Articles of interest about religion - Oct 1

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***THE VIRUS 

This Overlooked Variable Is the Key to the Pandemic

Scientists warn of airborne coronavirus spread

The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Changing Our Dreams

90% of US adults vulnerable to COVID-19, study says

Study Finds ‘Single Largest Driver’ of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump

***RELIGION & THE VIRUS

What Pastors See as the ‘New Normal’ for Preaching After the Pandemic

***RELIGION  

Sign Language Bible Complete After 39 Years

Making Your Church Manlier Won’t Make It Bigger

China Is Erasing Mosques and Precious Shrines in Xinjiang ($)

***RELIGION AND TRUMP

Former aides: Trump Secretly Mocks His Christian Supporters   

Election 2020: Trump's support from Catholics and evangelicals is dropping. They fault his unkindness

***RELIGION AND POLITICS

Hillsong Church Accidentally Posts Political Opinion During Debate

Alabama governor apologizes to '63 church bombing survivor

How a Sean Feucht worship service convinced me I am no longer an evangelical (opinion)

Young evangelicals are defying their elders' politics (Opinion)

***RELIGION & THE SUPREME COURT 

Religious group tied to Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, sought to erase all mentions of her from its website

For Conservative Christian Women, Amy Coney Barrett’s Success Is Personal (opinion) 

As U.S. Supreme Court nomination looms, a religious community draws fresh interest 

The false link between Amy Coney Barrett and The Handmaid’s Tale, explained

***RELIGION & THE LAW 

Judge Denies Christian Group’s Challenge To Limits On Religious Gatherings In Colorado

Southern Baptist publishing arm, LifeWay, sues former president Thom Rainer

Megahurch Sues D.C. Over COVID-19 Mass Gathering Restrictions

***DENOMINATIONS

Texas United Methodists take up call to replace denomination’s logo over association with racist imagery

***CATHOLIC 

Pope Francis refused to meet with Mike Pompeo so as not to boost Trump

Powerful Vatican Cardinal Becciu resigns amid scandal

***MEGACHURCHES

Louisiana Megachurch pastor won't wear a mask in courthouse and misses hearing; lawyer enters his plea 

***PARACHURCH MINISTRIES

After the Allegations Against Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias’s Ministry Investigates Claims of Sexual Misconduct at Spas

How you thought your life would turn out

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You are constantly letting go of who you thought you were and how you thought life would be. You find yourself constantly in the neural zone, unable to recover your old life but equally unable to embrace your new one comfortably. To the extent that you can let go of who you used to be and honor the experience of being in-between lives, you discover a rich and wonderful way of living. There is no beginning that doesn’t require an ending, and no ending that doesn’t make possible a new beginning.

William Bridges, The Way of Transition

what exactly IS "critical thinking"?

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Critical thinking entails at least ten reasoning abilities and habits of thought:

1. Consciously raising the questions “What do we know. . . ?  How do we know . . . ?  Why do we accept or believe. . . ?  What is the evidence for. . . ?”  when studying some body of material or approaching a problem.   

2. Being clearly and explicitly aware of gaps in available information.  Recognizing when a conclusion is reached or a decision made in absence of complete information and being able to tolerate the ambiguity and uncertainty.  Recognizing when one is taking something on faith without having examined the “How do we know. . . ?  Why do we believe. . . ?” questions.

3. Discriminating between observation and inference, between established fact and subsequent conjecture.

4. Recognizing that words are symbols for ideas and not the ideas themselves.  Recognizing the necessity of using only words of prior definition, rooted in shared experience, in forming a new definition and in avoiding being misled by technical jargon

5. Probing for assumption (particularly the implicit, unarticulated assumptions) behind a line of reasoning.

6. Drawing inferences from data, observations, or other evidence and recognizing when firm inferences cannot be drawn.  This subsumes a number of processes such as elementary syllogistic reasoning (e.g., dealing with basic prepositional "if. . .then" statements), correlational reasoning, recognizing when relevant variables have or have not been controlled.

