Our rights to the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech are enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. These rights are clearly spelled out – government can’t tell us how we can worship or what we can say. But with these freedoms comes the great responsibility to exercise them responsibly and […]
religion
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: In Mike Pence, evangelicals had their “24-karat-gold” man in the White House
Mike Pence has remained one of the only constants in the often chaotic Trump administration. Variously described as “vanilla,” “steady” and loyal to the point of being “sycophantic,” he is, in the words of one profile, an “everyman’s man with Midwest humility and approachability,” and in another, a “61-year-old, soft-spoken, deeply religious man.” That humility […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Colorado’s review of Catholic Church sex abuse named priests, but not those who covered up their crimes
Warning: This story contains explicit descriptions of sexual assault. A pair of explosive reports on decades of child sex abuse in Colorado’s three Catholic dioceses named 52 priests but kept confidential the identities of numerous church officials — from administrators to bishops — who covered up or ignored allegations of misconduct and transferred known child […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado drops coronavirus capacity limits on houses of worship after U.S. Supreme Court ruling
Colorado has dropped its coronavirus capacity limits on houses of worship and religious events, including weddings and funerals, after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling cast doubt on the legality of such restrictions. State public health officials are still recommending that houses of worship limit the number of people attending services. But an amended order […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
A list of Colorado priests named in the supplemental Catholic church abuse report, where they worked and when
The Colorado Sun combed through the 93-page supplemental report on child sex abuse by priests in the state’s three Catholic dioceses and pulled out the names of 25 accused priests. From the report, we also compiled the parishes, schools and other locations they worked in Colorado during the period the abuse is alleged to have […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Barrett confirmation hearings evoke different meanings of motherhood
The irony of emphasis on Amy Coney Barrett’s embodiment of conservative Christian motherhood is not lost on me. Given that the image of a Mother Earth figure has persisted across world cultures in mythology and religion, it is important to examine matriarchal symbolism with Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings highlighting the GOP’s allegiance to selectively […]
Posted inNews
Colorado’s Catholic dioceses paid $6.68 million to 73 survivors of priest abuse
Colorado’s three Catholic dioceses have paid $6.68 million to 73 survivors of sexual abuse by priests. That’s according to an update Friday from the managers of the state’s Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program, which fielded claims from survivors and determined their credibility and eligibility for compensation, and how much money each should be given by […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health, News
Where mask-wearing isn’t gospel: Colorado churches grapple with reopening
By Jakob Rodgers, Kaiser Health News COLORADO SPRINGS — The lights dimmed. Guitars thrummed. And a nine-piece band kicked off what amounted to a rock concert inside an amphitheater of a church. “Shout for joy to the Lord,” one musician called out, quoting Scripture. Any such shout could release the coronavirus to congregants. With some 500 […]
Posted inColoradans, News
Colorado congregations — one Jewish, one Black — swap pulpits, music in a push for racial justice
On Friday evening, Rabbi Jamie Arnold prepared to celebrate the Sabbath in the socially distanced and virtual way that the coronavirus pandemic has made the norm for Congregation Beth Evergreen. For the first time in months, a handful of members sat safely scattered in the synagogue’s sanctuary while a video camera streamed images of the […]
Posted inCOVID, News
U.S. Justice Department backs Colorado church lawsuit against Gov. Jared Polis
The head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said Friday the department supports a Colorado church’s claim that state measures to combat the coronavirus discriminate against houses of worship and violate First Amendment rights to religious freedoms. Eric S. Dreiband said in a statement that the department has filed a “statement of interest” […]