June 1, 2002
Religious leaders beckon higher power for end to drought

Religious leaders beckon higher power for end to drought

Mall's basement doubles as a meditation room

MINNEAPOLIS — There is no bargain basement at the Mall of America, but there is a basement.

Bible for sale — only $11,000

CHICAGO — Booth by booth, the buyers made their way around the recent Navy Pier art show, considering whether to spend thousands on this abstract painting or that modern sculpture.

Turn of world events leads Americans back to prayer

Not the reflexive, "Oh God," that you whispered at the television while watching the World Trade Center fall like a house of cards.

Special place for special needs

By the time Zachary Stovall was in kindergarten his mother knew something was wrong.

Court OKs use of religious pot on federal lands

SAN FRANCISCO — If you're a Rastafarian who considers marijuana holy, it's legal to light up in Guam — and maybe in any national park on the West Coast.

Religion briefs

The 8th annual Boulder Jewish Festival will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m June 9 on the Courthouse Lawn, near the Pearl Street Mall.

May 25, 2002
Doctor links Christianity, health

The next time you're about to bite into the typical American fast-food lunch of a double cheeseburger, supersize fries and a large soda, Dr. Don Colbert advises that you ask yourself a question: Would Jesus eat this?

Neighbors embrace life together

So the neighborhood people who met Sunday at Binghamton Park in Memphis, Tenn., didn't pack up at dusk. They unpacked.

Believers say speaking in tongues brings them nearer to God

Believers say speaking in tongues brings them nearer to God

Abuse scandal leads to church debate on homosexuality

Abuse scandal leads to church debate on homosexuality

Religion briefs

Flatirons Baptist Church welcomes guest speaker Brian Catalucci, president of Rocky Mountain Creation Fellowship to speak on "Genesis-Believe it or Not" June 2 at 6 p.m.

Orthodox space hit hardest at Church of the Nativity

The Gate of Humility into the Church of the Nativity is just over 4 feet high and was added in 1272 A.D. to help repel raiders.

May 18, 2002
Mitzvah Day sets aside time to help humanity

Most Jews try to make it an everyday part of life, performing mitzvot, or good deeds, as part of their faith.

Yiddish festival helps keep language alive

Debra Biasca is fond of the Yiddish saying, "Varf di kats vi du vilst, blaybt zi alts shteyn af di fis." Loosely translated, it means "Throw the cat however you like — she always lands on her feet!"

Religion briefs

Interfaith AIDS Coalition will sponsor an International AIDS Memorial Service Sunday hosted by pastors and laity at the First United Methodist Church from 6-7 p.m. The service will focus on the permanent meditative labyrinth located at the church.

Hospice chaplain lets go of pain

Every time Chuck Kolesar visits a patient at home he fills out a form.

Baseball movie left in a little religion

Jim Morris came of age in a West Texas town, which means the locals didn't need to use street addresses to tell where they lived.

May 11, 2002
Hospice chaplain helps ease passage into death

In the Buddhist tradition, how a person leaves this world — amid calm or conflict — can affect his journey into the afterlife.

We can pray without government help

Isn't every day a day of prayer? So why do we want or need an official, government-sanctioned National Day of Prayer?

Abuse scandal may increase role of Catholic laity

At the Vatican last month, several U.S. cardinals said they supported greater involvement of lay people in the church. But they didn't put it in writing.

Religion briefs

Boulder-based author/spiritual philosopher Ken Wilber has released his first recording, "Ken Wilber Speaking of Everything."

Sylvester Stallone has faith in TV priest series

LOS ANGELES — Sylvester Stallone says he has faith that his TV series about a hip Catholic priest will air next fall despite the current church crisis.

Anglican Archbishop sticks to tradition

As the college student knelt at the altar rail, another parishioner pointed accusingly and loudly said: "Don't give him communion. He does not believe. He is mocking us all."

May 4, 2002
Bishops' criminal wrongdoing difficult to prove

DALLAS — Grand juries are walking where prosecutors have previously feared to tread: investigating the American hierarchy of the Catholic Church. And that raises the question: Might bishops — or even cardinals — face criminal charges for their roles in the priest sexual-abuse scandals?

