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When the Dalai Lama speaks at several events in New Orleans on May 16-18, many in the area will know the name, but not necessarily who the man is. A simple description is that the Dalai Lama is the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet. He is also the former head of state … Continue reading →
In the April 13 Facets of Faith, I presented two views of how Christians in financial trouble should handle paying their tithes. One expert said to get out of debt first so that you can be more generous later. The other said that the tithe should always come first. I asked what our readers thought. … Continue reading →
A recent news release from GoBankingRates.com considers the question of how Christians should handle their tithe when in financial difficulty. One view says to get your debt out of the way. Paul Sisolak, a contributor to GoBankingRates said, “In the event of true financial … Continue reading →
Visitors to the British Museum move through rooms filled with historical objects. With so many objects, many are passed with no one realizing their importance. When I visited the museum, the Cyrus Cylinder was one such object. Even though it’s housed in the center of a room, people passed … Continue reading →
St. Joseph Cathedral will present a Holy Week multimedia devotional event based on the words Jesus said from the cross. The “Seven Chorals-Poèmes for Organ on the Seven Last Words of Christ” by Charles Tournemire (1870-1939) will be performed at the downtown Baton Rouge church at 7:30 p.m. March 26. Continue reading →
The History Channel will debut on Sunday a 10-hour, five-part miniseries called “The Bible.” The show starts at 7 p.m. and will run on Sundays for five weeks, ending on Easter. Each episode will have two or three stories from Scripture. Created and produced by husband and wife Mark Burnett … Continue reading →
While Lent, which started Wednesday, is a very old religious practice, people are finding ways to use new technology to help in its observance. A site created by a group of friends from southeast Louisiana, http://www.whattogiveup.com, presents some traditional ways that people mark the season, such as giving up alcohol, television or something … Continue reading →
As people in south Louisiana celebrate the Mardi Gras season, some in Japan will be marking an old festival in Shinto and Buddhist shrines on Friday. Hari-kuyo is a time for kimono-makers to lay to rest their year’s worth of old, broken and worn-out needles and pins. Hari is needle, and kuyou … Continue reading →
Does divorce affect the religion of children, and if so, how much? The Institute for American Values explores the issue in “Does the Shape of Families Shape Faith?” a report released Wednesday. To download the full report and find other resources, visit http://www.centerformarriageandfamilies.org/. In the report’s summary, the authors say, … Continue reading →
Cruises can leave one traveling in interesting places, say Hell, for instance. This popular spot in Grand Cayman is a formation of dead coral that many tourists visit to send postcards to friends. It was one of several “religious” themed places I visited recently. Continue reading →
How did a bishop who lived in the late 200s through the mid-300s in what is modern Turkey become the jolly fat guy dressed in red we see each Christmas? In “The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus,” Adam C. English (no relation to this columnist) tries to sort out the facts about … Continue reading →
When Jews begin lighting menorahs Saturday night, The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel will join them. This traditional observance of Hanukkah involves a candelabrum with eight branches in a line and a separate branch holding a “helper” candle known as the Shamash. On the first evening of Hanukkah, one of … Continue reading →
Just as with headliner TobyMac (see the related story on this page), Brandon Heath is riding some recent success. The release of his most recent album, “Blue Mountain,” coincided with his Grand Ole Opry debut. Heath said, “It was one of those days that will definitely go down in history for me. … Continue reading →
As Christians enter their holiday season, so do other religions. Several religions mark their New Year or other beginnings this week. Diwali is a weeklong Hindu festival, tied to the new moon. It is a public holiday in India. Shop owners … Continue reading →
LOVE THY RIVAL Chad Gibbs. Blue Moon Books. 237 pages. Alabama resident Chad Gibbs turned a season of visiting SEC football games into a book published in 2010. That book looked at how Christians balance their devotion to “God & Football.” Continue reading →