7. Performing hypothetico-deductive reasoning; that is, given a particular situation, applying relevant knowledge of principles and constraints and visualizing, in the abstract, the plausible outcomes that might result from various changes one can imagine to be imposed on the system.

8. Discriminating between inductive and deductive reasoning; that is, being aware when an argument is being made from the particular to the general or from the general to the particular

9. Testing one's own line of reasoning and conclusions for internal consistency and thus developing intellectual self-reliance.

10. Developing self-consciousness concerning one's own thinking and reasoning processes.  

Physicist Arnold Arons, Teaching Introductory Physics 

Articles of interest about journalism, fakes, writing & social media - Sept 25

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 ***JOURNALISM 

Sheriff's Deputies Falsely Said This Reporter Had Failed To ID Herself

Reporter arrested while covering shooting of two LA County deputies

Karen McDougal’s defamation suit against Fox News is dismissed 

***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM

As local news outlets shift to subscription, they wonder: What should Facebook’s role be?

Who’s interested in “slow journalism”? Mostly the same people who are into regular ol’ fast journalism

Are news companies already putting diversity pledges on the back burner?  

***FAKES & FRAUDS

Oregon Officials Warn False Antifa Rumors Waste Precious Resources For Fires 

Gen Z is eroding the power of misinformation

Does ignoring robocalls make them stop? Researchers uncover 2 key findings

Getting Wise to Fake News 

Nashville's supposed coronavirus cover-up was just a misleading story used by right-wing media

***FAKES NEWS & THE ELECTION 

Time to ratchet up the fight against misinformation in Spanish. Take a look at this solution

How Conspiracy Theories Are Shaping the 2020 Election

***FAKE NEWS & SOCIAL MEDIA  

How to spot fake news on Facebook and Twitter before the 2020 election

What Can Social Media Do To Slow Down The Spread Of Misinformation?

YouTube expands fact-checking feature for video searches to Europe 

***QANON 

How QAnon Conspiracy Theories Spread in My Hometown

The men behind QAnon

Evangelical leaders try to take on QAnon in their community

Facebook Tried to Limit QAnon. It Failed 

How QAnon Undermines Legitimate Anti-Trafficking Efforts

Why Someone You Love Might Join QAnon

Pence to attend event hosted by QAnon backers  

Mothers for QAnon (opinion)

***SOCIAL MEDIA 

Twitter to ask users to reconsider before retweeting

Twitter Sued Over 'Inadvertent' Use Of Phone Numbers For Advertising 

Tinder, Bumble...LinkedIn? Users Report Unwanted Advances On Networking Site

Scoop: 400,000 people have already registered to vote in 2020 via Snapchat

***FACEBOOK

Graphic video of suicide spreads from Facebook to TikTok to YouTube as platforms fail moderation test

Facebook will let people claim ownership of images and issue takedown requests   

***PRIVACY & SECURITY 

Average American recorded by security cameras 238 times each week, study shows

Think Twice Before Using Facebook, Google, or Apple to Sign In Everywhere

It’s easier than ever to find out how your favorite websites are tracking you

Mayor orders San Diego’s Smart Streetlights turned off until surveillance ordinance in place

Telehealth vendors are fighting off many more cyberattacks than before COVID-19 

***JOURNALISM ON CAMPUS

Missouri journalism profs call out chancellor 

Philanthropic Organization Donates $2.5 million Gift in Support of Journalism Students at Howard University 

College newspaper reporters are the journalism heroes for the pandemic era

Cancel Culture Comes to Cronkite 

***WRITING & READING

Here Are The 50 Books Nominated for 2020 National Book Awards

Google Drive will start to delete trashed files after 30 days starting on October 13th

In crackdown on race-related content, Education Department targets internal book clubs, meetings

The Fight Against Words That Sound Like, but Are Not, Slurs

***LITERATURE

You Need to Read Faulkner Right Now but You Might Need a Map

Why AI writing assistants are the next generation of style guides

***POETRY 

Scientists Take on Poetry 

Barbara Kingsolver's Passion For Poetry Prevails In 'How To Fly'

A poetry scavenger hunt in Battery Park City

Goals & Progress

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Many runners work hard for months, but as soon as they cross the finish line, they stop training. The race is no longer there to motivate them. When all of your hard work is focused on a particular goal, what is left to push you forward after you achieve it? This is why many people find themselves reverting to their old habits after accomplishing a goal.

