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Transcending . . .
Faith in American has not been outlawed, merely privatized
It has been said that all that is needed to destroy a people is to erase their history. The United States has a rich history steeped in faith yet faith in America has been under attack of late. It isn’t that we have outlawed faith, we have simply privatized it. Like a family secret, we have removed faith from public settings. The following are 10 fallacies about faith in America:
1. “Separation of Church and State” means people of faith should mute their convictions in the public forum.
2. We should stamp out all prejudices in America except for those pertaining to God, Jesus and the Bible.
3. One person’s offense or disagreement should be allowed to suppress the faith DNA of a nation.
4. National discourse should avoid all illusions to faith because the highest goal in America is not to offend.
5. We owe no allegiance to the faith that shaped our nation.
6. The faith that once inspired and motivated many of our Founding Fathers should now be relegated to church buildings on Sunday mornings.
Pentecostals and religious entrepreneurs delivering global impact
It is the 3pm exorcism at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God on the Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônio in São Paulo. The air is sticky and the afternoon has a lazy siesta feel. Middle-class Paulistas drift into the cool, calm church, which, with its comfortable seats, sparkling granite floor and raised stage, has a very American feel, more like the in-house conference centre of a decent-sized multinational than a place of worship. Most of them are women, some with children. There are plenty of shopping bags. The 3pm exorcism seems to be squeezed in between the school run, the laundry and the groceries.
The preacher, Pastor Eginaldo, wearing a white shirt and slacks, asks people to bring forward trinkets belonging to loved ones whose souls are in torment. The congregation sings a hymn — and hands are raised. Pastor Eginaldo talks about the rudimentary problems of life — these demons cannot be driven out by going to the hospital, he says. Then all the people in the church link hands in a huge circle. They close their eyes. Pastor Eginaldo lays his hands on people’s heads, willing the evil spirits out of them. There are ripples of great trauma. A woman in a pink T- shirt collapses, writhing, screaming. Some of the helpers are a bit aggressive: they order people who open their eyes to shut them. But their main job is to catch people who fall over when the pastor cries out, “Leave in the name of Jesus!”
Pentecostalism is growing like crazy in Latin America, where it has shattered the Roman Catholic Church’s monopoly of religion. According to the World Christian Database, there are now 24 million Pentecostal Christians in Brazil, compared with 5.7 million in the United States.
But if you want to see the full power of Pentecostalism there is only one place to go: David Cho’s Yoido Full Gospel Church. . . .
Father Cutie's fall: Do priests deserve marital happiness?
Miami is abuzz over the plight of one Father Cutié (no kidding -- Father Cutie, with an accent) -- the hunky and popular pastor of a South Beach parish who was photographed bare-chested and cuddling with a woman on the sunny sands of Florida. The Rev. Alberto Cutié is no ordinary priest -- he was a friend of celebrities, a frequent television commentator, and the popular author of a book, "Real Life, Real Love,'' whose subject matter earned him the moniker "Padre Oprah." His downfall is now attracting more attention than his smile, with the predictable debate ensuing over the viability of mandatory celibacy for priests.
The Miami Herald conducted a poll, and found broad support for the priest:
"Days after the Rev. Alberto Cutié admitted he had a romantic relationship with a woman, an overwhelming number of Miami-Dade Catholics still view him favorably, a poll conducted for The Miami Herald found.
Nearly 80 percent of those polled had a favorable view of Cutié, with 10 percent saying they looked at him unfavorably.
...A substantial majority -- 74 percent -- of those surveyed, including Hispanics and non-Hispanics, oppose the Roman Catholic Church's prohibition of priests marrying or having any type of sexual relations. Only 22 percent said they supported the prohibition, while 4 percent said they were unsure or gave no answer."
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