Today’s post is my monthly column for the Episcopal News Service (which will be familiar to those of you who read my posts on Salem last month): The witches are gathering in Salem, Massachusetts, this month — along with wizards and warlocks and a host of elaborately costumed revelers, who flock to this seaside town every October for one of the nation’s largest Halloween celebrations. There’s no small amount of irony in this, of course, for Salem became infamous because... Read more
Let me end this little jaunt through prayer by telling you about a wonderful presentation I heard recently at my church. It was the third in a series we did in our adult forum on the topic of prayer. I kicked it off with a presentation on scientific research on prayer, another set of people talked about being part of our church’s prayer chain, and on the final Sunday two people shared some of their experiences in being prayed for.... Read more
I teased you by saying that I’d be writing today about “How to Build a Better Prayer Life.” That’s a bit too grand a title, but it was indeed a question that I asked several experts while doing research for my article on prayer. I got some intriguing responses. First, these well-respected researchers made it clear that from a scientific perspective, prayer is prayer is prayer. The physical and psychological benefits of prayer aren’t dependent upon whether you’re Mormon, Buddhist,... Read more
While hundreds of studies provide evidence that spirituality can improve our physical and mental health, a smaller subset of research focuses on whether prayers for the healing of other people do any good. These are the sorts of studies that garner the lion’s share of media attention and generate controversy in the scientific community. Many of these studies have been designed like clinical drug tests, with randomized, double-blind trials involving patients divided into a group that is prayed for by... Read more
While theologians and religious leaders have long pondered questions about prayer, it wasn’t until relatively recently that scientists began to study the links between spirituality and health. To date, more than 4,000 studies have been conducted in this area. The result: researchers are finding that our religious beliefs and practices can profoundly benefit our physical and mental well-being. “Scientists are interested in studying prayer because it’s clearly important to many people,” explains Harold G. Koenig, MD, Director of the Center... Read more
I mentioned several months ago that I had an assignment to write a magazine article on prayer. I’ll let you know when it’s published, but in the meantime I thought prayer might be a fertile topic here at The Holy Rover for a few days. I must say I’ve had considerable frustration with this article. It’s been through many editor-ordered revisions, enough to give me multiple headaches at the computer (you do not want to know how many curse words... Read more
When I first met my husband, Bob, one of the things that I found most intriguing was how hard it was to pigeonhole him. He was a teacher of philosophy and loved ideas, but he also knew how to fix a sink, install a ceiling fan, and prune an apple tree. He could discuss Plato while cleaning windows and explain Existentialism while raking leaves. Over the years of our relationship—now almost three decades—he’s taught me how to think more clearly,... Read more
Today’s post is my monthly column for the Episcopal News Service, reprinted below: On a recent trip to the Grand Canyon, I was amused to hear a guide recount what is surely the most bone-headed prognostication ever made concerning a national park. After exploring the canyon in 1857-58, Joseph C. Ives wrote this report: “The region . . . is, of course, altogether valueless…after entering it, there is nothing to do but leave. Ours has been the first and the last... Read more
There’s a certain amount of irony in the fact that while Salem’s infamous reputation was formed as a result of its fear of witches, today it is a place where witches gather openly. By witches I mean those who follow the Wiccan religion, a nature-based faith that traces its origins to pagan Celtic traditions in the British Isles. Attractions such as Salem Witch Village make it clear that modern-day witches are entirely different from the twisted view of witchcraft promulgated... Read more
Salem honors the memory of the Witch Trials in a variety of ways. Its most powerful attraction is very simple: the Witch Trials Memorial. Though the monument is located in Salem’s busy downtown area, it nevertheless has a quiet and contemplative atmosphere. Its design was selected from among more than 200 entries in an international competition and was dedicated in 1992 by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. The monument consists of twenty benches that extend from a low stone wall, each... Read more
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