European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thousands Jam St Peter s Square in Rome each year to receive the Popes Christmas Blessing from the Centra Balcony of the Basilica. The nativity scene represents one of the most important Holiday symbols to catholics.  /,3emblies of god grew rapidly while the denominations that used to hold cultural by such As the presbyterian and episcopal churches declined. Dramatically. Some sociologists expect islam to surpass Judaism As the nation s largest. Minority religion by the end of the Century a behind christianity. A. Judicial rulings keep pushing the. Walls separating religion and Public life farther apart and an increasingly secular education system is shutting out any. Reference to religion said a. James. Reichley a senior fellow at the Brookings institution and author of religion in a a american Public life. I at the same time Reichley said society is getting More of its direction from other i institutions such As television 1 Quot the actual influence of the churches j and religion in shaping a Public ethic is. A a a continuing to decline Quot he said i William Mckinney Dean of Hartford Seminary and co author of american. Mainline religion its changing shape and future uses baseball imagery to Trace the changes. A v a a the Early protestant groups built the stadium and supplied the teams he. Said. In the Federal period in the lamp the 18th Century they were forced to admit. Other teams. By the 1920s, other teams had their own stadiums but mainline. Protestant churches still supplied thei Quot umpires. A a a what a happened in the last 30 years is the umpires Are gone and nobody knows Wiat the rules Are a. Mckinney said /. A Many religious leaders Praise the new religious pluralism in a nation that has a history of religious bigotry a represented by the period in the Early 19th Century when the nativist. Movement fuelled the burning of Catholic churches and convents and the virulent anti semitism in the latter part of the Century and into the 1930s in reaction to. The Rise in jewish  the difference today is that the. Various religious traditions get expressed and no one group has the Power or will have the Power to Force its View on others Quot Mckinney said. V religious groups working in coalitions have enjoyed some political successes. Catholics and evangelicals have helped sustain the abortion Issue and mainline protestant and Catholic groups receive credit for focusing attention on human i a rights abuses and helping keep the a. Nation out of direct military involvement in Al Salvador and Nicaragua during the Reagan years. A \ v. A. But some religious observers say the a struggle of competing secular and religious voices has left society with no common language to mediate moral a a conflicts \ concern for  Good is giving Way to Quot just pure selfishness Quot with an accompanying Rise in ethnic and racial tensions including anti semitism Reichley said / a a a ,. What some now Lear is that it religion is reduced to the Periphery of american society ethical debates will be reduced to a darwinian struggle of special y interest groups where Power not. A morality Rule Quot political scientists done to want to talk about the Good society Quot but instead confine their discussion to analyses of voter preferences Ogletree said. V Quot you Don to say is this morally. Intolerable is this unjust you say will the Public accept it Quot ,.the reign of terror the French revolution period when motives of. Revenge and Powe r overwhelmed reason and Many people wore summarily executed As counter revolutionaries is among inc historical lessons demonstrating Why religion is necessary to american democracy said rabbi Alexander Schindler president of the Union of  Rew Cong r leg a Tio n  reason has been dethroned from its Pedestal As the saving Grace of Humankind Quot Schindler Saidu ethics without religion is like a Cut Flower. Because it has no roots it cannot sustain itself. Above All it cannot reproduce  this Vear it is Quot if name address Sere Sec no style Dos Irod. Valentine Mas ,�?z�lt0-to a i you can print your personal Valentine message s to family special friends or loved ones in the stars and stripes annual Valentines Day Section on feb ruary14. A. To order your Valentine select the style you want from the samples shown. Write your message in 25 words or less. For longer messages add 1qtf per additional word children 16 and under. Can Send messages for half Price. Make your Check or Money order payable in . Dollars do not Send Cash to stars and stripes fund ecn-874. Deadline is Friday february 1,1991. Mailing address is stars and stripes attn Valentines Box 266, Apo 092114211, duly Phon Home phone daddy Happy Valentines Day to the Best daddy in the world thanks for being there for morn and me even when away love you very Muchl a a Sweet pea a a a slut   Asije Only it 00 ii j 00 Toi it. 5 a  you mean More to me than All the grains of Sand in saudi Happy Valentine s Day . A a a / to 0eaid4ul Happy Valentine s Day How do i love thee let us count the Days. I love you a a Hus band to be re 1 3,it i Al f 01 Vaj i 11 #.  j i Ujj i or it amp a a Stew 2, pm Wilh t a it rep it it monday december 24,1990 the stars and stripes Page 17