America has elected an African-American president.

Will cardinals elect an African-American pope next?

Archbishop Wilton Daniel Gregory of Atlanta told the UK Times that the current pope has suggested electing a black pope would send the world a “splendid signal.”

Gregory is originally from Chicago (like Obama) and became the first black man to oversee the U.S. Bishops Conference in 2001.

Rumor had it that, after the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, the cardinals would elect a new pope from Africa. Instead, they elected Ratzinger, the German-born cardinal who became Pope Benedict XVI.

When Benedict passes on, will the conclave choose a black man to replace him? Gregory thinks it could happen, since the conclave picks the person who is best for the job and does not base its decision on race.

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Light and darkness. Saints and witches. Goodies and goblins.

It’s safe to say this time of year is full of both the honorable and the horrifying. As Chalicecentre.net puts it, “Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry of celebrations from October 31st through November 5th, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery.” 

As we round out the month of October, perhaps you’re finishing up a Diwali celebration, visiting family members’ graves for Day of the Dead, or dressing up for Halloween. There’s a lot going on! Yet more conflicting holidays are on the way.

All Saints’ Day

When is it celebrated? Christians will celebrate this holiday on November 1. A holy day of obligation, Catholics are required to attend Mass tomorrow.

Who is being celebrated? All Christian saints and martyrs. Some saints are celebrated on specific days throughout the year. But on this day, saints and martyrs are celebrated collectively.

What are saints? Saints are deceased individuals who are honored for the good lives they led and the miracles associated with them. Catholics may ask the saints to pray with them or for them, as they are closer to God and may pray for those in need.

Want a history of the celebration? Visit Newadvent.org.

All Souls’ Day

When is it celebrated? Christians will celebrate this holiday on November 2.

Who is being honored? All the dead. Christians may pray for them, visit their graves, or simply reflect on the lives and deaths of loved ones. Often they pray for the souls of loved ones who may be in Purgatory.

What is Purgatory? Catholics believe Purgatory is the place where souls go if they are not being damned to Hell for grave sins but are not yet ready for Heaven because they have not yet paid for minor sins. In Purgatory, souls must be cleansed of sins in order to eventually move to Heaven. When loved ones pray for or hold Mass in honor of those souls, it is believed it helps them move to Heaven.

Want a history of the celebration? Visit Newadvent.org.

Samhain

When is it celebrated?  Wiccans/Pagans will celebrate this holiday on November 2. Samhain is one of the four main festivals of the Celtic tradition. (Another is Beltane, similar to Samhain except that it marks the beginning of Spring.)

What is being celebrated? Beginning with the Celts/Druids, pagans celebrate the end of summer on Samhain. This is their new year, as it marks both the end of harvest and the beginning of a new season. During this time, Wiccans pay respects to the dead. Others use this time to make supplications of the dead and practice divination.

What is divination? Divination involves connecting with the spirit world. At certain times of the year like Samhain, it is thought that divination is easier than at other times. Divination can involve invoking spirits, asking questions of the dead, interpreting dreams, and necromacy (or magic related to death).

Want a history of the celebration? Visit Chalicecentre.net.

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You might remember when a man by the name of Mehmet Ali Agca shot and wounded Pope John Paul II in 1981. The assassination attempt led to the addition of bullet-proof glass around the Popemobile.

But did you know the pope was stabbed just a year later by a priest?

Following the assassination attempt, the former pope visited Portugal to thank God for letting him live. While there, Juan Maria Fernandez Krohn, a priest, stabbed the pope, angry about the pope’s reforms. At least that’s the story Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz tells in his new documentary, Testimony. The cardinal showed the film at the Vatican recently, revealing the secret stabbing to the world.

The pope was not seriously injured, and the Vatican kept the incident under wraps. 

Learn more about the cardinal’s film here.

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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago launched a counseling initiative yesterday for loved ones of those abused by Catholic priests.

The Chicago Tribune ran the report, stating that victims’ families are often overlooked in the healing process and need treatment to overcome feelings of guilt, anger, and shame. Now, those loved ones will have the chance to receive counseling via four sessions led by a licensed clinical social worker.

According to the article,

Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, offered faint praise, reiterating a call for measures that will guard against future abuse, such as publicizing offenders’ current whereabouts and the names of religious order priests accused of abuse.“Any help for those wounded by pedophile priests and complicit bishops is welcome,” Blaine said. “At the same time, however, victims and their loved ones can heal even without the church’s help.”But Matthew Hunnicutt, director of the archdiocese’s office of assistance ministry, said that although many agencies offer support groups and therapy, the church has an obligation to reach out to victims and their family members. Many professional therapists leave spirituality out of the recovery process. This initiative puts emphasis on it, he said.