On Monday, Susan Smolinsky, of Baton Rouge, and five people from New Orleans will be among 2,000 people in Israel attending the Centennial Convention of Hadassah. Smolinksy said Hadassah was founded on Feb. 24, 1912, by Henrietta Szold, who had visited what was then the Palestine region of the Ottoman Empire. Horrified by … Continue reading →
Sept. 21 was the 75th anniversary of “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkein. (And Sept. 22 is the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.) For many, “The Hobbit” and its siblings in the Lord of the Rings trilogy represent the pinnacle of fantasy novels that have Christian overtones. However, several fantasy or science fiction … Continue reading →
What happens when one starts keeping track of the miracles in life? For Sharon Holeman, of Baton Rouge, it turned into a book of notes. But rather than make the story about her, she gathered stories from friends to add to her collection. In all, 12 women, 10 of them … Continue reading →
Author, Baptist pastor and professor Calvin Miller died Aug. 19 at age 75. Miller, who was from Oklahoma, first gained notice as a writer in 1975 when “The Singer” was published. It would go on to sell more than a million copies. Miller published more than … Continue reading →
Visual communication through art in Christian churches dates almost to the church’s beginning. Often art was used in churches because most people couldn’t read, so religious stories were portrayed in pictures to make them memorable. In addition to education, the art serves to inspire, sometimes just from the beauty … Continue reading →
Worship Leader magazine named Baton Rouge one of its Top 20 Worship Destinations in the contiguous United States in its July/August 2012 issue. Based on “musical influence and contribution of original worship music to the church at large,” Bethany World Prayer Center is one of the churches recommended for people wanting to see … Continue reading →
Miraculous stories about visions of Jesus or Mary or objects that look like them emerge on a regular basis. Stories in July include: People are visiting Baton Rouge’s Broadmoor subdivision to see a “bleeding” statue of Mary. In Alabama at the beginning of July, a woman … Continue reading →
The Essence Music Festival going on in New Orleans this weekend has some big names in Christian music performing. On Saturday evening, Mary Mary will be on the main stage. They, along with singer-producer Fred Hammond, will be honored Sunday for their work. This event will feature Tramaine Hawkins, Marvin … Continue reading →
Just as Christianity is filled with denominations representing a lot of views, Islam has many sects. The better-known sects include Shiites, Sunnis and Sufis. This week, the leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Mirza Masroor Ahmad, spiritual and administrative head of the community, is to meet … Continue reading →
A recent story on HuffingtonPost.com looked at the most and least Christian states. The website showed studies from two groups, and Louisiana ranked fourth in each. Using numbers from the recently released “2010 U.S. Religious Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study,” the top five are: 1. UTAH: 78,438 Christians per 100,000 people. … Continue reading →
A basic definition of heaven describes it as the home of God and other spiritual beings as well as the reward for those who have met its criteria. Hell is for those who are to be punished. Through the centuries, many religions have developed elaborate explanations of these places. As mentioned in … Continue reading →
Many in London gathered May 2 in St. Paul’s Cathedral with Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, to mark the 350th anniversary of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. The book dates to 1549, when a document drafted by Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, was put in place and use of … Continue reading →
A highlight of my recent visit to the beautiful historic district of Santa Fe, N.M., is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, named for the patron saint of the city. Franciscan friars entered New Mexico in 1598 and founded a church in Santa Fe in 1610. Spaniards were forced out of … Continue reading →
Each part of the British Isles is represented by a saint. The most famous is St. Patrick in Ireland, followed by St. Andrew in Scotland. Since 1222, England marks the day of St. George on April 23. In 1348, George was named patron saint of England; and in 1415, … Continue reading →
Jews around the world begin celebrating the feast of Passover at sundown Friday, April 6. The festival dates to biblical times, and its beginnings can be found in Exodus at the end of the plagues that forced the pharaoh of Egypt to allow the Israelites to leave with Moses. Continue reading →
A packed house of more than 1,300 people filled Greenwell Springs Baptist Church on March 1 to hear Steven Curtis Chapman. Many of them also were there to hear the tall slender man behind him. For bass player Brent Milligan the concert was a homecoming. Milligan, who … Continue reading →
