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Faith Forum - faithforum's Blog - Bakersfield.com http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum en-us Patron saint of Bakersfield, via Fresno http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/11840 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/11840 A lot of people don't know that Bakersfield has a patron saint. She, of course, has never been here. As far as I know, no one who has lived in Bakersfield has ever been formally recognized as a saint. She never lived in Fresno either. But St. Therese de Lisieux, for whom Mother Teresa was named, got to be the patroness of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno (which includes Bakersfield) because a Fresno bishop happened to be in Rome when St. Therese was canonized. Bishop John G. MacGinley was chatting with Pope Pius XI in 1925 at the declaration of sainthood. That was just 28 years after Therese died of tuberculosis on Sept. 30, 1897, at the young age of 24, in a Carmelite convent in Lisieux, France. The bishop asked if the newly sainted could become the patron saint of the Fresno diocese. I'm guessing the Pope felt the Fresno area really needed a saint (what with the Grapes of Wrath just a few years away), so he said okay as long as a church was named in her honor. The former Our Lady of Victory Parish, established in 1919, was changed and , became  the first parish in the world dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. She was born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin on Jan. 2, 1873 to Louis Martin, a watchmaker, and his wife, Zélie-Marie, both very religious people. She wanted to be a nun and she nudged her way into the convent a little sooner (age 15) than was the norm at the time. She kept a diary that was later made into a book, Story of a Soul, and was so profoundly theological — but in a light and breezy way — that it was the cornerstone of her sainthood. A patron saint is a protector and an advocate for a person to God. So we have a young French woman who lets God know about the special people in the southern San Joaquin Valley.  Now you know. Posted by Steve E. Swenson P.S. The Californian will soon have a full-length story about her     Pope slights validity of other Christian churches http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/11788 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/11788  Pope Benedict XVI, in what some see as a retreat from the ecumenical movement of Vatican II, has in the last week <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071000395.html">resumed Latin Masses and asserted Catholic supremacy over other Christian churches.</a> The Second Vatican Council in 1962 to 1965 ushered in a more cooperative approach between the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian churches. What the Pope has done in the last week is seen as "a step backward" from that approach. Reuters reported Bishop Wolfgang Huber, head of the Protestant umbrella group Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), said the new Vatican document effectively downgraded Protestant churches and would make ecumenical relations more difficult. As an ex-Catholic (first 28 years, Mass seven days a week, altar boy in the Latin Mass era),  who is now an Episcopalian after dabbling for 28 years as a Lutheran, the Pope's position amuses me. The Latin Mass was stupid for almost anyone outside of Italy.  If you can't understand what the priest is saying, why bother. (I acknowledge that the Pope is not saying Latin will sweep all Catholic Churches, but it could go to anyone that wants it). And the Catholic notion that it is the only true church — my mother bought into that; when I told her I was switching to Lutheran (an argument could be made Luther made the Catholic church better and more honest), she told me I was going to go to hell — smacks of only Catholics are in heaven.  I'm not even sure only Christians are in heaven on the theory that a merciful God would allow theists in. I'm thinking the Pope ought to lighten up a little with a German brew, whose ingredients were made by God for the benefit of all humanity. Posted by Steve E. Swenson Are some sinners not welcome at church? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/7760 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/7760 Members of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, Ca. are being tested by their marquee invitation, "All are welcome." <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/us/10pilgrim.html?th&emc=th">Does that include Mark Pliska, 53, a convicted child molester?</a> Some members have left the church. A regular message at churches is "love the sinner, hate the sin." Another is all are sinners. Should a church get to choose which sins they allow in their midst, and which they do not? How would you react if a child molester wanted to go to your church? Posted by Steve E. Swenson Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/7469 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/7469 Easter week seems a good time to ask this question — do you believe Jesus rose from the dead? The question presupposes you believe in Jesus and he was both God and man. So you can address those issues too if you want. I found the <a href="http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html">following article</a> helpful in analyzing this topic. In a nutshell, it says the Roman soldiers had every reason including their own lives to protect the tomb, and the apostles were too scared to be seen out in public until Christ appeared to them. Then their beliefs were so strong, they became martyrs. It also said Christ appeared to his number one enemy, Saul, and that led to Saul's transformation to Paul and one of the key writers of the Bible. There are arguments against the resurrection. Here's <a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jerry_borchandt/factor.html">one</a>. It essentially says the resurrection accounts are based on hearsay and contradictory reports in the Bible. <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/8449/ress.html">Another one</a> reports that Biblical accounts are unreliable and factually incorrect. Posted by Steve E. Swenson Episcopal bishops support gays, snub nose at greater Anglican church http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/6800 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/6800 Episcopal bishops meeting in Texas, saying the <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.episcopal22mar22,0,1358210.