'PRAYER CHANGES THINGS'

"TV COMMERCIALS for cough syrup often show a mixture of sick kids and professionals, whether they be scientists, chemists, or doctors. Yet, in the final scene who is invariably there? Mum.

"The perceived cold, clinical approach ... doesn't seem to be satisfying our quest for wellness. Perhaps this is why a large number of Kiwis seeking healthcare are trying 'unconventional' therapies.

"During the past few years there have been several experiments to test the healing power and effectiveness of prayer. The results seem to demonstrate something generations of believers have always known: Prayer changes things.

"Prayer Heals: Those who were prayed for had significantly better rates of improvement, fewer complicating problems, and even reduced medicinal needs. Even more remarkable was the fact that those doing the praying did not have to be physically anywhere near the one they were praying for.

"Love heals: Something that long-distance as well as 'hands-on' healing events seem to have in common is the presence of love. Compassion, concern, empathy—all those nonmedical elements we long for—are the common components in successful healing. Without love, the 'healing connection' is impossible. Healers of all stripes testify to this common belief."

"The power of prayer"
Waikato Times (Hamilton, New Zealand). June 13, 2005

STUDY HIGHLIGHTS VALUE OF SPIRITUALITY IN TEEN PROGRAMS

"RESEARCHERS STUDIED the practice of spiritual interventions in helping troubled adolescents across the USA in Adolescent Heart & Soul, the first-ever study of spiritual programming in youth-service agencies.

"'There are good reasons to be interested in the potential of spiritual interventions to help vulnerable or troubled adolescents,' said Melanie Wilson, MSW, Director of Research and Public Policy at the New England Network for Child, Youth & Family Services (NEN) and the study's principal author. Studies conducted in the last several decades have demonstrated positive associations between religion and adolescent well-being. Religious participation has been linked to lower levels of depression, suicide, drug and alcohol use, and later onset of sexual activity.

"Both secular and religious agencies highlighted in the report work with youth ages 14–22, most of them in residential treatment or transitional living programs. These agencies recognize spirituality as an important component of a holistic therapeutic approach with adolescents and deliver their programs in conformance with widely accepted standards of clinical care and the principles of youth development.

"Though the programs themselves differed dramatically, some common themes did emerge:

• Spiritual activities enhance clients' sense of awareness, wholeness, well-being, and help them tap into sources of inner strength.

• The programs are youth-driven.

• Kids are put in touch with their surrounding community.

• The programs emphasize tolerance, respect, and are culturally appropriate.

• They are voluntary; and

• They give kids the freedom to choose their spiritual path....

"This report underscores the potential and real benefits of programming that falls under the expansive umbrella of the importance of spirituality for youth."

"New Report Addresses Spirituality and Teen Social Services—
Are They Effective Together?"
PR Newswire. June 10, 2005

MAKING TIME FOR SOLITUDE

THE DESIRE TO FIND PEACE and solitude, according to the British Retreat Association, has never been so strong. Why the need to get away from it all? And why now more than ever? It is partly that there is more to get away from....

"Adam Phillips, the psychoanalyst and writer, is not surprised by the growing popularity of retreats: 'People are aware of having too many external stimuli. What do you hear when you stop listening? The question is about whether anyone has an internal world any more.'

"Mobile phones make us incessantly—often pointlessly—available. (How would Wordsworth have got on wandering lonely as a cloud with a mobile ringing in his pocket?) And portable e-mail machines, as some Blackberry users are already complaining, are a refinement too far. We are noise junkies, equipped to communicate 24/7. Not surprisingly, the British Retreat Association [extended] its annual National Quiet Day to cover the whole of [the June 17–19] weekend....

"Retreats are not like summer holidays. They are not a subject for small talk. ... One of my friends summed up a general feeling: 'We are endlessly reactive. Even people whose lives seem very successful are asking, "Where is the silence in this? Where is the space to confront ... who you are?"' ...

"[On a recent retreat] I spent the afternoon looking out on a wild orchard. It was wonderful to feel that no one knew where I was. This was time lifted free of ordinary time. Wordsworth could have prepared me for it: 'When from our better selves we have too long/Been parted by the hurrying world, and droop/Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, / How gracious, how benign, is solitude.'"

Kate Kellaway
"Silence is golden"
The Observer. June 12, 2005

PEACE WALK OPENS UP INTERFAITH EXCHANGE

"MEMBERS OF SOUTHAMPTON'S diverse faiths gathered on Sunday in a demonstration for peace and harmony. The 10th annual Walk for Peace [June 12] which began at the Peace Fountain in the city's East Park, visited a number of religious organizations around the city.

"Around 180 walkers visited the Sikh Gurdwara in Peterborough Road, the Jewish Synagogue in Mordaunt Road, the Christian Science Church on The Avenue, Medina Mosque, and the Vedic Society Temple in Radcliffe Road.

"At each place walkers were given a warm welcome, food, and talks about what is practiced at each place of worship. The purpose of the walk is to demonstrate that people of different faiths have much in common.

"Reverend Ian Johnson, of the city's Interfaith Link, which organizes the walk, said: 'The walk went wonderfully. Every place we visited was most welcoming and gave very good talks—and we've all eaten far too much!

"'The walk introduces people to different faiths and helps overcome ignorance. We have an adage at the Interfaith Council that ignorance breeds fear, and fear breeds violence; and the walk helps to overcome this ignorance.'"

"... and dozens Walk for Peace"
The Southern Daily Echo. June 13, 2005