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1. Sun Myung Moon behind most U.S. sushi
The Chicago Tribune has a long, in-depth exposé of Unification Church head Sun Myung Moon's connection to and control of the American sushi industry. Moon and his church "created an enterprise that reaped millions of dollars by dominating one of America's trendiest indulgences: sushi," the Tribune reports. "Adhering to a plan Moon spelled out more than three decades ago in a series of sermons, members of his movement managed to integrate virtually every facet of the highly competitive seafood industry. The Moon followers' seafood operation is driven by a commercial powerhouse, known as True World Group. It builds fleets of boats, runs dozens of distribution centers and, each day, supplies most of the nation's estimated 9,000 sushi restaurants." Even Christian restaurateurs who don't want to support Moon—who calls himself "humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord, and True Parent"—say they have to use his company if they want to serve sushi.

2. Gay student now out
Back when University of the Cumberlands was Cumberland College, the Southern Baptist school's code of conduct forbade "lewd and indecent conduct." The school now has a policy that "any student who engages in or promotes sexual behavior not consistent with Christian principles (including sex outside marriage and homosexuality) may be suspended or asked to withdraw." Sophomore Jason Johnson's MySpace blog is very gay, so he was disciplined by the school. Now Kentucky papers are wondering if the school's decision puts its plans for an accredited pharmacy school—funded in part with $11 million in state dollars—in jeopardy. There's a bit of discussion at GetReligion.

3. Poll: College students are religious, moral
Seven in 10 college students surveyed say religion is somewhat or very important in their lives, with 1 out of four 4 saying they are more spiritual now than when they started college. Most college students say they're concerned about the moral direction of the country.

4. 9/11 cross will stay
The New York Times today reported on plans by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to move the iconic steel beams known as the 9/11 cross from the World Trade Center to a closed hangar at Kennedy International Airport. The New York Daily News says the plan is already dead, and the cross will remain on display at "a nearby accessible public location."

5. EU officials: Don't say "Islamic terrorism"
A new document from European Union leaders wants governments to abandon the term "Islamic terrorists" and instead use the term "terrorists who abusively invoke Islam." The new EU lexicon may also tell governments to avoid the terms Islamist, fundamentalist, and jihad.  "The basic idea behind it is to avoid the use of improper words that would cause frustration among Muslims and increase the risk of radicalization," an unnamed official told The Telegraph.

Quote of the day:
"Although their signs and speeches were mostly in Spanish, crowds were non-violent and most took care not to antagonize law-abiding Americans by waving Mexican flags in their faces."

—Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, on Monday's immigration rally in D.C.

Unification Church | Spirituality | Prayer study | Jesus | Gospel of Judas | Books | Education | Education (U.K.) | Youth | Gay student ousted | Religious and moral students | Christianity and Islam | War and terrorism | Israel and Palestine | Religious liberty | Church and state | Politics | Immigration | Jim Wallis Down Under | People | Entertainment and media | Money and business | Embryonic stem cells | Abortion | Crime | Catholicism | Wheat-free Communion | Other stories of interest

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April (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50