Two UC Santa Barbara religious studies professors...

Two UC Santa Barbara religious studies professors have unveiled the first three volumes of a nine-book series intended to trace the evolution of California’s diverse religious communities.

Phillip E. Hammond and Ninian Smart, the co-editors of “Religious Contours of California,” say the state’s varied religious traditions are a microcosm of the world’s religions and ethnic groups. “Virtually every religious tradition known is contained within the borders of the state,” Hammond said.

Hammond said that the first volume, “Californian Catholicism,” describes the growth of Catholicism in the state from its historical roots in Spain through the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th Century and, more recently, the folk Catholicism of Mexico.

The second volume, “Pilgrim Progression: The Protestant Experience in California,” is an account of the unprecedented mixture of Protestant Christian groups that entered the state during the Gold Rush, he stated.

The third volume, “Competing Visions of Paradise: The California Experience of 19th Century American Sectarianism,” details the rise of such “made-in-America” religions as Mormonism, Christian Science, New Thought and Pentecostalism.

The fourth volume, “Diasporas in a Golden Land: The Judaisms of California,” will be available this spring, followed by books on Native American, East Asian and South Asian religions, Islam and new religious movements, Hammond said.

Royalties from the sales will go to UC Santa Barbara’s Center for the Study of Religion to fund the writing of the remaining five books.

Hammond, who conceived the series, emphasized that it is important to study religions because of their enormous influence on people around the world. “We have found that knowledge about religions inspires respect and defuses cultural animosities among groups,” he said.

Smart agreed, pointing out that California has adopted a new framework for social studies and history instruction in public elementary and secondary schools that includes the study of religions. “Knowledge of religions creates an atmosphere of tolerance, while ignorance fosters prejudice,” he said.

The softcover books, published by Fithian Press of Santa Barbara, are available at bookstores and libraries throughout the state. For information, contact the Center for the Study of Religion, Department of Religious Studies, UC Santa Barbara, 93106. (805) 893-3564.

DATES

Please call to confirm the times and locations of events.

* A real-life “Sister Act”--a 60-member choir of nuns representing 26 religious communities from 21 states--will perform at 8 p.m. Jan. 29 at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westwood. Proceeds from the nationwide “Sisters in Song” tour will help meet retirement needs of nuns, monks and priests in the United States. Admission is $10. Reserve tickets at (310) 670-3735, or buy at the door, 10750 Ohio Ave. Tapes and compact discs will be released this spring by Oregon Catholic Press at (800) 547-8992.

* Alan Dershowitz, the controversial defense attorney, author and Harvard Law School professor, speaks on contemporary social, political and legal challenges at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Temple Bat Yahm, 1011 Camelback Ave., Newport Beach. $18, $10 seniors and students (714) 644-1999.

* Each week Great Shepherd Outreach in East Los Angeles offers services, a Narcotics Anonymous 12-step group, Bible study, and food and clothing distribution. 4620 E. 3rd St. For a schedule, call (213) 262-1448.

* Temple Israel of Hollywood launches a Young Adult Congregation for people in their 20s and 30s on Friday with an informal Shabbat service, music and refreshments at a private home. Interested parties may receive information at (213) 876-8330.

* “Environment and the Church” is the subject of the annual Ernest D. Pipes Jr. lecture by the Rev. Peter G. Kreitler at 8 p.m. Thursday at Unitarian Community Church of Santa Monica. Kreitler is minister for the environment of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and founder and director of Earth Services Inc., which promotes environmental ethics in governments, universities, communities of faith and other organizations. 1260 18th St. (310) 273-2298.

* People who want to live drug- and alcohol-free are invited to weekly support group meetings beginning Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Light and Life Community Church in Hawthorne. Child care is provided. 3801 W. 132nd. St. For information, call the 24-hour phone line at (800) 514-HOPE.

* A Charismatic Mass will be celebrated by Father Eugene Herbert at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mary Star of the Sea Church, preceded by praise and worship at 7 p.m. 870 W. 8th St., San Pedro (310) 833-3541.

* Ed Steinkamp Prison Ministries, which conducts nondenominational Bible study for men and women in 25 prisons in California, will hold an informational meeting from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 29 at Rolling Hills Covenant Church, 2222 Palos Verdes Drive North, Rolling Hills (310) 541-2255.

* Homeless advocate Ted Hayes speaks at the annual gathering of the South Bay Ecumenical Cluster at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Hope United Methodist Church in Torrance. $5 admission. 3405 W. Artesia Blvd. Call (310) 595-0268 for reservations.

BRIEFLY

* A free viewing guide for the movie “Schindler’s List,” prepared by the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust of Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, may be obtained by calling (213) 651-3175. Historical background, psychological guidelines, a bibliography and filmography are included.

PEOPLE

* Rabbi David A. Teutsch, newly inaugurated president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pa., will lecture in the Southland beginning Friday and will host a silver anniversary dinner Feb. 5 in honor of Rep. Mel Levine (D-Santa Monica) and Rabbis Harold M. Schulweis, Arnold Rachlis and Steven Carr Reuben. For details, call (310) 459-2328.

* Community leader, lawyer and business consultant Jack M. Ostrow will be honored by the University of Judaism at a dinner and dance Thursday after more than 25 years as its board chairman (310) 476-9777, Ext. 205.

* The Lazarus Project will honor Jon Bailey, artistic director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, at a community banquet Jan. 29. The winner of the project’s Volunteer of the Year Award will also be announced (213) 262-8019.

Notices may be sent to Southern California File by mail c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053, or by fax to (213) 237-4712. Items must arrive three weeks in advance of the event.