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines">church embraces "all of God's children" including gays,</a> refused to meet Anglican demands to change that position by a Sept. 30 deadline. This is the latest in a feud that pits minority conservative dioceses, such as the San Joaquin Valley, against the more liberal Episcopal leadership which supports equality for gays and women in the church. Episcopals are the American arm of the Anglican church. Up to 2.3 million people are Episcopals, which are part of the 77 million people in the Anglican church worldwide. A month ago, Anglican leaders (called primates) met in Tanzania, and gave Episcopalians until Sept. 30 to pledge not to consecrate another partnered gay bishop or authorize official prayers for same-sex couples. The Episcopal bishops response on Tuesday was to reject that settlement. It remains to be seen what will happen now. But already conservative members of the Episcopal church aren't happy with a majority leadership who recently rejected a Bakersfield bishop, the Rev. Mark Lawrence, to be bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina.  Lawrence had enough votes, but Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori -- head of the American Episcopals -- declared three deciding votes were not cast properly under the rules. Jefferts Schori has also supported the ordination of a gay bishop in 2003. Who do you believe is following God's commands in this controversy — the minority conservatives or the majority leadership block? Posted by Steve E. Swenson   KGET on The Colbert Report http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/6355 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/6355 Why is it that "Bakersfield" is a punchline? Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" featured a news piece by KGET Channel 17 last night, and all Colbert said was "Bakersfield" and he got a laugh. Are we that funny? Are people laughing because they're shocked we have news here? Or are they laughing because of the type of news that comes out of this town? In this case, Colbert showed portions of a KGET report about a Christian doctor who has rules for who he will and won't serve based on his religious beliefs. The doctor refused to see a young child because her mother has tattoos and piercings, forbidden in Leviticus 19:28. Colbert used this story for his feature "The Word," getting another laugh for the term "WWJD" - What Would Jesus Dispense. A funny line: "Say Ahhmen." The piece was hilarious. But I laughed more for the jokes about the Hippocratic Oath than the punchlines containing "Bakersfield." Watch it for yourself! Hey, you Catholics, get back to confession http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/6024 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/6024 Under the stuff you can't make up, the <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/catholics-called-from-the-idiot-box-to-confession/2007/02/22/1171733950891.html">Archdiocese of Washington is starting a media blitz to get Catholics back to confession.</a> A story by Michelle Boorstein of the Washington Post  notes the archdiocese has launched a major marketing blitz, advertising on buses, subway cars, a billboard, the radio and in 100,000 brochures in an effort to get people back to the confessional. Seems that what used to be long lines of people waiting to go to confession, and the priest hearing a relentless outpouring of sins by his parishioners for hours, has not been scaled back to 30- or 45-minute increments or by appointment. The ad slogan is, "The Light Is On For You."  (who wants a light on when you go confess your deep dark sins?) Ask any Catholic and they will tell you some, or many, confession horror stories in their life.  When I was a young adolescent, I went in and told Father Altar Boy Coordinator  about some impure thought I had that Sister Mary Better Than All Of Us made me feel so guilty about that I nearly fainted in the booth. Indeed, when I became a Lutheran, the two reasons I cited were a better insurance plan and a direct confessional to God without any of the prayer penance. Plus you could go to heaven right away without the Purgatory intermediate step, which could be lessened with buying votive candles or novenas. Poor people obviously had to stay longer. So, what up Catholics. Are you going to go back to confession or are you going to put your archdiocese is the position of asking whether an ad campaign is good stewardship of the Lord's money? Posted by Steve E. Swenson Where do the palms come from? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/5988 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/5988 We're planning a story on Palm Sunday, and where the palms for this service come from. What's your church's tradition? I remember as a child watching adults trim the palm branches from the trees on the grounds of my church in San Diego. It was fascinating to watch. While we'd be out playing on the blacktop (there was no playground, this was a pretty poor Catholic school) a group of very dedicated parishoners would climb the massive palms and prepare the fronds for Mass. The church made do with the resources that were right there on the grounds. But not every church has palms growing on its grounds. Where does your church get its palms? — Posted by News Editor Christine Peterson Jesus was a rich man, the Rev. Dollar says http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/2665 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/2665 The Rev. Creflo Dollar, who drives a Rolls Royce, is one of several so-called prosperity preachers who <a href="http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/faithandvalues/stories/2006/10/18/1022SLJESUS.html">believes Jesus was a rich man.</a> His account is explained in a story by John Blake of the Cox News Service. The Rev. Dollar says Jesus' wealth began in the manger when kings gave him gold, and continued as he supported 12 disciples and wore clothes so expensive that Roman soldiers cast lots for his robe. Dollar, senior pastor of the 23,000-member World Changers Church International and resident of a $1 million home in the wealthy College Park neighborhood near Atlanta, is one of the more outspoken preachers on the wealth of Jesus. Other religious leaders say Jesus was poor, needed donations from women to support himself (Luke, Chapter 8) and needed to borrow a tomb.  What do you think?  Did God bless Jesus with wealth or spiritual riches, or both? Posted by Steve E. Swenson The role of women in church http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/2664 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/faithforum/2664 Californian staff writer Mark Barna will have a story in Saturday's paper about how various churches use the Bible to restrict or encourage the role of women in church. Some prohibit leadership roles, especially if it involves preaching or advising men, while others want women to be dynamic leaders for all. First Timothy 2:12 says, "I suffer  not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be silent." Galatians 3:28 says, "There is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." And Matthew 28:7-8 says women were the first to tell others that Jesus had risen from the grave. We had a blog in July about whether women should be pastors. This issue goes beyond that as to whether women should ever have leadership roles over men. What do you think? Posted by Steve E. Swenson