In the early months of each year, people’s thoughts turn to the awards proclaiming the best movies of the previous year. In churches, sometimes there are complaints that movies don’t offer themes attractive to or appropriate for Christians. So how does one go about making a Christian film? Continue reading →
It’s raining in Nashville, and Steven Curtis Chapman has just dropped off two daughters at school. For anyone who knows his story, this simple statement brings up lots of emotions. That number should have been three: the number of daughters he and his wife adopted from China. But about four … Continue reading →
February marks the 100th and 200th anniversaries of two events in Christian life. See Page 8D of People & Faith for an article about ceremonies recognizing the sending of the first missionaries from America to serve overseas. On Feb. 6, 1812, a group of missionaries was commissioned by the American … Continue reading →
The Right Rev. Clarence Cullam Pope Jr., a Shreveport native and longtime Baton Rouge resident who died on Jan. 7 at age 82, is remembered for his dialogues with Roman Catholics about Christian unity. Pope served as rector at Episcopalian churches in Bossier Parish and Baton Rouge and as bishop of the Episcopal … Continue reading →
If the new missal translation causes you to mess up at Mass on Sunday, you are not alone. Even Roman Catholic musician John Michael Talbot, who recorded an album to help people learn the missal, admits to some problems on his record. In 2010, Talbot recorded “Worship and Bow Down,” a collection released this … Continue reading →
Think Christmas is coming too fast? For Orthodox Christians, the Nativity Fast begins Tuesday and runs through Dec. 24. This is one of four major fasts in Orthodox life. The others include Lent, which is before Easter; the Fast of the Apostles, eight days after Pentecost through June … Continue reading →
The end of October is known for Halloween and All Saints’ Day. However, another religious day happens in this season: Reformation Day. The website Interfaith Calendar.org says it is the “Protestant Christian anniversary of their tradition and its emphasis on the place of the Bible and religious freedom” … Continue reading →
Almost 1,700 years ago, an event happened that led to Christianity as the Western world knows it. On Oct. 28, 312, Constantine (280-337) fought in a battle at a bridge just outside Rome. Constantine was headed toward Rome with an army of 40,000 soldiers to face Maxentius, who had … Continue reading →
St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church, in Bertrandville, and St. Augustine Catholic Church, in Klotzville, are celebrating a centennial together this weekend. Founded Oct. 1, 1911, St. Benedict the Moor is the oldest African-American congregation in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. At 5 p.m. Saturday, Mass will be … Continue reading →
Today’s main story is about Thich Dao Quang, abbot of Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge. While the number of Buddhist followers has grown, Americans often don’t understand the basics of the religion. Basics MEMBERS WORLDWIDE: 350 million, mostly in Asia. MEMBERS IN UNITED STATES: Estimates were 401,000 in 1990, but that had risen … Continue reading →
When one starts to consider interfaith groups, the idea of tolerance comes up. How can people work together in faith when they don’t believe the same things? The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance has a large site about religion: http://www.religioustolerance.org/. It’s an excellent resource for dealing with faith issues from many perspectives. The group defines … Continue reading →
We received several news releases in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of The King James Version of the Bible. The most interesting so far has been from the Bodleian Libraries of Oxford University in England. The libraries have launched their first app for Apple and Android devices. “The Making of the King James Bible” is available for purchase … Continue reading →
Recently, I asked readers to provide their views of heaven and hell and of who gets to enter heaven. Their answers have as many theological variations as there were writers. The shortest response was one of two that expressed disbelief. John Taylor, of Natchez, Miss., said, “I have no recollection of any events before … Continue reading →
Rob Bell’s book “Love Wins” and its questions about hell have caused a resurgence in people using the term “universalist.” In Christian life, most denominations view the belief as a heresy, and the term is often used as a smear. While the story on today’s page refers to an organization with the word Universalist in the … Continue reading →