Seminary students find spiritual meaning in community

Seminary students find spiritual meaning in community

Despite wars of ages, Church of the Nativity endures

FORT WORTH, Texas — Life changes minute by minute in the ancient and storied town of Bethlehem, but the Church of the Nativity remains the same.

Abuse response ignores role of penance

"The sexual abuse of minors is rightly considered a crime by society and is an appalling sin in the eyes of God, above all when it is perpetrated by priests and religious," American cardinals wrote last week from Rome.

Religion briefs

First Presbyterian Church of Boulder will host its Fourth Annual Art Expo Sunday. Donated artwork will be sold by silent auction, with bidding from 7:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. to benefit the church's middle school ministry. Services will be held at 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m.

Abuse scandal reflects wider culture

Rome would not issue a bishop a red hat and send him to New York City unless he had demonstrated at least some ability to stay cool in a media firestorm.

Christianity grows in Third World

When scholars talk about the death of Christianity and the rise of the secular state, Pennsylvania State University professor Philip Jenkins just remembers the south.

April 27, 2002
'Romeo and Juliet' and Christian publishing

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It's hard to imagine "Romeo and Juliet" with a happy ending.

Clergy singing can be a mixed blessing

SELMA, Calif. — He's a pastor well-loved by his flock. They roar at his jokes. Their faith is strengthened by his sermons. They turn to him for comfort when life gets tough and their tears flow.

Habiba Ashki Kabir leads Boulder dervishes

The prophet Mohammed once said: "Whoever knows oneself, knows one's Lord."

Religion briefs

Menorah hosts three events in April and May at the Boulder Jewish Community Center. "Together in Song for Peace" with Ofer Rivlin will be held Monday from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Enjoy sacred and contemporary Hebrew and English songs and chants with the intention of sending a prayer for peace. Transliterated song sheets will be provided. Feel free to bring your own percussion instruments. Astrologer and performer Shantam Zohar will tell traditional and non-traditional Hassidic stories May 12 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Hear tales and learn the art of storytelling. Rabbi Hoffman, Torah teacher and psychodrama therapist, will present "The Drama of the Torah" May 19 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Experience the conflicts, emotions and resolutions of Torah characters through guided participation in dramatic Biblical situations. The cost is $15 or $35 for all three events, and $10 or $30 for students and seniors. The Boulder Jewish Community Center is located at 3800 Kalmia Avenue.

'Romeo and Juliet' and Christianity

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It's hard to imagine "Romeo and Juliet" with a happy ending.

Clergy singing can be a mixed blessing

SELMA, Calif. — He's a pastor well-loved by his flock. They roar at his jokes. Their faith is strengthened by his sermons. They turn to him for comfort when life gets tough and their tears flow.

April 20, 2002
Few find quiet chapel at DIA

'Your attention please!" The loud, automated voice of Denver International Airport's P.A. system booms out. "The DIA Interfaith Chapel is located in the main terminal, southeast corner, level 6. Additional information is available by dialing 2036 from a white courtesy telephone."

Religion briefs

CU Buffs quarterback Craig Ochs and Assistant Head Coach /Defensive Coordinator Brian Cabral will speak at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church at 5 p.m. Sunday about the joy and challenge of being a Christian in the modern world.

Top religion book picks from Jana Riess

Few people can match Jana Riess's vantage point for evaluating new books about religion and spirituality. Here, the religion book review editor for Publishers Weekly picks her top spirituality books for 2001.

Nuns travel with circus to offer spiritual guidance

Two Catholic nuns in their 50s say they never dreamt of running away to join the circus when they were children.

Reviewer wields considerable power in religious books world

WINCHESTER, Ky. — When the nation's booksellers want to know which new books about religion are likely to sell, they look to rural Clark County, Ky. They look to Jana Riess.

Elder evangelicals still commanding the stage

There's Chuck Colson and James Dobson, James Kennedy and Robert Schuller, Paul Crouch and Pat Robertson. There are many more. They are 60 years old or much older, but they still command the spotlight.

Canonization of first Indian saint draws questions in Mexico

Canonization of first Indian saint draws questions in Mexico

Parents urged to focus on protecting their children

As allegations of sexual misconduct by priests reverberate in the Catholic church, the scandal is sounding an alarm to adults about protecting children from sexual predators.

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