Nearly 2/3 of Americans support legal abortion, This even includes religious Americans. The outliers are white evangelicals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints and Hispanic Protestants.
As we celebrate President’s Day today, let us be reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s inaguaral address he gave on March 4, 1865. Those words spoken then are just as relevant toay as they were in 1865. “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Stephen Cranney recently wrote an article for the Deseret News regarding what he feels is a confusion people have regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In a past Joe Rogan podcast, he and another discussed the abuse women faced at the hands of Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, UT was brought up. It’s obvious that both of these individuals had the 2 different churches confused with each other.
New legislation was revealed in California regarding religious clothing, headwear and grooming in the state’s jails and prisons. Research has shown that those inmates who were allowed to freely exercise their religion and dress were less likely to be involved in violent actions. They are also less likely to return to prison.
A recent study has shown that women who serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints not only improved their educational outcomes but also their professional and personal as well. This study was done before the mission age requirement changed. Previously women were required to be 21. This changed to 19. The study was done by researchers at Brigham Young University.
The third annual IRF Summit starts tomorrow and Chris Seiple on RNS suggested that we consider just how the United States advances religious freedom abroad. Religious freedom globally is getting worse. Until we can get past the barriers dividing groups we won’t be able to move forward and progress. At least not to the level we should.
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Terryl Givens of BYU’s Maxwell Institute writes for LDS Living grappling with the implications of the Holocaust on human nature and the reality of God. If God Allows us to make choices, why didn’t he create us to have more beautiful souls? The article comes from Givens’ book “Let’s Talk About Faith and Intellect,” where he explores these questions further.
Deseret News recently shared an article by Kelsey Dallas regarding a new ad campaign titled “He Gets Us” to be shown during the NFL playoffs. Religion News Service reported this campaign launched with a $100 million dollar budget. The focus is to introduce people to Christianity and to show how Jesus Christ is relevant to things in our modern everyday life. Their goal is to have people associate Jesus Christ with love instead of hate. Isn’t that what we all want? That would be the ultimate touchdown.
President Biden and other leaders were recently sent a letter from numerous religious organizations pleading with them not to pursue or enact the proposed “asylum ban.” This proposal would ban asylum seekers unless they were registered prior to entering the U.S. or sought asylum in other countries along their travels. Per the Biden administration an app would be developed that would allow travelers to register prior to entering. An app that most would not be able to use due to lack of financial resources. One comment from the religious leaders in the letter states: “Our diverse faith traditions compel us to love our neighbor, accompany the vulnerable, and welcome the sojourner—regardless of place of birth, religion, or ethnicity. Importantly, our faiths also urge us to boldly resist and dismantle systems of oppression.”
Politico recently featured an article written by Amanda Ripley that focused on a woman who wants to make politicians accountable for the way they speak. Tami Pyfer uses the Dignity Index which rates a politician’s rhetoric on an 8 point scale. She recently introduced it in her own state of Utah. Her goal is to make politicians aware of the vitriol and push them towards a nice and kinder political conversation. Will this help? We certainly hope so.
Last week a Federal Judge dismissed the case of LGBTQ students in Oregon who filed a lawsuit in Oregon against the Department of Education. Their claims were that religious affiliated universities weren’t protecting them against discrimination. After hearing evidence, the judge determined that the plaintiffs didn’t show enough evidence to prove they were discriminated against perTitle IX exceptions. Title IX provides protections for religious universities to hold to religious freedom and their beliefs.
Kevin Singer recently wrote an article for Religion Unplugged where he discusses whether spirituality could have anything to do with the mental well-being of our Gen Z population. He shares new research showing a strong connection between religiosity and emotional and mental health well-being. While the percentage of those questioned who consider themselves religious or spiritual is quite high, the number of those who belong to any kind of religion is low. Could the loss of meaning and community associated with organized religion be partially responsible for our present mental health crisis? Could organized religion be a key component to our well being? And how can church leaders, help the young recognize the mental health benefits of ongoing faithfulness?
