Results tagged “religion”

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times claims that the rate of homelessness in L.A. County has dropped 38% since 2007. Despite the somewhat promising numbers, Los Angeles continues to sustain the largest homeless population in the United States, along with the unfortunate status as “homelessness capital” of the country. In the face of this dire situation stands a robust little warrior, the two-year-old non-profit organization Imagine LA, whose central idea is to match each of the 8,000 homeless families in Los Angeles with one of its 8,000 faith communities.

It's not that the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California wants Lancaster officials to stop praying all together at the beginning of meetings, but to stop singling out that Jesus guy. “The City Council is clearly showing bias toward one religion by leading council and planning meetings with Christian prayers,” said Peter Eliasberg, Manheim Family Attorney for First Amendment Rights at the ACLU/SC in a statement...

Yesterday leaders of the Episcopal Church here in Los Angeles announced the six candidates they've selected as nominees for two open Suffragan (assistant) Bishop positions, reports the LA Times, and among those in the running are two openly gay priests.

Shortly before noon, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved moving the LA Marathon back to a Sunday date in the month of March beginning next year. During public comment, most speakers supported the date change, but a few stood up to save Sundays. "For those who have made this into a religious issue, this is not a religious issue... This has not and has never been a religious issue," said a determined Father John Bacchus who said that a single event should not tie down the city to the degree it prevents people of faith attending their institution. A compromise within the approved motion instructs city agencies involved with the race's logistics "to design a new point-to-point route which will minimize disruption to Sunday church services." The agreement also allows for the "Stadium to Sea" route, which could include Santa Monica, announced last week.

Remember these people at the Oscars? It's the infamous Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church and they are protesting various locations in Los Angeles tomorrow including Fairfax High School, a Jewish temple, a community center and the Anti-Defamation League's headquarters, according to the LA Times.

Pracitcing members of the Skih religion are required to carry five articles of faith which includes a small curved blade called a kirpan. Long Beach Assemblyman Warren Furutani has introduced Assembly Bill 504--if passed, it would force police officers to be trained on the faith, according to the LA Times. In a statement, Furutani said "[the bill] recognizes the state’s responsibility to protect religious freedoms, while ensuring public safety. The Sikh community should not live in fear of arrest by law enforcement for carrying the kirpan, which is an integral part of their religious faith."

An e-mail to LAist and Curbed LA yesterday showed us a photo of decapitated chickens found along the Santa Monica Blvd in Silver Lake. "We dont know where they came from or how they got there, but they were in plastic bags, decomposing," the do gooder from the LA Neighborhood Cleanup Project wrote. "We are currently searching for an explanation. Any ideas? Is there an underground cock fighting arena in the neighborhood?"

Evangelical pastor Rick Warren, who was recently chosen to lead the invocation at Barack Obama's Presidential inauguration, spoke publicly yesterday at the 8th Annual Convention of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Long Beach, about his stance on homosexuality and California's Prop 8.

Today's LA Times asks a pressing question: "Should there be boycotts, blacklists, firings or de facto shunning of those who supported Proposition 8?"

LA Observed has shared a new New Yorker story on legendary music icon Prince, who has been living in Los Angeles for the past two years. Recently the Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince played Coachella, declaring as he left the stage: "Coachella will always be Prince's house." Lest he confuse himself or his fans, he actually now calls the "rarefied gated nouveau complex of Beverly Park" here in LA his home.

    

Mark (last name unknown) from Stop8.org made these Barack Obama styled posters that reflect the mood of Prop 8's opposition. They're humorous in one way, but sadly true in another way.

Over on Ron L Hubbard way at the large Scientology complex in East Hollywood, a videographer was filming on the sidewalk when he was all of the sudden surrounded by three alleged Scientologists with cameras who kept on cornering him. This follows city council action regarding the closure of the street on a weekly basis and a contentious video (below) taken on the street on July 4th, 1999.

