Religion

A volunteer helps a Tanzanian family

Picnic for Area Refugees Helps Newcomers Assimilate

When Ahmad al-Abboud brought his wife and five children to the United States from war-torn Syria, he carried with him a vision of this country — of scantily clad people kissing in the streets — he feared would clash with his conservative Muslim culture. But what he found upon settling in Kansas City in April…

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monarch on a sunflower

My, How the Garden Grows

Located among strip malls, office buildings and rows of uniform houses, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park is in the heart of suburbia. But park your car behind the temple, which sits on Nall Avenue a little south of 119th Street, wander up a winding dirt path, and you will find that you’ve…

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Church Without the Dogma

Fewer people believe in God these days, and now there is a local church for it. Just don’t call it church. Members of Kansas City Oasis, which serves atheists, agnostics, and “everything in betweens,” gather every Sunday at the Tony Aguirre Community Center on Kansas City’s West Side. The group has about 200 participants, and…

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Young African American man with headphones

Beyond Belief Web Extra | Kansas City Residents Talk Religion

Kansas City is home to a myriad of people, cultures and beliefs. Beyond Belief, KCPT’s exploration of faith and religion in the metro, has been asking residents about their personal stories and deeply held beliefs for the past eight months. Four community producers working on the project — Ayah Abdul-Rauf, Josh Atkinson, Hope Austin and Cleveland Neal  — took…

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A crowd of people inside an arena

Jehovah’s Witness Gatherings Highlight Faith’s Beliefs

Antonio Rosas is nearly blind from glaucoma, and his daughter, Gina, uses a wheelchair due to a rare neuroimmune disorder. So it’s hard for them to get out and worship with their fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas. Yet their deep faith is pulling them through a weekslong summer trek to regional…

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Church Vows to Never Forget

The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph Sunday concluded a series of “healing services” it has held around the area for much of the past year, but Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. said the diocese will never forget the victims who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of its priests. As part of his 25-minute homily,…

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Major Religions in the Metro

For some, ice cream is a religion. But our graphic examines how other, more mainstream religions, measure up in Kansas City.

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A crowd gathering

Faith In The Wake Of Tragedy

The devastating news from Orlando, Florida, was felt here at home. Flatland was downtown for the vigil, getting reaction from local faith leaders.

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People in a butcher shop

Blessing the Barbecue

For more international flair, there’s a Middle Eastern grocery and halal butcher shop in Lenexa that’s drawing a crowd. With Ramadan beginning this week, it’s the shop’s busiest month of the year.

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See Me, Feel Me

Walking out of her school library this morning, Manasvi Chennareddy gushed about spending the past hour learning about the variety of religions from around the world. “I didn’t know about Sikhs, or that other religions existed,” said Manasvi, a sixth-grader at Harmony Middle School in Overland Park. “And now I know all of their practices.”…

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