Religion Briefs
Star-Bulletin staff &
Associated Press
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Musical offerings in Christmas spirit
Oahu churches are offering a way to get into the Christmas spirit with music.
» Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 1730 Punahou St., will present an Advent Procession with Carols at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. The choir and organist Katherine Crosier will perform music by Peter Hallock, Herbert Howells, Ralph Vaughn Williams and Jacob Handl in the annual free musical event.
» Waiokeola Congregational Church, 2704 Kilauea Ave., will present "The Wonders of Christmas in Art and Song" at 5 p.m. Dec. 9. Members will stage framed tableaux of famous Christmas art while musicians perform holiday music linked to the era depicted. It is free and open to the public.
» Chaminade University, 3140 Waialae Ave. The Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble will perform in Candlelight Christmas Concerts at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday and 4 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Mystical Rose Oratory. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, and $5 for students. Call 550-8457 for reservations.
» Hawaii Temple Visitors Center, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 55-600 Naniloa Loop, Laie. Free miniconcerts will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday by Pacific Fleet Band Woodwind Unit, Thursday by Pacific Fleet Band Brass Quintet, Friday by Brigham Young University Hawaii chorale and Dec. 9 by pianist Ron Miyashiro and friends.
Nativity scene part of city's display
A small Christian Nativity scene may be seen among the city's spectacular secular displays at Honolulu City Lights, which opens tonight on the City Hall grounds.
The Knights of Columbus installed a display of wire figures depicting the story of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, with the sentiments "Keep Christ in Christmas." The Catholic men's society was one of five nonprofit organizations permitted to set up private booths next to Honolulu Hale.
Other groups chosen by ottery to display their holiday messages:
» Hope is the theme of the display by the Life Foundation. The organization, which supports HIV/AIDS victims and their families, erected a Christmas tree decorated with more than 1,000 rainbow ribbons memorializing AIDS victims.
» "Happy Birthday Jesus" is the sign on the display by Stand Up for America. The map of the United States carries the logo "One Nation Under God."
» "All You Need Is Love" is the sentiment on the rainbow Christmas tree put on view by Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, PFLAG.
» Windward Ahupua'a Alliance displays its message about recycling with a Christmas tree full of ornaments made from recycled cans and bottles.
Franciscan Sisters to hold fundraiser
St. Francis Hospice is selling inscribed star-shaped Christmas ornaments that memorialize people who have died.
Funds raised by sale of the ornaments will support programs at the hospice centers operated by the Franciscan Sisters.
"Light Up a Memory" will be the theme of a tree-lighting service at 6 p.m. Friday at the Sister Maureen Keleher Center, 24 Puiwa Road. A similar service will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Maurice Sullivan Family Hospice Center, 91-2127 Fort Weaver Road, Ewa Beach.
Paper stars bearing names of the memorialized relatives and friends will be hung on the trees. Remembrance requests must be made in advance by calling 547-6858. The offer is not limited to people who died in the hospice centers.
The keepsake resin stars can be ordered from St. Francis Healthcare Foundation, 2228 Liliha St., Room 205, Honolulu 96817. The cost is $25. Larger donations would be welcome, and are partially tax-deductible.
Author to debate God's existence
Former University of Hawaii physics professor Victor Stenger will face a panel of professors Wednesday in a dialogue about his book "God: The Failed Hypothesis -- How Science Shows that God Does Not Exist."
The 7 p.m. program at the UH Campus Center Ballroom is sponsored by the Waterhouse Lecture Series and Youth for Christ Hawaii. It is free and open to the public.
The panelists believe in God and will challenge Stenger's position that science has disproved the existence of God, according to the sponsors. They include physicist Robert D. Joseph and astronomer Alan Stockton, both of the UH Institute for Astronomy; geneticist David S. Haymer of the John A. Burns School of Medicine; and Marga Jann of Stanford University, a visiting professor at the School of Architecture. Youth for Christ Hawaii President Kelii Akina will be moderator.
Stenger, an adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, is a prominent critic of creationism and the theory of intelligent design. He has written several books on the intersection of belief and science. "God: The Failed Hypothesis," released earlier this year, made the New York Times best-seller list, according to information from the sponsors.