Religious activists fast for debt relief. A group of religious activists began a 40-day fast Sept. 6 to advocate for legislation that would cancel the debts of the world's 67 poorest countries, according to the Jubilee USA Network, an alliance of more than 80 religious denominations and faith communities. 2007 is a Sabbath year, according to Jubilee USA, which in the Old Testament meant creditors were expected to cancel the loans of fellow Hebrews.
Confucius joins Jesus at courthouse. Napoleon, Confucius, Hammurabi and more than a dozen other historical figures have joined Jesus Christ on the wall at a Louisiana courthouse in a bid to reassure visitors that the court wanted nothing more than to showcase people who helped to create the laws of civilized nations. Officials mounted the additional portraits one week before a scheduled court hearing at which the Louisiana ACLU planned to ask a federal judge to remove the Jesus portrait. The ACLU claimed the portrait and the accompanying words, “To know peace, obey these laws,” violates the First Amendment and the separation of church and state.
School revises move-in policy to avoid religious conflicts. The University of California no longer will force students to choose between observing religious holidays and move-in days at dormitories, according to a new system-wide policy. Previously, Jewish students had complained that move-in days often conflicted with the Jewish High Holy Days, such as this year, when move-in day is scheduled for Sept. 22, during Yom Kippur. Under the policy, schools with move-in days that conflict with a religious holiday must change their schedule so no student will have to choose between fulfilling their religious obligations and moving in.