Word: churches
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...prescribed number of prayers; you also have to do good, such as volunteer at a soup kitchen, help resettle refugees or donate to a worthy cause. Much like how many high schoolers have to fulfill a community-service requirement, Catholics are being urged to become do-gooders. "The church's teaching has evolved," Walsh says. "Part of indulgences is not just saying special prayers, but also doing good works." (See pictures of spiritual healing around the world...
...Mike Aquilina, who attends Holy Child Church outside Pittsburgh, Pa., estimates that he fulfills the requirements for an indulgence a few times a year by visiting a saintly burial site Stateside or St. Peter's Basilica when he's in Rome on business. "God doesn't get anything out of it, the Church doesn't get anything out of it - but I sure do," says Aquilina...
...Indulgences are a handy marketing tool for the church, a way of encouraging people to amp up their spiritual life. But figuring out exactly what they are and how they work can be confusing. "It brings people who aren't Catholic up short," says David Steinmetz, a professor of the history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School. (Read "Finding God on YouTube...
...rules can confound even believers. William Damkoehler, an actor from Rhode Island, learned about indulgences as a kid in Catholic school. As an adult, he's bewildered by them. "It seems like the church is trying to get business back by offering rebates," he says...
...pictures of a drive-in church...