What do you think? Is the Church doing a good thing? Is it enough? Is it necessary?

Click here for more background and information about the Catholic Church and sexual abuse by priests.

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The letters represented in a tetragrammaton, YHWH, are the four consonants of the ancient Hebrew name for God Himself.

It is Jewish practice to never pronounce the four-letter name of God. And according to the Vatican, early Christians did not pronounce the four-letter name either.

But as time went on, Christians adopted various names for God. Large groups of Christians made something of the four letters – the name “Yahweh.” Others refrained from translating the letters and used translations of “Lord” (Adonai, Kyrios, and so on).

In June, the Vatican announced it will return to tradition and stop pronouncing the name of God. The change is now in effect. While this change won’t affect official liturgy, it will mean several songs and texts will need to remove the name – perhaps replacing it with Adonai.

Refraining from pronouncing God’s name is, according to the Vatican, an “expression of the infinite greatness and majesty of God.”

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Tomorrow, August 15, Roman Catholics will celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Read my guest post about the Assumption of Mary on Sister Julie’s blog, A Nun’s Life.

On the same day as the Assumption, Orthodox Christians remember the Dormition of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary – in other words, they remember Mary’s death.

Who is Mary?

Mary was the mother of Jesus. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Mary is a young virgin. The angel Gabriel came to her and told her she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit. See Matthew 1-3 or Luke 1-2 for more about Mary and the birth of Jesus. 

It is a common myth that Catholics worship Mary. They do not. Rather, they honor her for her purity (many believe she never sinned), her motherhood, and her closeness to Jesus Christ. Catholics may ask Mary to pray with them or for them, as she is thought to be closer to God and may plead with those in need.

What happened at her death?

Several oral and written documents were combined into the Church History of Nicephorus Callistus in the 14th century. These documents tell the story of Mary’s death.

Though Mary lived the latter part of her life in Ephesus, it is said that she left for Jerusalem toward the end of her life. While in Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would be leaving her life behind and heading into eternal life. She then prayed that Jesus’s disciple John would be able to come to her. Shortly thereafter, all the disciples except Thomas appeared before her. She blessed them, and they sat with her at her deathbed.

On the morning she was to die (the Dormition), a light descended from Heaven and it is said that Mary could see Jesus, angels, and prophets. She bowed to her son, then fell asleep (thus passing away).

After her death, the disciples buried her in Israel, near the Garden of Gethsemane. They sat by her tomb for three days. Then on the third day, Thomas (the missing disciple) arrived. Having missed her death and burial, he asked if they would open the tomb and allow him to get one last glimpse of Mary. They complied.

When they opened the tomb, they found her burial shroud and nothing more. Her body was gone. Read more about Mary’s death at OCA.org.

Where did her body go?

According to Roman Catholic doctrine, Mary was taken up (assumed) into Heaven. Read about the Assumption of Mary on Anunslife.org. 

What is the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos?

The Feast of the Dormition is a celebration and a solemn remembrance of Mary’s death. It is celebrated by Orthodox Christians. Read more about Orthodox Christians at OCA.org.

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CNN.com featured a great article about racial segregation in Christian churches yesterday. Here is an excerpt:

Some blacks as well as whites prefer segregated Sundays, religious scholars and members of interracial churches say.

Americans may be poised to nominate a black man to run for president, but it’s segregation as usual in U.S. churches, according to the scholars. Only about 5 percent of the nation’s churches are racially integrated, and half of them are in the process of becoming all-black or all-white, says Curtiss Paul DeYoung, co-author of “United by Faith,” a book that examines interracial churches in the United States.

The article contains some interesting and perhaps surprising examples and facets of race in Christianity. You can read the full article here.

And while you’re out surfing the Internet, be sure to drop by Religion Transcends on Myspace. Add us as your friend today so you can interact with other Religion Transcends readers and receive exciting updates.

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Fundamentalists have higher rates of mortality than Catholics and Mainline Protestants, according to a recent study by LSU Associate Professor Troy C. Blanchard and his colleagues.

The study, published in Social Forces and reported on ScienceDaily.com, showed that religious environment (the type of religious community a person lives within) can affect health and mortality (life/death) rates.

According to Blanchard, churches that focus on the present needs of communities on earth invest in the health of their followers – as with Catholics who organize programs for the sick and needy. On the other hand, religious groups that only focus on the afterlife do not put as much emphasis on helping each other. The focus is more individual – what do I need to do to have a good afterlife?

