Do We Still Need Religion+ Today’s Digest

Our daily rundown of the articles from around the web that we feel our readers would enjoy and appreciate. We hope to highlight the best of what’s around.

Public Square Bulletin recommends:

Do We Still Need Religion

Robin Dunbar – The Guardian

In our increasingly secular age, does religion still have a place? Robin Dunbar argues that a vibrant religious life is essential for society, and plays a foundational role in the arts and sciences.

The Constitutional Roots of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Public Faith

Justin Collings & Hal Boyd – Religion & Politics

Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson’s faith played a prominent role in her recent confirmation hearings. Her answers, which echo the feelings of most Americans, place personal faith and religious freedom as among the highest of our civic virtues.

The Rise of the ‘Umms’

Mike Moore – Christianity Today

COVID-19 reshaped our national religious landscape. Mike Moore turns his focus on a group—individuals of strong faith who don’t currently have a church—and asks what happens to them next.

Looking for God in Our Everyday Lives

Wallace Goddard – Meridian Magazine

One of the great promises of the Restoration is the accessibility of Heaven. Are we doing enough to look for God’s influence in our lives?

Religious Liberty Tested in Finland

Anders Lundberg – Law & Liberty

Two Finish Christians have been brought up on charges for advocating for a traditional Christian view of marriage. Swedish lawyers, Anders Lundberg looks at how religious liberty is developing in the Nordic nations.

The Final Lesson of Peacemaking: Ask Better Questions

Health

Primum Non Nocere: A Berlin Museum’s Warning Against Silence

Gospel Fare

The Day the Blame Game Named My Sister

Our Culture of Contempt

Four Corners

What Past Attacks on Mormons and Catholics Teach Us About the Threat to Muslims

C.D. Cunningham

“Surviving Mormonism” and the Real Story of Institutional Harm

Are Surviving Mormonism’s stories typical? Comparative data show rare failures in an institution ahead on reform.

Dan Ellsworth

Church Choirs and the Sound of Belonging: Where Harmony Still Exists

Why do ward choirs matter? They build unity, model male-female harmony, bridge communities, and teach belonging.

Jeff Bennion

When Law Meets Love: Dallin H. Oaks’ Ministry to Sexual and Gender Minorities

Dallin H. Oaks pairs law with love, showing humility, outreach, and a call to hold truth with tenderness.

Jacob Z. Hess

Why are Some Latter-day Saints Hesitant to Talk about the Family Proclamation?

The Family Proclamation is beloved by members around the world. So why are some afraid to talk about it?

Cassandra Hedelius

Motherhood, Mortality, and the Myth of Control

A near-death experience at 39 leads a mother to challenge her perceptions of entitlement, faith, and mortality.

CATEGORIES

Soul and pre-existence in pop culture

While the afterlife is often seen in pop culture, the premortality is seen much less. Why? And why does the subject remain so irresistible to artists?

Ancestral Lessons in Religious Freedom

As more young people today lose an appreciation for religious freedom, it’s understandable that we point to higher principles. It might also help to direct attention back to our own family’s stories to understand why this is still so important today.

Defamation Down Under: Responding to the Aussie Allegations

A coordinated media campaign led by one man in Australia is again telling a darkly accusing narrative about the Church of Jesus Christ based on unsubstantiated evidence, partial facts, and innuendo. Instead of simply passing along the shocking “findings,” let’s hope more American journalists will start asking their own questions.