"I'm going to talk about the un-biblical stands that Barack Obama takes. Nobody who follows the Bible can vote for him. We may not be politically correct, but we are going to be biblically correct. We are going to vote for those who follow the Bible." That's Rev. Wiley S. Drake of First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park in the LA Times speaking about the "pulpit initiative," which has churches in California and 21 other states illegally delivering political sermons or giving endorsements to presidential candidates.

                     

On Saturday May 10th, members of Anonymous took to the streets all over the world in protest of Scientology. Here in Los Angeles, Anonymous staged their gathering at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard at one of the many Scientology buildings in the city.

LAist Featured Photos contributor corsakti took this photo over the weekend. "I think this should be added to the list of proofs," he said.

You won't be seeing the 21-year-old Valencia resident, Samantha Rothwell, for about 16 years because yesterday she was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of an 18-year-old man who made a comment about God. In 2006, a group of friends gathered at Hotel Huntington Beach for a birthday celebration and to go to the beach the next day. Then...

Today is Good Friday, the day Christ was crucified. It is a holy day of obligation for people like me, who were raised as strict Catholics. I always liked Mary, especially the poetic memorare prayer and the Queen of the May festival where we sang Bring Flowers of the Rarest and crowned Mary with flowers.

A new website posted this video documenting the alleged actions and threats taken by Anonymous against the Church of Scientology. The site, created two weeks ago, does not explicitly state an affiliation with the CoS but it documents what it alleges are "Religious Hate Crimes and Terrorism Directed at Church of Scientology."

What killed a 33-year-old woman discovered packed in dry ice in the Newport Beach hotel room of a cocaine dealer this past weekend? "Everything that happened was for religious reasons," Stephen David Royds told The Orange County Register on Sunday reports the AP.

Our brain is going to explode with all the great choices tonight. From friggin' amazing jazz (see, we're not swearing) at UCLA to folk-punk sensibilities of The Hackensaw Boys at Tangier in Los Feliz (video after the jump), tonight is a bounty of gold. Also, Jim Bianco will be at Amoeba and it's the first night for Wednesday night March residencies.

Tuesdays are usually slow nights in LA for music and as bands prep to head Texas-way for SXSW, we'll probably see even fewer choices like tonight. But fewer doesn't mean worse. Mountain Goats and Jeffrey Lewis (great video below) play at the Troubadour tonight (and tomorrow), Working For A Nuclear Free City is back with another concert, this time at Cinespace (though it's a private premier party. Crash?) and LA Weekly says to head over to Glendale and check out The Scene.

Holy Fuck, A Place to Bury Strangers, In Waves @ Spaceland (Silver Lake)

Liquid Kitty's annual punk rock BBQs have been such a success, this Sunday they are hosting a special Winter BBQ. What better to chase away the rain than with colorful drinks and hard-core thrash? Some dogs on the grill? Done! And all for the low, low, price of FREE.

For background and a photo essay on this protest, see our story from yesterday.

On Monday night, local artist and Downtown resident Elizabeth McGrath (formerly of Tongue) and her gothic country band Miss Derringer (MySpace) performed as the headliners of Indie 103.1 (MySpace)'s Check One Two Mondays at The Viper Room in West Hollywood.

Glendale, home to IHOP, Nestle and a population that is more than 50% foreign born is now home to Jesus. Photographer Philip R. Cloutier took this picture and through some divine punishment... well, we'll let him explain:

[This was the] last picture taken before I slipped off the back of the bus stop bench I was standing on to get the right angle for this picture. I busted my knee and my camera, shattering the Canon EF 50 lens into pieces. I'm okay, but walking with a cane for the time being and having to explain to co-workers that I injured myself in a photography accident (they assumed it was from skiing).

While I deeply love many different kinds of Christmas music, this is one form that tugs hard at the heartstrings. Soul music is just a perfect vehicle for the kind of unironic SINCERITY that I want from a good Christmas song, that makes their heartwarming messages hit home completely. Here's a few to put your mind at ease.

Nothing says Merry Christmas like mosh pits, sweaty fans and loud rock music, unless of course it is KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas. Night One, the more "edgy" of the two nights of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas featured performances by rising stars Paramore, legends Bad Religion and chart toppers Linkin Park....