Religion California

The survey ranking Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa as the nation's third-largest Protestant church by Sunday attendance also found that 25 of the top 100 are in California, a state better known for secular pleasures than old-time religion. The California churches, 20 of which are in Southern California, generally teach a literal Bible, are theologically and socially conservative, focus on the family, have a dynamic pastor and are not aligned with a mainline denomination.

When you think about it, Las Vegas is the one place these folks may not stand out. But they will be easy to spot at any other point along the 800-mile trail between Salt Lake City and San Bernardino. Just look for more than 200 Mormons, dressed in pioneer garb, traveling in covered wagons.

A survey ranking the nation's 100 Protestant churches with the biggest Sunday attendance found that 25 are in California, a state better known for secular pleasures than old-time religion. The California churches, 20 of which are in Southern California, generally teach a literal Bible, are theologically and socially conservative, focus on the family, have a dynamic pastor and are not aligned with a mainline denomination.

A unique replica of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will arrive at Union Station in Los Angeles on Tuesday and continue on a journey throughout the three-county archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Guadalupe image, an object of devotion among Mexican immigrants, will be featured Dec. 11 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, where a Mass will be celebrated to honor the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Most Rev.

A State Board of Education evaluation team has recommended that state approval be removed from a school in San Diego County that is the only creation science school in the country offering master's degrees. The team's report recommends stripping the mantle of state legitimacy from the Institute for Creation Research in Santee. The report "seems reasonable to me," State Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig said, although he will not act on the recommendation for a month or so.

About 500 people of Persian descent sang, exchanged hugs and prayed Sunday evening at the California Zoroastrian Center's celebration of two of the most important events in their ancient religion. Nouruz, the Persian New Year, took place during Wednesday's vernal equinox. And the 3,764th anniversary of the birth of Zarathustra, prophet to the religion, occurs today.

Does "Southwind" make you think of a contemporary music ensemble or some low-alcohol wine? Maybe. But what it doesn't suggest is a conservative Presbyterian church in affluent Encinitas, north of San Diego. George Barna, perhaps the world's foremost expert on church marketing, knows this for a fact. "People said it sounded like a cult," he says. Barna doesn't just test-market church names.

Thousands of people have visited a house in the Northern California resort town of Mount Shasta to see what they think is the image of an angel appearing on a television set, but a TV repairman said it is just a bad capacitor. Diane Boettcher, who owns the set, said she was watching television Friday night and had switched to the news to "see about the harmonic convergence when a bright light came out (and) this image appeared. She is definitely an angel. . . .

Putting himself at odds with religious groups, Gov. Pete Wilson on Monday vetoed a bill that limited government restrictions on religious practices. The Republican governor struck down a measure by Assemblyman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) that would have required state and local agencies to demonstrate a compelling need before taking actions that restrict religious activities.

As the first step in a legal campaign to invalidate new textbook guidelines governing the teaching of evolution, conservative religious groups announced Thursday that they will challenge the procedures used to adopt the new policies. The Rev.

Southern California Jews next week usher in their 10-day season of moral contemplation, penitence and forgiveness as they observe the start of the Jewish New Year and the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashana begins Friday at sundown with the blowing of the ram's horn, known as a shofar. The horn is meant to awaken people to their hurtful actions of the past year and call them to penitence.

Putting himself at odds with religious groups, Gov. Pete Wilson on Monday vetoed a bill that limited government restrictions on religious practices. The Republican governor struck down a measure by Assemblyman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) that would have required state and local agencies to demonstrate a compelling need before taking actions that restrict religious activities.

Wanted: bookbinders. Free room, board and a small stipend. One- to three-month commitment. No experience necessary. Subject: endangered Tibetan Buddhist teachings. If the job doesn't sound like a smart career move, at least the perks are good. Consider that you may get to visit the recently completed Odiyan Tibetan retreat. Odiyan (pronounced Odie-ON) stands on a coastal cliff north of Petaluma, somewhere between the big blue sky, the vast green ocean and herds of brown and white cows.

About 500 people of Persian descent sang, exchanged hugs and prayed Sunday evening at the California Zoroastrian Center's celebration of two of the most important events in their ancient religion. Nouruz, the Persian New Year, took place during Wednesday's vernal equinox. And the 3,764th anniversary of the birth of Zarathustra, prophet to the religion, occurs today.

Four Bay Area American Baptist churches have been expelled from their regional jurisdiction because of their outreach to homosexuals. Delegates at a special meeting of American Baptist Churches of the West--one of 34 regional jurisdictions of the 1.5-million-member mainline Protestant American Baptist Churches, representing 221 congregations in Northern California and Nevada--voted overwhelmingly to sever their ties with the four congregations at a meeting in Sacramento last week.

It's not on the scale of the Crystal Cathedral's million-dollar "Glory of Easter," but a Passion play rehearsing at Shepherd of the Hills Church does have a blend of spirituality and pizazz with a few animals, special effects and advice from Hollywood professionals. Actor Robert Newman, who plays Josh on "The Guiding Light" daytime serial, will portray Jesus in the musical drama's seven productions starting April 10 at the Porter Ranch church.

It's not on the scale of the Crystal Cathedral's million-dollar "Glory of Easter," but a Passion play rehearsing at Shepherd of the Hills Church does have a blend of spirituality and pizazz with a few animals, special effects and advice from Hollywood professionals. Actor Robert Newman, who plays Josh on "The Guiding Light" daytime serial, will portray Jesus in the musical drama's seven productions starting April 10 at the Porter Ranch church.

Mormons, whose health codes direct them to abstain from alcohol, coffee, tea and smoking, are "very excited" about a UCLA study showing dramatically lower death rates from cancer and heart disease among their leaders, a church spokesman said Tuesday. "It corroborates what they have preached for years," said Keith Atkinson, Mormon Church public communications director for California, which has as many as 750,000 members.

Does "Southwind" make you think of a contemporary music ensemble or some low-alcohol wine? Maybe. But what it doesn't suggest is a conservative Presbyterian church in affluent Encinitas, north of San Diego. George Barna, perhaps the world's foremost expert on church marketing, knows this for a fact. "People said it sounded like a cult," he says. Barna doesn't just test-market church names.

California has 25 of the top 100 Protestant churches in the country, ranked by average Sunday attendance, according to a new survey by John N. Vaughan, International Mega-Church Research Center, Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar, Mo. Here is how they rank in the state: 1. Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa: 12,000. 2. Grace Community Church, Sun Valley: 8,000. 3. Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside: 7,700. 4. Calvary Chapel, Downey: 7,500. 5. Calvary Church, Santa Ana: 6,000.