Show Religion Editor: 625-422- 3 www standard net 12A Standard-Examine- Saturday January 26 2002 r Campaign against racism launched Study: Member numbers padded NEW YORK -- Religions other than Christianity and Judaism are much smaller than often estimated in the United States and “have hardly transformed the religious landscape” as some claim a new study maintains The percentage of Muslims Buddhists and Hindus has increased but their numbers remain far below those of religions that are better established in United States according to Tom W Smith of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago The American Jewish Committee published his report which is based on responses since 1973 to the General Social Survey a poll that Smith directs In October the Jewish committee issued a Smith paper concluding the number of US Muslims has been greatly exaggerated American Muslims took issue with the report But Smith repeats his assertion in this month’s study estimating that 1 9 million Muslims live in the United States Most Muslim groups believe the number is between 6 million and 7 Nine Protestant denominations stand united The Associated Press Tenn - Nine denominations pledged Sunday to launch a nationwide campaign against racism designed to help pull together the 22 million members of their congregations “We seek forgiveness for the sin of division” church members prayed as leaders of the denominations formed a new group called Churches Uniting in Christ The churches promise to unify their congregations despite historical divisions based on race and coordinate their efforts to oppose racial MEMPHIS Protestant Eric K Wallis works on a bust of Brigham Young in his studio in Nibley (Below) A close up of the bust is shown injustice “We’ve got to do that or we shouldn’t be calling ourselves Christians” said Beverly Nicholson who joined more than 1200 other worshippers taking the vow for unity The w&rshippers packed the Mount Olive Cathedral of the CME Church for a prayer service wrapping up a weekend of meetings for church leaders from around the country Memphis was chosen for the meetings because it is the city where Martin Luther King Jr was murdered in 1968 Monday is the national holiday honoring King’s birth Stevey Wilburn Sr pastor of Mount Olive said the churches through their many congregations around the country will take up where King left off in forcing a public focus on combating Nibley artist unveils first of busts 6-in- ch By BRYCE PETERSEN JR Standard-Examine- Cache Bureau r - Joseph is NIBLEY in bronze is taking new sculpture every three to five weeks over the next case -year A wood-fram- e with shelves for each LDS president and topped with a sculpture of Jesus Christ -- will finish the collection Wallis an artist with paintings placed in galleries throughout the West became interested in sculpture about a year ago When applications for several commissioned sculptures were turned down due to lack of experience Wallis decided to “start with something a little less of a shape in clay Waiting in the mind of Nibley artist Eric Wallis are the likenesses of 13 more LDS prophets bust of Monday the Joseph Smith - bronze-plateand made of polyurethane grand scale” resin - will be unveiled to At first Wallis thought the public about sculpting Joseph Smith but then noticed a Wallis hopes to release a d million Smith estimates 1 4 million Buddhists are in this country compared to the 28 million to 4 million estimates often used He hole in the market “I’ve seen some little plaster things in different shops but they’re usually only of Joseph” Wallis said“There’s hardly ever any of the others so I thought it would be a nice collection to have all of them” - The first figure takes about two weeks of sculpting and smoothing Wallis said Building the mold takes another two days After that it goes relatively quickly “This week we start See BRONZE14A ‘Lord of the Rings’ film gains Tolkien Christian fens Fantasy epic wins praise from religious groups The Associated Press LONDON - Besides capturing readers’ imaginations and thrilling moviegoers the fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings” has won high praise from religious groups for what they see as Christian values in the story While the extent of the trilogy’s Christian parallels is a matter of debate there’s no denying that author JRR Tolkien - usually portrayed as a tweedy Oxford University professor - turned strongly to Roman Catholicism following tragedies in his youth Interest in Tolkien and the religious element of his work has heated up since the release of the film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of on the Family a conservative a kindly priest the Rev American group praises the Francis Morgan Both boys film for the “transcendent became devout Catholics truths of Christianity (that) bubble up throughout this the Ring” especially among story” Roman Catholics and conserThe roots of those story elvative Protestants in the ements may lie in the author’s life United States Born in 1892 John Ronald Our Sunday Visitor a Catholic weekly based in In- Reuel Tolkien was only 4 diana devoted its entire front when his father died unexpage to a picture of Frodo pectedly in South Africa the story’s hero and said Tol- while the rest of the family in was on vacation in England kien “rooted his epic the fertile soil of his own His mother died when he deep orthodox Catholic faith” was 12 having raised her Baptist Press the news children in a rural village agency of the Southern Bap- outside Birmingham that Toltist Convention published a kien loved She had been review of the film praising shunned by her own relatives its “spiritual overtones” And for leaving the Church of a new book “Finding God in England to become a Catholic so Tolkien and his younthe Lord of the Rings” by members of Focus ger brother became wards of also concluded the number US Hindus is less than 1 2 million close to other estimates In the last decade 26 percent