The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress. 

James Clear, Atomic Habits

89-year-old pizza delivery driver gets surprise $12K tip

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#GOODNEWS

Articles of interest about higher ed - Sept 23

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***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS

Colleges Are Canceling Spring Break To Help Stop The Spread of Coronavirus

There are now more than 40,000 cases of COVID-19 at American colleges and universities

Colleges knew the risks but they reopened anyway. Here's how they got it all wrong

Don't Rely on Student Contracts to Safeguard Your Campus

Infection rates soar in college towns as students return

***SPECIFIC SCHOOLS

Wichita State instructors prohibited from informing students of possible class COVID-19 exposure

After 80 students test positive for COVID in 2 days, a New England college switches to remote learning

***K-12 

Some schools withhold COVID-19 information from parents

***LAYOFFS & FURLOUGHS

An arbitrator sided with the University of Akron in its termination of nearly 100 unionized full-time professors

 Pacific Northwest College of Art Will Merge With Willamette University

 ***HIGHER ED 

Cornell to receive ‘on-campus’ accreditation visit via Zoom

Michigan Offers Free College Education To Essential Workers

State auditor says University of California wrongly admitted well-connected students

***HIGHER ED IN COURT

Affirmative action: Challenge to Harvard's admissions practices hits federal appeals court

Ex-Georgia Tech Researcher Can Proceed With Lawsuit Against University Officials

***HUMANITIES 

Adrian College planned to terminate history, philosophy, religion and more -- until graduates organized to stop it

What a U.S. Liberal Arts Education Can Provide International Students

***ONLINE CHEATING  

Universities need to condemn the use of problematic online proctor services (opinion)

Students share concerns about cheating in online classes

***ACADEMIC LIFE 

Professor Who Called COVID-19 the ‘Chinese Virus’ on Leave

University of Michigan faculty approves no-confidence vote against President 

Mississippi auditor investigating Ole Miss professor for striking

Canadian professor at heart of controversy over White House push to control COVID-19 messaging

How Can A Tenured Professor Become A Homeless Ward Of The State In Just A Few Days?

91-year-old University of St. Thomas professor goes viral in online teaching photo

***ADMINISTRATORS

Lincoln University reappoints president who had been ousted two months earlier

Ohio University Administrator in the middle of decision to lay off 100s accepts $100K Bonus  

***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 

Students protest racism at Lancaster Bible College

Houghton College resets tuition to aid students during COVID-19

‘Ring by spring’ isn’t everyone’s thing

***LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

911 Call From Intoxicated Jerry Falwell Jr.’s House Last Month Describes ‘A Lot Of Blood’

The New York Times files to dismiss Liberty University's defamation lawsuit

***RESEARCH 

The top public universities in producing research which needs to be corrected or removed

The Internet Archive Will Digitize & Preserve Millions of Academic Articles with Its New Database, "Internet Archive Scholar

***STUDENT LIFE 

Oregon fights historic fires with college students on the front lines

New Report Addresses Mental Health of Students of Color

College students give failing grade on return to campus

On Campus Students are targeting Greek Life

You Could Get Us All Sent Home 

RAs enforcing Covid rules: ‘I think about quitting every day’

University of Missouri president unblocks students on Twitter after backlash and lawsuit threat 

Graduate students reach deal with University of Michigan to end strike

***STUDENTS IN COURT

Attorneys file opening brief before US Supreme Court in Gwinnett County free speech case  

***STUDENT MEDIA

University of California San Diego settles lawsuit with satirical campus publication

College Newspapers Aim To Keep Schools Transparent During Pandemic

***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT

Woman sues Wisconsin over reinstatement of former football player Quintez Cephus

Prestigious British university rocked by online allegations of rape, sexual misconduct

***HIGHER ED & RACIAL ISSUES  

Survey finds 'shocking' lack of Holocaust knowledge among millennials and Gen Z

University of Chicago only accepting English students willing to work in black studies

University of Wisconsin-Madison grad student admits pretending to be a person of color

Conditional Acceptance

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Too often we claim that we accept others for what they are when we truly mean that we accept them as long as they do what we want them to. When we truly accept others the way they are we no longer have to take unnecessary responsibility for others’ emotions an behaviors, we maintain emotional balance at a time when it is most needed, and we encourage the other person to be more responsible for his own emotions and behaviors.

