Faith and Wellness: The Worldwide Connection Between Spirituality & Wellbeing, a new report from Gallup and Radiant Foundation, uncovers fresh insights into the relationship between religion/spirituality and wellbeing. It also adds to the existing body of research finding that people who are religious often have better wellbeing than those who are not. (Blankemeier & Levey, Gallup)
Read MoreMost Orthodox Jews, who refrain from using electricity on the holiday, just as they would on the Sabbath, saw signs of an extraordinary event without being able to turn on televisions, radios or cellphones to find out more. (Klein, Religion News Service)
Read MoreAfter mental and physical issues shattered his invincible aura, the swimmer turned to Christianity and trusted confidants to prepare for his Olympic title defence. (Lord, The Times UK)
Read MoreSome Christians, to be sure, are pacifists who believe any military action to be wrong. Most Christians throughout church history, however, have held to some form of just war theory, which holds that war is always awful, but—under certain, very limited circumstances—can be morally justified. (Moore, Christianity Today)
Read MoreThough overall crime in California is down from historical peaks, data show a trend that is troubling some experts: increases in the use of firearms in homicides and aggravated assaults. A spate of mass shootings, including killings this year at a dance hall in Monterey Park, a mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay and a Trabuco Canyon bar, highlight the problem. But the use of guns is rising in less high-profile crimes as well. (Castleman, Los Angeles Times)
Read MoreThe Francis era in Roman Catholicism is a good example of how the abnormal and even extraordinary can come to feel, with enough repetition, old hat and status quo. The wildness of the last decade is undeniable: the first papal resignation in centuries, the elevation of a new pope who began casting about for the means to alter Catholic teaching, the attempted rebellions by that pope’s own cardinals, the growing threats of schism from both the traditional and progressive wings of the church. (Douthat, The New York Times)
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