Ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Stephen Goforth
“Researchers and religious leaders released findings from a two-month experiment through art in a Catholic chapel in Switzerland, where an avatar of "Jesus" on a computer screen, tucked into a confessional, took questions by visitors on faith, morality and modern-day woes, and offered responses based on Scripture. Those behind the project said it was largely a success: Visitors often came out moved or deep in thought, and found it easy to use.” -Associated Press
There’s a lot of evidence that religious people, for example, are happier in a sense of life satisfaction and positive emotion in the moment. But is it the Christian who really believes in Jesus and reads the Bible? Or is it the Christian who goes to church, goes to the spaghetti suppers, donates to charity, participates in the volunteer stuff? Turns out, to the extent that you can disentangle those two, it seems to not be our beliefs but our actions that are driving the fact that religious people are happier. That’s critical because what it tells us is, if you can get yourself to do it — to meditate, to volunteer, to engage with social connection — you will be happier. It’s just much easier if you have a cultural apparatus around you.
Yale cognitive scientist Laurie Santos, quoted in the New York Times
The decline of traditional faith in America has coincided with an explosion of new atheisms. Some people worship beauty, some worship political identities, and others worship their children. But everybody worships something. And workism is among the most potent of the new religions competing for congregants.
What is workism? It is the belief that work is not only necessary to economic production, but also the centerpiece of one’s identity and life’s purpose; and the belief that any policy to promote human welfare must always encourage more work.
Derek Thompson writing in The Atlantic
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
The Growing Anti-Democratic Threat of Christian Nationalism in the U.S.
***RELIGION & CRIME
NC pastor shot, killed outside his home days after his ordination
79-year-old woman accused of embezzling money from NC Baptist church
***RELIGION AFFILIATION
Religious affiliation is falling in America (podcast)
***RELIGION IN COURT
Lawsuit: Only Christians Could Apply for Jail Chaplain Job
***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES
Some Korean pastors say they need to be more vocal about racial justice
***DENOMINATIONS
Southern Baptist decline continues, denomination has lost more than 2 million members since 2006
PCUSA lost over 56K members, 116 churches in 2020: report
This year’s Southern Baptist convention could be historic
***CATHOLIC
The Catholic Church Is Reinstating Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse
***MEGACHURCHES
Illinois megachurch leaves UMC amid LGBT debate, retains ownership of campuses
***JUDAISM
How Jewish is Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah?’ A Forward investigation in 9 verses
U.S. Jews have widely differing views on Israel
***RELIGION & SCIENCE
Research suggests the religion and science debate wasn’t always this divisive
***CULTS
Gun Church That Worships With AR-15s Bought a 40-Acre Compound in Texas
Duggar ’cult’ leads back to abusive teaching out of Bill Gothard organization
***THE BIBLE
'God Bless the USA Bible' finds new printer after HarperCollins Christian passes
***RELIGION & QANON
One-Quarter of White Evangelicals Believe QAnon 'Storm' Is Coming to 'Restore Rightful Leaders'
Evangelicals are flocking to the QAnon conspiracy theory movement
How Hollywood’s ‘Jesus’ Jim Caviezel Went Full QAnon
QAnon is now as popular in US as some major religions, poll suggests
***SATANISM
America's Satanic Panic Returns — This Time Through QAnon
MS-13 gang member sentenced for murdering 15-year-old girl in satanic sacrifice
***PASSING
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