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The Spiritual Edge: News roundup for 10.16.14

The biggest news in religion this week was the Vatican’s dramatic shift on how it views gay people, unmarried couples who live together and those who have divorced. The Los Angeles Times reports that Vatican expert John Thavis called it no less than an “earthquake.” That IS A metaphor often used by news media, but it was a huge departure from the staunch conservatism that has dominated the Catholic church.

 

The announcement may go a long way towards winning back followers for the Vatican. In addition, church-goers in the Midwest and East Coast are doing their best to prop up declining Catholic congregations. Mass mobs--which actually involve people attending mass--are the latest spin-off on the flash mob trend, reports the New York Times and NPR. But rather than being disruptive, these organized visits by suburban Catholics to declining churches are bringing in donations and much needed sparks of life.

 

Music--not church--says violinist Joshua Bell, is what transports him to the sublime. The Jewish born musician told Religion & News Weekly that music is what brings him in touch with, “that thing that is greater than we are.” He went onto say that Johann Sebastian Bach was probably one of the greatest recruiters to religion. “When you listen to Johann Sebastian Bach...you can only think that there is something, something great out there,” he said. “There is no other explanation for his music.”

 

Other seekers are looking for God through the hands of a Vietnamese monk. The monk is said to work miracles by poking, prodding and pulling. Hundreds who hoped for healings showed up in Morgan Hill on Wednesday, reports the Contra Costa Times. One example: a 74-year old man whose hearing was failing. He said he could hear out of both ears after being touched by the holy man. The Times also noted the power of the placebo effect, as stated by the American Cancer Society: “Faith healing may promote peace of mind, reduce stress, relieve pain and anxiety, and strengthen the will to live.''

 

Another man is guiding people towards a different kind of healing--the kind that comes from a quiet mind.  The New York Times credits Jack Kornfield, co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin with helping to set in motion the meditation craze that is sweeping the country. Kornfield, the Times reports, studied in Thailand under Buddhist master Ajahn Chah before returning to the United States. The practice at Spirit Rock is not as rigorous as Asian monasteries, he said, but the silence “is formidable enough.”

 

The offices of the Interfaith Council at at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles are not so quiet. A third of young Americans report no religious affiliation, but that’s not stopping young people who claim all sorts of hybrid variations from showing up, reports NPR. Ever heard of a Zen Christian? Or a Hin-Jew or Jew-Bu? Or how about sushi, which is a cross between a Sunni and a Shia. Varun Soni, the interfaith chaplain at USD serves them all.

 

For more stories and blogs from The Spiritual Edge, go to thespiritualedge.org.