Blanchard, perhaps not meaning to do so, separated the two types of congregations neatly into evangelicals and fundamentalists (where evangelicals are those focused on both this life and the next; fundamentalists focus on the next life only). This begs for definitions.

When we say Evangelicals, what do we mean?

Typically, in Christianity, evangelicals place an emphasis on conversion (or on helping others or yourself to become a part of that religion and achieve an appropriate afterlife). In addition, they tend to believe in the following:

-The Bible has no errors.

-Morals come from the Bible.

-The Christian faith can help handle issues in the community.

When we say Fundamentalists, what do we mean?

Fundamentalists in every religion believe their religion is the true religion, the only correct religion, the only religion that can achieve the goal of life. In addition, fundamentalists

-Are certain of an Absolute Truth (God, Absolute Power, etc.);

-Believe there is an authority outside of themselves and place the utmost importance on that outside authority/power;

-Place importance on the traditional family;

-Believe there is punishment for sins;

-Reject modernism (or modern interpretations of beliefs and laws); and

-Believe in dualism (good/evil, heaven/hell, body/spirit, etc.).

Of course, there is always a middle ground. But for the sake of this study, these LSU professors believe they’ve found those who fit in this evangelical group will have lower risks of 

health issues than those that would fit into the fundamentalist group.

What do you think? Do their findings hold up in the real world?

For more on fundamentalism, check out Fundamentalism, Sectarianism, and Revolution by S.N. Einstadt.

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WOMEN NOT ALLOWED.

Or at least they might not be allowed in the ranks of the bishops of the Church of England.

On Friday, July 4, the governing body of the Church of England will meet to decide whether to pass legislation that would allow female priests to become bishops. But today, the UK Times reported that “more than 1,300 clergy, including 11 serving bishops, have written to the archbishops of Canterbury and York to say that they will defect from the Church of England if women are consecrated bishops.”

What’s the big deal?

That body of clergy represents 10% of all active and retired priests and bishops in the Church of England. If all 10% actually left the church, the governing body would be left with a huge priest shortage. The priests themselves may be able to find new positions within the Roman Catholic Church, according to the Times.

The Church of England began ordaining women as priests in 1944, though the practice didn’t really take off until the late 20th century. So why such a backlash against female ordination?

Traditionalists (those who stick to the tradition of not allowing women to be ordained) often point to verses in The Bible like 1 Corinthians 14 or the entire book of 1 Timothy. Those who are for female ordination say God created man and woman in his image – equally – and that both can play an equal role in His church. For more arguments, click here.

GLOSSARY

Church of England: The official Christian church of England; followers are called Anglicans

Clergy: Church leaders

Priests: Leader of one church (parish), typically; they oversee rituals and teaching for that group

Bishops: Oversee multiple parishes; appoint priests; take care of administrative tasks that cross parishes

Ordain/Consecrate: To set someone apart as a church leader who can perform certain rituals/sacraments after they have performed the necessary actions to reach ordination (schooling, training, etc.).

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Prayers from several religions will now find a place at the Ontario legislature’s opening each day, according to Religion News Service.

Making a compromise

The municipal councils used to begin their daily meetings by reciting the Lord’s Prayer, associated with the Christian religion. But in early 2008, Secular Ontario threatened to take them to court if they continued the ritual. The organization of atheist Canadians felt such an act implied that the legislature was for Christians only.

The government of Ontario has held several debates about religion and politics over the last few months. Finally they came up with a compromise in June that would keep them out of hot water with Secular Ontario.

The compromise? Keep the Lord’s Prayer, but add in prayers from eight other religions and a moment of silence for the non-religious. Among those religions whose prayers will be incorporated are Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Baha’i, and Sikhism.

Inclusion for diversity

This change is a good example of a move toward inclusion. Inclusion is a method of showing that all religions have merit and truth in some way and/or that all deserve representation and respect. It’s the idea of religious diversity — a cornucopia of religions tha twould all be placed on the same level, in the same arena. Exclusion, obviously, is the opposite. A religion is sometimes called “exclusive” when its followers claim their religion is the only true religion or that their beliefs must be followed in order to attain the goal of religion (whether that’s eternal life, cessation of suffering, or something else).

Wondering about the Lord’s Prayer?

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer prayed by Jesus, and it can be found in the New Testament of The Bible (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4). In those verses, Jesus teaches his followers to pray a prayer he teaches them to pray. Many Christian churches pray that Lord’s Prayer at each worship gathering, including Catholics who sometimes call this prayer the “Our Father.”

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