Les Carter, Imperative People: Those Who Must Be in Control

Self-handicapping

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The fear of being unmasked as the incompetent you “really” are is so common that it actually has a clinical name: impostor syndrome. A shocking number of successful people (particularly women), believe that they haven’t really earned their spots, and are at risk of being unmasked as frauds at any moment. Many people deliberately seek out easy tests where they can shine, rather than tackling harder material that isn’t as comfortable.

If they’re forced into a challenge they don’t feel prepared for, they may even engage in what psychologists call “self-handicapping”: deliberately doing things that will hamper their performance in order to give themselves an excuse for not doing well. Self-handicapping can be fairly spectacular: in one study, men deliberately chose performance-inhibiting drugs when facing a task they didn’t expect to do well on. “Instead of studying,” writes the psychologist Edward Hirt, “a student goes to a movie the night before an exam. If he performs poorly, he can attribute his failure to a lack of studying rather than to a lack of ability or intelligence. On the other hand, if he does well on the exam, he may conclude that he has exceptional ability, because he was able to perform well without studying.”

Megan Mcardle writing in the Atlantic

Articles of Interest about religion - Sept 20

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***THE VIRUS

How Can I Tell Whether I Have Flu or COVID-19?

Russia vaccine data called into question as experts worry about global distribution

Survey finds 61% of Americans aren’t comfortable returning to the workplace

***RELIGION & THE VIRUS

Thousands gather for Christian music concert at California Capitol, breaking COVID-19 rules

***RELIGION 

Girls tell of terror, abuse at Missouri Christian boarding school under investigation

I Was a Pastor’s Wife. Suicide Made Me a Pastor’s Widow

How a mysterious man fooled a Harvard scholar into believing the 'Gospel of Jesus' Wife' was real

Max Lucado: After I was molested as a child, Jesus met me in my storm

***RELIGION BY THE NUMBERS

10 key findings about the religious lives of U.S. teens and their parents

LifeWay Research “State of Theology” poll

***RELIGION AND POLITICS

The surprise religious group that could decide Trump's fate

Evangelical pastor urges Christians to "mobilize" to fight civil war against left-wing activists

Faith and politics mix to drive evangelical Christians' climate change denial

***RELIGION & THE LAW 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died Friday was shaped by her minority faith 

Kroger sued: Did not accommodate the religious beliefs of workers fired for refusing to wear aprons with LGBT logo, lawsuit says

***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES

Black Pastor Wants His Mostly White Congregation To Understand Racial Justice

Televangelist Pat Robertson says Black Lives Matter is trying to destroy Christianity 

***CATHOLIC

Judge Amy Barrett's charismatic Catholicism — Who are the People of Praise? 

Mark Galli, former Christianity Today editor and Trump critic, to be confirmed a Catholic 

***CHANGING NAMES

Prominent Southern Baptists are dropping 'Southern' name amid racial unrest

Evangelicals for Social Action Leaves Behind ‘Evangelical’ Label

***MOVIES

Infidel review: Jim Caviezel again in faith-centric thriller

I just hate them

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“I just hate them,” says one woman when asked why she refused to put one on. “I think I hate them because you have to wear them, and I think it’s more of a ‘you’ve got to wear it’, so I don’t want it.”

“I think, whether you’re male or female, it’s a dominance thing,” replies the man next to her. “I’m in charge, you don’t tell me what to do.”

The interviewees were British drivers who admitted to not wearing their seat belts while in cars in 2008, despite it being a legal requirement in the UK to wear one in the front seat of a vehicle since 1983 and in the back seat since 1991.

William Park writing in BBC Future