violence against minorities, especially against Christians. In the last five days as many as five incidents against the Christians have taken place,' Archbishop Vincent M. Concessao wrote in a letter to the prime minister on Saturday [DEC-2]. Religious minority leaders have accused the prime minister's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of fomenting an environment in which hundreds of attacks on minorities have occurred since it came to power in 1998. The government, however, generally has treated the incidents as 'simple law-and-order problems'."

2000-DEC-7: USA: Distribution of "Jesus Film" called offensive: According to Maranatha Christian Journal:₁₄
Networks of local churches in the U.S. are distributing unsolicited copies of the "Jesus Film" via the U.S. Postal Service to homes and apartments in their area. This is a video originally produced 20 years ago by Campus Crusades for Christ. It is based on the Gospel of Luke. Problems surfaced in May when 400,000 copies were distributed in Palm Beach County, FL -- an area with a sizeable Jewish population. Some recipients attached bricks to the video, and refused delivery. This increased the return shipping charges. Rabbi David Eliezrie of Congregation Beth Meir HaCohen-Chabad Center in Westminster expects over 1 million copies to be distributed in his area. He told a reporter: "While I respect the right of freedom of religion, I resent the effort of certain Christian groups to evangelize the Jewish community. And I'd prefer that they focus on their own religious brethren." Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California Council on American-Islamic Relations commented: "As a person who believes in God, I don't approve of such tactics because it might offend people who don't appreciate God's message." John Erickson, president of Interfaith of Topeka, KS, and a Roman Catholic priest said: "I don't for a moment doubt the sincerity and good intentions of those who do such things. But I question the effectiveness of bringing people to Christ. The best way to do that is the personal living of the gospel, treating people with justice and dignity and respect."

2000-DEC-7: Moluccas (Spice Islands): Muslims massacre over 100 Christians: According to ReligionToday: ₃
Islamic troops attacked four villages in NOV-28 giving the people the choice of converting to Islam or death. 93 died; over 700 converted. Similar attacks earlier in the week left 54 villagers dead and two churches destroyed. This brings the total deaths to over 4,000 during the past two years. The government was slow to respond to the atrocities. 

2000-DEC-8: Russia: Salvation Army to be banned: According to ReligionToday: ₃
The Salvation Army has successfully registered with the Russian government in five cities in Russia. But their application has been rejected in Moscow, the Russian capital,  because they are seen as an unwelcome foreign military organization. Unless it wins an appeal to the Russian Supreme Court, it will have to shut down its operations there.

	Cloning leads to the creation of an embryo that will develop into a newborn.
	Stem cell research removes an embryo's stem cells, thereby destroying an embryo. These cells are then used to develop the tissue of a single organ. Stem cells are incapable of inducing a pregnancy and resulting in the birth of a newborn.

It is not clear from the press reports whether those opposing stem cell research who are raising concerns about cloning are:

	Merely misinformed about the nature of stem cells, or
	Are exploiting the public's fear of cloning in order to generate opposition to stem cell research.

Under the bill, human cloning will remain illegal. ₁₅

	The bills were strongly opposed by a number of Christian religious parties who felt that the bills attack marriage between one woman and one man.
	The bills were strongly approved by religious liberals and groups promoting equality justice and opportunities for gays and lesbians. Onno Hoes, a spokesperson for one such group, COC,  said: "We're the first country in the world where there is no distinction made [in marriage] on the basis of gender."

The Senate statement said: "As far as possible, homosexual marriage will have the same consequence as heterosexual marriage." Among other things, this means that spousal support obligations would also apply to same-sex marriages.