Washington State University junior Olivia Bustillos walked onto the Pullman campus Saturday morning to mourn two of her family members: Peanut and Snowball.
In March, I lost two longtime friends: one in Arizona, the other in Colorado. Bruce was my boss for several years. We’d remained friends for decades. Pete was a friend for nearly 60 years. The differences between their deaths was striking, partly, I believe, because of how their respective “faiths” may have influenced the way they approached death.
As early as this spring, the federal government could allow members of a Spokane religious congregation to lay on the grassy floor of a nondescript building to consume their sacrament – a hallucinogenic tea from South America known as ayahuasca.
A few weeks ago, I started this commentary on a day when the U.S. Senate and House played toxic political games with the lives of people trying to cross the southern borders of our country.
Christian music radio station KEEH-FM has sent a signal from Spokane for 30 years, but a 2016 rebrand as Shine 104.9 has led to both wider audience and expansion. As Shine, the station sought to broaden connections with local churches and nonprofits in sharing events and doing interviews with regional leaders. In recent years, Shine also has steadily climbed toward the top in Nielsen ratings among Spokane-area radio stations.
A church in my neighborhood has a cell phone tower in its parking lot. This tower may be a prophetic witness to the religion of the future, which according to historian Yuval Noah Harari, is likely to be data driven, fueled by the fusion of all information.
Each New Year’s Eve, more than 2 million revelers — twice as many as typically fill Times Square — dress in white and pack Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to watch a 15-minute midnight fireworks extravaganza.
Pope Francis’ declaration this week allowing priests to bless same-sex couples is being hailed in Spokane as a shift by advocates of softening the church’s doctrine on the issue while more conservative faith leaders are quick to point out the gulf between blessings and more formal and unchanged rules regarding ceremonies such as marriage.
With technicolored trees lining walking paths, festive seasonal imagery lit up on bridges and “Happy Holidays” projected on the clock tower, Riverfront Park is a picturesque winter scene.