The New York Times ran a great article today about Walking the Walk, a high school program that brings together students of different faiths to help them learn about each other.

Check out the article about Walking the Walk here.

Stay tuned to ReligionTranscends for coverage of Guru Nanak’s birthday (a Sikh celebration).

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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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John McCain’s presidential campaign is running an ad that mocks Barack Obama, calling him “The One.” The ad, which features comparisons to Moses, plays off evangelical Christian fears that Barack Obama might be the antichrist foreshadowed in the Book of Revelation (in the Bible).

As Revelation explains, the antichrist would be human but would have a demonic spirit – and he would be praised by society.

This depiction of the antichrist was used in the Christian fiction series, Left Behind, developed by authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. In that series, the antichrist (whose name is Nicolae Carpathia in the books) is a politician who becomes an international figure, slowly gaining power and taking over the world.

In an interview with LaHaye, the author debunked the idea that Obama is the antichrist, stating, “”The antichrist isn’t going to be an American, so it can’t possibly be Obama. The Bible makes it clear he will be from an obscure place, like Romania.” 

Regardless, e-mails are circulating through some evangelical circles describing the antichrist – and clearly pointing to the idea that Barack Obama fits the description. Read one of the fear-inducing e-mails here.

The McCain campaign claimed they were only poking fun at the senator’s speaking style.

See the ad for yourself here.

What do you think? Is the ad playing off evangelicals fears? Or is it just being playful? Is the idea of Obama as antichrist silly or legit?

Learn about evangelicalism on Religion Transcends.

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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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A church in Oklahoma was planning to give away a gun to encourage teens to attend their weekend youth conference. That plan has now been cancelled.

A spokesman for Windsor Hills Baptist told Oklahoma’s Channel 5 News that it was planning to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle, just as they did at last year’s conference (which also included a shooting competition). The idea initially was for teens to get together and enjoy a good time, then to subsequently find the Christian faith.

But the church’s head pastor will not be able to attend the event this year. So the youth pastor removed it from the church Web site.

They’ll give the gun away at next year’s conference.

What do you think? Is a gun giveaway appropriate at a youth conference? Is it appropriate for a religious event? Is it different for any specific cultures, regions, or religions?

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God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

This is the beginning of the “Serenity Prayer,” an oft-quoted prayer that appears on everything from pillows and mugs to Alcoholics Anonymous literature. It has long been thought that the prayer was composed in the 1940s by Reinhold Niebuhr (d. 1971), a Protestant preacher and popular Christian thinker.

But Fred R. Shapiro, a Yale law librarian, seeks to change this thought. According to the New York Times News Service, Shapiro has found newspaper clippings dating back to 1936 that quote the prayer, with those who quote it saying they don’t know where it came from – a poem, perhaps?

If Shapiro is right, then the prayer was around before Reinhold Niebuhr used it in a sermon and published it widely. Maybe he just used it from memory without realizing he hadn’t written it, Shapiro suggests.

When Shapiro’s article about his findings appears in Yale Alumni Magazine next month, Niebuhr’s own daughter Elisabeth Sifton will rebut.

Sifton says if the prayer was used in the 30s, it’s because Niebuhr’s ideas were spreading quickly and reached other people who didn’t know he had written it.

For more pieces on or by Niebuhr, click here.

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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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