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The Anglican Church of Nigeria is demanding an investigation into the shooting of a woman on the steps of St. Peter's Anglican Church in Lagos July 16. A paramilitary anti-crime unit pursued a woman into the sanctuary, where she grabbed the officiating priest and pleaded for help. The men pushed down the priest, dragged the woman to the steps of the church, and killed her. They then reportedly ransacked the vicarage and fired sporadically throughout the church. "To our dismay, this catalogue of show of brutality, harassment and lack of respect for a holy place was not counted enough by men of the Rapid Response," says Peter Adebiyi, Lord Bishop of Lagos West Diocese. "Before they left, they shot canisters of tear-gas into the church to complete the sacrilege and defilement of the church."

"Religion on campus has become a form of counseling—and is just about as effective," writes Donna Schaper, senior pastor at Miami's Coral Gables Congregational Church. "What it does not address is the sacred. God. … We are so mired in the self that we are losing sight of the sacred. Religion, and its many imperfect institutions and spiritual expressions, promotes belief through its ancient practices and liturgies. Religion steeps people in its long history of reflection on ethics. At its best, religion offers time and space for spiritual experience. Spirituality gives us a quick fix that fits into our fast-paced, insular lifestyle."

"In a city better known for encouraging sin rather than salvation, dozens of churches are making it tough for new bars or nightclubs to set up shop," says the Associated Press. It seems that there are so many churches in west Las Vegas that a law restricting taverns within 1,500 feet of a church means no more taverns. Next thing you know, Vegas will be a dry town.

See our past Weblog updates:

August 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 August 11 | 10 | 9 July 27 | 25 | 24 July 21 | 19 | 18 | 17 July 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 July 7 | 5 | 3 June 30 | 29 | 27

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August (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44