religion

As a token of his devotion to the species, a dog lover has constructed a chapel for canines on his 175-acre property near St. Johnsbury, Vermont. It boasts stained glass windows and life-sized pew carvings depicting various breeds. The statue of an angel-winged Labrador retriever serves as a silent sentinel.

One of the requirements for graduation from my small Midwestern college was regular chapel attendance. By the 1950s, students were no longer expected to worship together but only to attend a weekly hour-long lecture from a distinguished visitor on some high-minded subject.

Ask Southern Baptists to name their religion and most of them will simply say, "I'm a Baptist."

Ask Roman Catholics the same question and most will say, "I'm Catholic."

Odds are good that most Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians and occupants of other name-brand pews will take the same approach.

The alleged crime took place at the corner of Alum Rock and Ellesmere roads in Birmingham, England, where an officer spotted two missionaries distributing "God's Bridge to Eternal Life" tracts.

Every day was Father's Day for Jesus of Nazareth.

"Didn't you know I must be about my father's business?" he asked his mother, who thought she had lost her young son in Jerusalem, only to discover him in the temple, conversing with his elders about the heavenly Father of them all.

No doubt about it, Tony Blair's press secretary delivered a memorable sound bite when a pushy journalist kept asking about faith, politics and the prime minister.

"We don't do God," said Alastair Campbell.

It's June again, the odds-on favorite month for weddings in America. More than 2 million American couples will pledge their troth this year -- most of them for the first time.

Judging from photos on the wedding pages of the newspapers, those smiling couples in gowns and tuxedos are not only in love but persuaded that their marriages will last.

The Rev. Gardner Taylor may never preach another word, but the vocation to which he dedicated his life and for which he has won so many accolades still consumes his waking hours.

Americans typically disapprove of preachers telling their congregations how to vote in political elections. Our constitutional separation of church and state honors Jesus' directive to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

The producers and writers behind "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" say the same thing when describing the challenge they faced bringing the novel to the screen.

The problem, all agree, is that the second book in the classic seven-book fantasy series by C.S. Lewis is not structured like a movie.