By LORETTA FULTON It’s that time of year again when religion and culture come together for a mix of somber and fun events. Halloween (All Hallow’s Eve), with its costumes and trick or treat tradition, and Dia de los Muertos, practiced by indigenous people of Mexico for centuries, come on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Also, in some Christian traditions,
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Winter and her close friend decided to take a trip to New York City to meet another friend and have an office picnic in her Twin Tower office. Before the trip, Winter’s mother called and said she planned to come for a visit. Winter tried to persuade her to change the plans, but her mother felt it
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By JIM NICHOLS One of the results of high definition, large televisions and the abundance of sports on the screen is the ability for a viewer to see a player become injured. The pain of the injury is sometimes severe enough that we viewers can see these adult players fighting back or giving into tears. Since each of us has
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By ANNA SCHILLER Pew Research Center As houses of worship continue to reopen, most U.S. adults who regularly attend religious services voice confidence in their clergy to provide guidance on the coronavirus vaccines – and far more say they have heard their pastor, priest, rabbi or imam encourage people to get vaccinated than have heard their clergy raise doubts about
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By LORETTA FULTON Letters from former students, colleagues, and friends poured in a year ago when McMurry University planned to honor professor emeritus of religion Dr. Robert C. Monk. But COVID-19–the grinch that stole 2020–dashed that plan and the ceremony was postponed until Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. Monk has had a year to savor those letters, and on Friday he
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK I have not kept up with all the new trends in modern American education since my retirement from public school teaching in 2004. Although I continued to teach at the college level for another 10 years, I discovered that not all state rules apply to private college education. In the Sept. 14, 2021, edition of the Abilene
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON I walked into the backyard one evening, sat in the rocker, and gazed into the clear night sky. I thought about the grandeur of all the heavenly bodies that God placed within our sight. Then I wondered, “How many others over the centuries had gazed at the same array and felt the awe of something greater than
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Jay Moore’s newest book, “Abilene Daily: Snapshots of Home,” contains one or more vignettes from Abilene’s history for each day of the year. Periodically, stories with some connection–however loose–to Abilene’s religious life will be featured in Spirit of Abilene. The book can be purchased at Texas Star Trading Co., 174 Cypress St. www.texasstartrading.com or call 325-672-9696. Books are $27.50. Following is an
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By JIM NICHOLS The Meals on Wheels client was complaining about the expense and size of the local newspaper. The price had gone up and the size had gone down, and she wondered whether it was still worth taking. “The only reason I take it anymore is for the comics and the obituaries,” she said. I used to think people
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Spirit Of Abilene 