In June 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, along with 2,000 federal troops, to occupy the former Confederate state. On June 19, Gen. Granger issued several general orders—among them, orders that declared the state government of Texas illegitimate, that Confederate soldiers and officials must report for parole, and that cotton was to be bought and sold with government oversight. General Order No. 3 pertained to the institution of slavery in Texas. (Traces of Texas, Texas Highway)
Read MoreFor the first time in more than a year, street drug deaths appear to be rising across the U.S. according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest available data, compiled in January of this year, shows fatal overdoses over the previous 12-month period increased by roughly 1,400 deaths. (Mann, NPR)
Read MoreFive years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost half of churchgoers are regular participants in congregations other than their primary one, either attending in person, watching online or on TV, or taking part in both physical and virtual offerings. (Banks, Religion News Service)
Read MoreThe emerging biography of Vance Boelter suggests a partial answer, one that involves his contact with a charismatic Christian movement whose leaders speak of spiritual warfare, an army of God, and demon-possessed politicians, and which has already proved, during the January 6 insurrection, its ability to mobilize followers to act. (McCrummen, The Atlantic)
Read MoreAcademics looked at the place of religion in the health services with, for example, disagreements over the ethics of using certain vaccines; the changing relations with governments over closure of places of worship and helping vulnerable, isolated people; and digital innovation as groups communicated with each other online forging new relationships, while online worship and prayer transformed religious practices. (Bowring, Religion Media Centre)
Read MoreThe court on June 16 threw out a lower court's ruling that the regulation did not violate the rights of the employers to practice their religion and directed New York's top court to reconsider that decision in light of a related ruling the justices handed down in June. (Groppe, USA Today)
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