There was never any question whether the hellish events of Sept. 11 would be selected as the most important news story in the Religion Newswriters Association’s annual poll. The question was which Sept. 11 religion story would receive the most votes. There were so many – from the prayers of the bombers to the prayers of those who fought them. In the end, five of the RNA poll’s top 10 stories were linked to Sept. 11 in some way. The... Read more
The tree filled up so much of the station wagon that driving home was an adventure. But it was worth the extra effort. Things are more complex if you want a living tree, the kind you can transfer — roots and all — to the yard or a pot on the patio when its ritual duties are done. We are seriously considering moving this tree back indoors to decorate next Christmas. This is Palm Beach County, after all. People do... Read more
When Sabina Dener was a child in the Bronx, she knew it was Hanukkah when everyone started singing Christmas carols. “When I was in school, we had to learn Christmas carols and we had to stand up and sing them, too,” she said, describing the World War II era. “That’s just the way things were. Hanukkah was a minor holiday we celebrated at home. It was about treats and games and that was that. “Now everything has changed. Just look... Read more
God only knows how many clergy have been asked to write prayers for the spiritually fragile days since Sept. 11. Offering a prayer for Ground Zero, the Rev. Charles T.A. Flood of Philadelphia began by praising the saints “who have made us holy from times past. … God has sent them to us in times of loss and confusion.” It helps to name names and the Episcopal priest did that. “The Saints were not those who were perfect,” said the... Read more
Sometimes the number is 38 percent and sometimes it’s something like 41. For decades, Gallup Poll researchers have asked people if they attended worship services in the previous week. On rare occasions the percentage may soar to 48. It has been known to dip to 35. But that’s about it. There are seasonal ripples in the pews, but few big waves. Then came the events of Sept. 11. “Everybody started hearing all kinds of things from people all over the... Read more
There’s nothing like a hot quote about Satan to grab a reader’s attention. “I think it’s absolute rubbish to protest children’s books on the grounds that they are luring children to Satan,” said Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, according to an email message that keeps circling the globe. “People should be praising them for that! These books guide children to an understanding that the weak, idiotic Son Of God is a living hoax who will be humiliated when the rain... Read more
The powers that be made sure the Country Music Association Awards started with fireworks, red-white-and-blue streamers and star-spangled guitars. But it was Alan Jackson who stopped the show with a post-Sept. 11 anthem that had the faithful drying their eyes. “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” jumped from pangs of doubt to hugs in pews, from tuning out Hollywood trash to dusting off the family Bible. The man in the white hat wrapped his grief and grit around... Read more
It’s hard to miss the Big Idea when an artist puts it right on a painting in bold letters. “He That Believeth Not Shall Be Damned. Not A Crown But Hellfire And Brimstone,” wrote Howard Finster, using his unorthodox spelling and grammar. “If You Only Had One Sweet Son And You Gave His Life To Save Ten Wicked Men. And They Returned And Denied That You Gave Your Only Son For Them And Said You Child Never Exist No One... Read more
Any researcher who comes to the United States of America to study how people talk will find plenty of people who speak languages other than English. Some don’t speak English at all. Many speak English and another language. Many others — computer-software pros, for example — speak dialects blending English with various unknown tongues. But statistically, the U.S. is an English-speaking nation. “OK, that is true,” said Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things, a journal of religion and... Read more
It is strange for a British shepherd to return home and confess that he feels like an alien. Yet whenever Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor finishes the flight from Peru to Great Britain, he feels confused. During numerous trips to South America, he has visited priests and their flocks who live simple lives as they struggle with poverty, disease and hunger. Yet most seem remarkably joyful. That is not what the cardinal sees at home, where there exists a “surplus of all... Read more
Terry Mattingly
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