Religion and myth try to address the issues of evil and sin. Is every negative act we commit a sin? How many sins does someone have to do to be called a “sinner?” Are some people evil, or simply do evil things?
I’m sure you’ve noticed. We are lost. The pandemic, inflation, war, shootings … Institutions and processes that have long offered a sense of stability to our world are falling apart. NO ONE knows what to do.
I have to start this article by thanking my neighbors, Charlie and Christine Gingo, for inspiring it. We met each other recently on a Baby Bear kind of evening here in town, an evening when everything was just right. They were headed out for a walk, and I was heading home. We stopped to chat…
BENNINGTON — Rev. Kathleen Clark has been the pastor at The Federated Church of East Arlington for almost 15 years. She was raised Catholic. In her time in the Catholic church, “I can honestly say I don’t think I ever heard anybody talk about the possibility of inclusion” regarding the LGBTQ…
All around us is noise. Noisy politicians. Reports of crimes and arrests in the papers. Television news with an emphasis on the conflicts that surround us. Talking heads spouting their opinions. Then there is the internet, badgering emails, scams and more noise.
I was talking with a friend the other day and asked her, “When was the last time your faith caught you on fire?”
A recent trip to the city of Porto, Portugal, reminded me of how much Jesus is a product of our imaginations.
When I was in grade school, every morning we started with the Pledge of Allegiance, the Lord’s Prayer, and the reading of a Psalm.
MANCHESTER — The First Congregational Church of Manchester is pleased to announce the calling of a new settled minister. The Rev. William (Bill) Borror will begin his ministry as the Church’s 26th settled pastor in September.
When I was little my parents were deeply involved in the Methodist Church in Bennington. It offered several strengths that were extremely important foundation stones for my life.
Eid Mubarak! Eid al-Fitr begins this Sunday and ends on Monday evening. For a month now, Muslims have been keeping the fast of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr celebrates the breaking of the fast.
When Jewish families and communities sat down for the Passover Seder recently, they were reflecting on the story of their escape from slavery in Egypt. Jews remember this and celebrate Passover as a reminder that oppression continues to this day — anywhere a minority is discriminated against…
MANCHESTER — The public is invited to experience the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, April 15, at First Congregational Church in Manchester. It’s an experience not seen in this area for a number of years.
This past Monday, as if the rampant destruction in Ukraine weren’t unbearable enough, a story came across the news sites that underscored the inhumanity of war and that brought a stark reminder of a time of inhumanity that has never even scabbed over, much less healed. Borys Romanchenko, age…
BENNINGTON — The Lindsey Wilson College Singers from Columbia, Ky., will appear at the Old First Church in Old Bennington on Saturday, April 2 at 3 p.m., as part of their Spring 2022 choral tour.
GUILFORD — During the Lenten season, Christians do different things to connect with their faith. Some give up meat on Fridays, some fast, and others create pysanky.
All congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses across the world are being encouraged to begin holding in person meetings during the week of April 1.
What kind of relationship do you have with anger? Is anger your enemy, your owner or your friend? Do you know?
PERU — Peru Church Pastor Melissa O’Brien will host a talk on death and dying on March 19 at 10 a.m.
HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. — Tri-State Northeast Community Bible Study is studying the Book of Revelation and will have a visitors’ day on March 31 from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Hoosick Falls Community Alliance Church, 484 Hill Road and on Zoom.
This February is changeable. In our front yard, the furry catkins of the magnolia are daring themselves to burst open. The peach and cherry trees both seem worse for wear, but their reddish buds show promising fuzz, a hint that life will continue past the frigid lows, the snows, the unreason…
Do you Know the Truth?
They say to write what you know. OK, here goes. A Quechua word has been coming to mind lately. It is “Pachachuti” and refers to when the world has been turned upside down. I would say that this word accurately describes where the earth is right now.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made life more challenging for most of us. And at the same time, many gifts have come from it. Our air is cleaner, people have slowed the pace of their lives down and less gasoline is being consumed, because more people work remotely. I would say that acts of kindne…
VERMONT SHIRES — The story of faith communities impacted by COVID-19 is one of loss and change. But it’s also a story of resilience.
When I was 20 I moved to a new city, and I had a terrible time making friends. I felt so lonely I could sit on the porch and howl. I felt trapped in the job I had. One day I made a drawing about my life. I was constructing a bomb shelter, laying up cement blocks to form a “safe” place in my …
Until further notice, the congregation will not meet in person. A link to online Jewish services can be found here: www.jewishlive.org/services.
Services at the Bennington congregation will not be held on Dec. 25 or Jan. 1.
For Christians, Christmas is the birth of Jesus, one of the two biggest holidays of the year. Jesus, in most of Christianity, is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God and God: as the Nicene Creed proclaims, “one in being with the Father.” Jesus and Christ have become synonymous around the world.