Religion_Belief

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** FILE ** Pope Benedict XVI visits the Nativity scene after a New Year's Eve Vespers service at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in 2008.

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Despite the month's religious roots, Muharram today is "more of a cultural holiday," said Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, director of outreach at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia.. "Think of it as a new year, as a new beginning to make resolutions." (ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)

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Kazakhstan's education ministry says the Nickelodeon animated series "SpongeBob SquarePants" has a corrupting influence on children. (AP Photo/Nickelodeon)

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Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful during his "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and to the World") Christmas message in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008. The pope warned that the world was headed toward ruin if selfishness prevails over solidarity during tough economic times for both rich and poor nations. Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on the day Christians commemorate Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, Benedict declared that the "heart of the Christian message is meant for all men and women." (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

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Richard Dawkins

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Denzel Washington greets a group of children from the Boys & Girls Club of America at the kickoff of the organization's Be Great national youth advocacy campaign. (Associated Press/File)

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Pat Buchanan, portrayed as anti-Israel, is being used by both Democrats and Republicans to try to win the Jewish vote in the presidential election. (Getty Images)

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The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State claim the Central Mission requires the homeless to participate in Christian religious activity.

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** FILE ** Rep. Nancy Pelosi's views on abortion have brought criticism from the Catholic Church. (The Washington Times)

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Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley (above, center) congratulates the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, Vice President Hubert J. Humphrey, at the 1968 convention. At right, Chicago Police use nightsticks and tear gas to break up protests at the '68 convention.

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Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley (above, center) congratulates the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, Vice President Hubert J. Humphrey, at the 1968 convention. At right, Chicago police use nightsticks and tear gas to break up protests at the '68 convention.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani will give the keynote address on Sept. 2, the second night of the four-day Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn.

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Dozens of youths from different parts of the country rally around an upheld Bible signaling a silent pro-life prayer in front of the Supreme Court. **FILE**

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Musician Moby plays a DJ set at the Dance Tent during the Virgin Mobile Festival on August 10, 2008. (John Tully/The Washington Times)

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Former "At the Movies" co-host Richard Roeper (left) and founder Roger Ebert are seen in Los Angeles in 2005, when Mr. Ebert was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** The United Nations headquarters in New York

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After peering into the U.S. from atop the U.S.-Mexico border fence, a man returns to the Mexican side in Tijuana, Mexico. But Indian tribes are calling for a halt to building the fence, arguing it will destroy their traditions and religious practices. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Abortion protesters in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2008, call on politicians to reject donations from Planned Parenthood and other such groups. (The Washington Times)