Religion & Faith Articles

Spiritual traditions are such a beautiful thing, especially when they are exercised peacefully and are an articulation of love, happiness, and art and bring the community back together again. Choosing a comfortable place to meet is an integral part of bringing people together again.

Saint Martin de Porres has been given many titles over the years including Apostle of Charity, Saint of the Slaves, Patron of the Negroes, Patron of Social Justice, and others, all true, all describing one or more of his attributes, but none actually goes to the heart of who this Saint was. He was love; he was Christian; he was truly son of the Father, brother of the Son, and vessel of the Holy Spirit.

The vast majority of instrumental music in church for many, many years has been the exclusive province of the organ. There is no doubt that a good organist playing a good organ in a large cathedral is a thrilling sound which greatly enhances worship. However, this isn't the only form of instrumental music which finds its way into churches these days. Many acts of contemporary worship are led by worship bands of one kind or another.

In 1870 American Evangelist Dwight Moody (1837 - 1899) teamed up with composer and hymn writer Ira Sankey (1840 - 1908) to form one of the most powerful evangelical partnerships in the second half of the 19th century. Working as a team, Moody and Sankey evolved their very own style of 'Gospel Hymns' which their congregations found attractive to listen to, easy to sing and which carried a clear message.

Saint Charles Borromeo grew up in an aristocratic, truly Catholic background. Charles was born in the castle of Arona on the breathtakingly beautiful Lake Maggiore, one of the most exquisite of the lakes of Italy, north of Milan, bordering the Swiss border.

The history of Christmas Carols goes back as far as the 13th century. The word carol is an old word for a verse song with a refrain, so Christmas Carol simply means a song on a Christmas theme. This very seasonal form of worship music has a long tradition in most countries of Western Europe, a tradition which has spread throughout the whole of the Christian world. In France they are called "Noels"; in Germany they have the "Weihnachtslieder".

Dance and music go together. To express ourselves in movement is a very natural human instinct and it has always been thus. In human social life, dance has always played a huge part. Every generation of popular music brings its own style of dancing enabling people to respond to the music in a physical way rather than by just sitting and listening. It is only logical to assume that such expression can be used in a worship situation too.

There are many references in the Old Testament to the use of music in worship. However, the references to music in scripture which we find in the New Testament are fairly few and far between. The situation was very different for the early Christian church compared to the long established Jewish tradition. The early Christian Church was run on a house-church basis so the use of music on any significant scale was simply not possible.

We seem to be awash with new worship music at the present time and, frankly, a lot of it isn't very good. It is an unfortunate fact that bad music in a popular idiom, whether it is Christian music or secular, is banal in the extreme. It comes over as lifeless, formulaic and boring. Having a clear set of criteria in your mind will guide you and teach you how to write worship songs which will be appreciated by the congregations who sing them.

Affirmations are positive statements that you tell yourself to believe. They can help you create the life that you want because your actions are governed by your thoughts.

Within the vast repertoire of church music the hymns of Charles Wesley (1707-1788) are widely considered as some of the greatest ever written. Many of the hymns which congregations most love to sing came from his pen. The scriptural detail of his writing and his inspired turns of phrase put him up there with the very best. There are also plenty to choose from as, during his lifetime, he wrote well over 6000 of them.

Music is God given. I don't believe for one moment that God has a personal preference as to the style or idiom of music that we use. Music in Christian worship is, and always has been, a vehicle to express faith. Whether this expression is in the form of a Victorian hymn or a worship song in a rock idiom makes no difference at all! Faith is at the very epicentre of all aspects of worship; - music is very much part of that expression.

Was there a Garden of Eden? Did God create the world in 7 days? Did the creation of our universe start with a big bang? Did God really play a part in our creation? Are our children just children, or are they the real speakers of the truth? Listen to the 'Angel of Presence': Archangel Metatron, speak out.

Archangel Metatron tells us he is the Voice of God and explains his relation to other Archangels and to God, light, the one conscious energy. Metatron enlightens us to what happens when non-believers pass over; and the importance of our planet, in the greater scheme of things in the universes.

The article is about Wedding Kipas and other ceremonies involved in Jewish Weddings

Inspirational Bible verses have really impacted my life in the realm of how we ought to deal with poverty.

The intent of this article is to show you how you can increase your faith in GOD, by first increasing your faith in His Holy Word.

St Catherine's Monastery lies in the shadow of Mount Sinai in the Wadi ed-Deir. The spot where the Monastery now stands is traditionally revered as the site of the Burning Bush.

The Bible is filled with ancient poetry, even love poetry. It can be both inspiring and beautiful. But most of the original translations don't keep the poetic value.

Learning what gifts God has given you through the Holy Spirit is a life changing experience. Once you know what gifts God has placed in you, it is easier to move into the purpose for which God has created you.