Group to share religious stories

By Jamie Teibel
Staff Writer

Many Purdue students are familiar with stories of creation from Western religions, but this Saturday, the Lafayette community will have a chance to learn about creation stories, sacred myths and spiritual tales from around the world.

At 7 p.m. in St. John’s Episcopal Church, a group of storytellers will present "A Ladder to Heaven — sacred stories from all over the world." The stories come from Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Hebrew, Malaysian and Native American faiths.

The nine storytellers are Doyne Carson, Chuck Weis, Rose Haberer, the Rev. Ernie Elder, Linda Jones, Donna Emerson, Fran Thompson, the Rev. Karen Redman and Pamela Smith. They will begin the evening with stories of the sacred in everyday life, then tell fables of the lives of wise and holy men and women in history, continue with scriptures from all parts of the world and finish with creation stories from different religions.

The Religious Arts Festival, a local community group, is sponsoring the event. It puts together about 12 events every winter that, according to Pamela Smith, the coordinator of storytelling for the Religious Arts Festival, are designed to help people use art as a means of living out their relationship with God.

Smith said the title "Ladder to Heaven" is an image that appears in the Old Testament. She explained that stories like the Jewish story of Exodus and the Christian story of Jesus’ life "inform us of the nature of the sacred and help us get closer to it. They give us might, wisdom and courage." She also said, for many faiths, the traditional stories are meant to teach and give strength.

Smith said she thinks it is a good thing for people to be in the presence of one another’s stories; it's like visiting a cathedral, mosque or the Taj Mahal without the traveling.

"It’s like going into a sacred place with tradition; we’ll be able to be in each other’s stories in peace," she said.

Sue Ringenbach, the president of the Religious Arts Festival, hopes those who attend have a good time. She said it’s not an event concentrated on teaching morals of the stories, but concentrated more on teaching people about religious traditions and beliefs. She said she hopes the parents will get pointers on how to relate the stories to their children, who will in turn, have fun learning about them.

St. John’s Episcopal Church is located on the corner of Sixth and Ferry streets in Lafayette. There is no charge for the event, but donations are appreciated.

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