of respondents to the General Social Survey of Tolkien flourished in grammar school where his language skills allowed him to debate in Greek and Latin At Oxford he became an expert in the Old Norse language and emphasized the growth of English from its n roots He also taught literary classics including ancient mythology rarely discussing works more recent than Chaucer He married and had four children one of whom grew up to become a Catholic priest In addition to being a devoted husband and father Tolkien also formed several close male friendships Tolkien tried to convert CS Lewis one of his Oxford Anglo-Saxo- friends to Catholicism but instead helped to move Lewis from atheism to fervent Christianity and loyal Anglicanism Lewis later won fame as the author of “The Chronicles of Narnia” a children’s fantasy series that is widely seen as a Christian allegory “The Lord of the Rings” written at Oxford from 1937 e sato 1949 is a ga about Frodo a hobbit from the homely and innocent shire who must secretly ring carry an across the ancient kingdom of Middle Earth to the land of Mordor and destroy it by throwing it into Mount Doom That has to happen before Sauron the evil force who knows Frodo has the ring See TOLKJEN14A' three-volum- ul identified with religions outside Judaism and Christianity compared to 1 3 percent in the 1980s Islam Buddhism and Hinduism account for half of those in alternative faiths Despite this growing “market share” Smith said their numbers remain small Russia opposed to papal visit MOSCOW -- The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has repeated his fierce opposition to a visit to Russia by Pope John Paul citing Roman Catholic activity in the region He said he wouldn’t meet the pope if he decides to come Patriarch Alexy II said “the Vatican continues to proselytize on the territories of Russia Ukraine and Belarus trying to convert people christened as Orthodox or rooted in s Orthodoxy" last week reported ITAR-Tas- Sea Trek still owes money SALT LAKE of three Norwegian CITY-Own- tall ships used in the of the sea voyages taken by European Mormons bound for Utah say they are due $530000 from the Sea Trek Foundation and are threatening to sue Per Langhelle who represents the ships' foundations in Norway said in a phone interview that Sea Trek owes about $54000 for the Statsraad Lehmkuhl $106000 for the Sorlandet and $370000 for the Christian Radich “We are not anxious to take our case to court but it seems to be the only way if (Sea Trek organizer) Bill (Sadleir) is not able or willing to pay Langhelle said He was quoted in a copyright story in The Salt Lake Tnbune Sadleir Salt Lake City said "The only way they are going to get paid is if we raise the money’ - Standard-Examinstaff and wire services 19th-centu- Fantasy and myth contain some grains of truth at their heart beings have a heart that for God and a mind to know God and find meaning in life They also long for mystery and wonder The words “fantasy” and “myth” conjure up the notion that these genres of literature cannot offer any revelation of truth But there are true stories and Human there are “truth stories” Fantasy and myth are “truth stories” in that they contain not literal facts but grains of truth at their heart When a story functions as a major truth story such as creation or deathresurrection it rises to the level of “myth” Winston Churchill when asked if the King ArthurCamelot myth was true replied “Of course it’s true And if it’s not it should be” CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien the two most outstanding professors of English literature of the 20th Century were discussing the void of any great works of children’s literature dealing with fantasy written from a Christian perspective and they agreed that the two of them should undertake a project to produce some Out of that discussion came Lewis’ seven part “Chronicles of Narnia” which he wrote in a year and Tolkiens novel of six books “The Lord of the Rings” which took 15 years to write Many have said that the story of Tolkien’s elves dwarves and hobbits is really our story The much awaited movie “Lord of the Rings” has made its debut The adventure takes place in the fantastic world of Middle Earth a land given I ' birth and form in his imagination and whose inhabitants live and enjoy the blessings of peace and prosperity until the legend of the evil one becomes real The land is in grave danger of being overcome by evil Frodo the little hobbit inherits the ring which seeks evil and destruction and to save the land Frodo takes up the quest to return it to the place of its origin that it might be destroyed by the fire from which it was forged He is accompanied by a fellowship of characters each with their own personality and task A little book “Finding God in the Lord of the Rings” outlines some of the Christian themes in the epic tale which are certainly not exclusive to Christianity The movie has been the top box office hit for the last month Perhaps this attraction to fantasy of this sort and stories that have some mystery to them and of alternative worlds existing alongside our world indicates that people have reached the point of knowing that our “everyday market-drive- n scientifically sterilized world” is not all there is They know there is something beyond and there is hunger for that beyond The story of the Christian faith is about the beyond There is Someone and many “someones” beyond ourselves and there is something and many things beyond that of our own little world It has been said that sometimes myth and fantasy can open the heart’s back door when the front door is lockecLand many who have rejected formal religion have encountered the realities that flourish in Christian belief in such movies We really don’t have to worry that such fantasy and myth will detract from faith In fact for many it is the vehicle to ultimate reality Rev Carla Gilbert is the pastor of United Church of Christ Congregational Church T ers er |