John Burnett

Controversy Brews Over Church's Hallucinogenic Tea Ritual

John Burnett — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:41:00 +0000

A small church in Santa Fe, N.M., has grown up around a unique sacrament. Twice a month, the congregation meets in a ritualized setting to drink Brazilian huasca tea, which has psychoactive properties said to produce a trance-like state.

The Supreme Court confirmed the UDV church's right to exist in 2006. The church doesn't seek new members and prefers to keep a low profile.

Two Decades Later, Some Branch Davidians Still Believe

John Burnett — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:21:00 +0000

Twenty years ago, federal agents clashed with David Koresh's Branch Davidian community near Waco, Texas. The standoff ended with a raid and fire that killed some 80 people. It's remembered as one of the darkest chapters in American law enforcement history.

Two decades later, some of the Branch Davidians who survived the raid are still believers, while a new church group has moved onto the land.

The Raid

Most people born in an earlier generation know the outlines of the story. David Koresh was the self-appointed prophet of a small religious community.

Search And Rescue Ongoing After Texas Plant Explosion

John Burnett — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:22:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

We're learning more about last night's fire in the Texas town of West. The fire started in a fertilizer plant, and a father in a vehicle nearby was taking video of the flames when the plant exploded.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Are you OK?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: You OK?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yeah. I can't hear.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Cover your ears.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I can't hear. Get out of here.

Thousands Trek To New Mexico Chapel On Good Friday

John Burnett — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:42:00 +0000

Driving in northern New Mexico requires special caution on Good Friday. Tens of thousands of people — some walking all night — are converging on the village of Chimayo to pray inside a 200-year-old chapel before a carved wooden image of Jesus.

As it does every year, the highway department has put out portable toilets, orange barriers, and signs warning motorists of "Santuario walkers."

The man in the fluorescent orange shirt and striped sneakers, walking determinedly along the shoulder, is Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat who represents this area. He started in Santa Fe.

Texas Church Is A Battleground In Gay Marriage War

John Burnett — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:29:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This Tuesday and Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear more of oral arguments on two cases that could redefine marriage in this country. The court will consider the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, and also the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, that denies marital benefits to legally married gay couples. The cases have left some people - especially religious conservatives - reeling.