Tag: Around the Web

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: Under Pressure to Act White House Says It Will Address Formula Shortage Annie Karnie—New York Times Last week I highlighted a distressing news story about a baby formula shortage. The Biden administration has recently spoken about the issue and has promised to find ways to address the concern. Factsheet: Overview of Refugees Fleeing Religious Persecution Globally United States Commission on International Religious Freedom USCIRF has released a report on what it calls an “unprecedented” global refugee crisis. Latter-day Saints who have been asked to help support in this area can benefit from the report’s bird-eye view of the situation. ‘If someone asked you why the priesthood restoration was so significant, what would you say?’ Joseph Smith Papers historian answers Morgan Jones—LDS Living Spencer McBride, historian for the Church focusing on Joseph Smith, sits down with Morgan Jones to discuss the restoration. His insights help put us in the mind of Joseph Smith and better understand his life and ministry. Deconstructing? There’s a coach for that. Ericka Andersen—Religion News Services A trend to keep an eye on, Religion News Services reports on an increasingly likely decision of believers to not merely leave their faith but to use the help of life coaches to try and deconstruct their beliefs so they can find a way to still identify with their faith tradition while rejecting its beliefs.

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: Will the Utah Senate Race Break the Partisan Doom Loop? Beau Tremitiere — The Bulwark Latter-day Saint politician Evan McMullin is an independent running for Senate in Utah against Mike Lee. In a very unusual move, however, McMullin has been endorsed by Utah’s Democratic party. Could this cross-partisan alliance signal a new way forward? Conflict in a Society without a Religious Consensus Rick Plasterer — Juicy Ecumenism This article certainly is not the first to suggest that a lack of moral consensus plays a major role in our current political tensions, but Plasterer does an enviable job of tracing the history of this fracturing consensus. Now in the spotlight, Dubai Jews struggle for public synagogue Isabel Debre — Associated Press With a newly announced temple in Dubai, Latter-day Saints may find this article about the Jewish search to find worship space in the city of interest as well. Bravo! The New York Times reports that evangelicals are divided, not united on politics Terry Mattingly — Get Religion The godfather of religious journalism criticism examines the silver linings in a recent article in the New York Times about the state of politics among evangelicals. How We Fought Each Other at Michigan Law Andrew Koppelman, Ilya Shapiro — Heterodox Academy Two law professors at the University of Michigan coming from very different perspectives on constitutional law questions describe how meaningful they find their debates, and how to disagree with one another better.

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: Therapy Beyond Good and Evil James Mumford — The New Atlantis As modern therapy has come to rely almost exclusively on Rogerian humanism, it has lost the ability to help its patients recognize an objective reality that exists outside themselves. Explainer: Religious liberty in Ukraine in the 20th and 21st centuries Jordan Wootten — Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission A brief history of Ukraine, its approach to religious freedom, and the impact it is having amid the current conflict. A better abortion debate is possible. Here’s where we can start. Leah Libresco — America Leah Libresco offers a stunning account of bringing friends together to discuss abortion in her home and a path towards a more productive conversation. A must-read for those hoping to have difficult conversations better. Groundbreaking dates set for new Ephraim Utah Temple and Lubumbashi Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple Scott Taylor — Church News Groundbreaking for the Ephraim Utah Temple will occur on August 27, 2022, and be presided over by Elder Walter Gonzales. Groundbreaking for the Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo temple will occur on August 20, 2022, and be presided over by  Matthew Carpenter. The Certainty Trap Ilana Redstone — Tablet The solution to our broken political conversation won’t be found in censoring ‘misinformation’ but in recognizing the profound limits of our own beliefs. Washington Post Finds Thriving Anti-Abortion Church and Moribund Mainline Jeffrey Walton — Juicy Ecumenism Recent reporting in The Washington Post about religious responses to the leaked Dobbs opinion paints a vivid picture that can only be found between the lines. Jeffrey Walton highlights the way pro-life churches are vibrant places for educating mothers and finding adoptions.

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: Why I welcome the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned Rabbi Avi Shafran – NBC News While some American Jews have worried about how potentially overturning Roe v. Wade might impact their own religious freedom, one Rabbi writes for NBC news about how overturning Roe comports well with his own faith. Should Courts Assess the Sincerity of Religious Beliefs Linda Greenhouse – The Atlantic Last week we wrote in the Bulletin about how courts should avoid assessing the sincerity of religious beliefs, even when it may prove uncomfortable. But Linda Greenhouse for the Atlantic sees religious freedom claims being abused and presents the opposite case. 107 Florida congregations leaving UMC to join new conservative church network amid LGBT debate Michael Gryboski – Christian Post The official split of the United Methodist Church was delayed so often during COVID that many congregations in Florida have recently voted to join the Global Methodist Church instead. The schism is largely based on the United Methodist Church’s increasingly liberalized stance on LGBT+ issues. Christianity Is Under Trial With the “Praying Coach” Case Auguste Meyrat – Crisis Magazine With many ideologies taught at public schools with the imprimatur of the school, one coach’s decision to pray after football games has gone to the Supreme Court. Auguste Meyrat argues that because of the many ideologies available at schools, the question is whether religious individuals are afforded the same expression rights as others. Our Moral Pandemic: Christian Nationalism and Political Idolatry Drew J. Strait – Sojourners Drew J. Strait has a simple Q&A style article on Christian Nationalism, what it is, how it contradicts Christianity, and what we can do about it.

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: Sikh Leaders from Dubai Meet with First Presidency Church Newsroom Surender and Bubbles Kandhari visited with the First Presidency yesterday. The two Sikh leaders from the United Arab Emirates spoke about the love they felt during their visit. National Day of Prayer Primer To celebrate the National Day of Prayer, be sure to head over and check out our article listing some of the best things we’ve read about prayer. Faith, Doubt, and Murder in ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ Sergio Lopez —Sojourners While there has been no shortage of think pieces about Under the Banner of Heaven, including in our own magazine, I wanted to direct your attention to a particularly thoughtful piece in Sojourners. While Lopez misses the tone-deaf elements that miss our faith, he recognizes some of the thoughtful questions it asks. America’s Blue-Red Divide Is About to Get Starker Ronald Brownstein — The Atlantic Since we had published a piece suggesting that the end of Roe could lead to greater unity, I wanted to direct your attention to this piece predicting the opposite result. Brownstein’s basic thesis is that as states have more distinct abortion laws, our country will be more different from state to state.

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: Connecticut Man Accused Of Setting Car On Fire Because Victim Was Mormon Associated Press Police said the man admitted to starting the fire and said he did it because he didn’t agree with the man’s religious beliefs. LDS Daily followed up reporting new details on the case. Latter-day Saint leaders and LGBT+ advocates deepen their relationship on Washington D.C. Temple tour Tad Walch – Deseret News The Washington D.C. temple open house has helped further the alliance between those working for religious and LGBT+ rights. Helping to prove the point Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen recently made here in Public Square Magazine. Like Christmas, Eid is being commercialized – and that’s a welcome thing Rifat Malik – NPR Eid, a holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan has been increasingly commercialized in the United States. While Christians are most familiar with bemoaning the commercialization of holidays, Rifat Malik explores why this might be a blessing to the Muslim-American community. Abortion restrictions v. religious free exercise: Which will win? Mark Silk – Religion News Services We may be looking at a major reversal on religious freedom issues. Some faiths, such as Judaism, specifically require abortion in limited circumstances. Will they be able to access those abortions as part of the free exercise of religion? Seek and Expect Miracles Anne Hinton Pratt – Meridian Magazine Anne Hinton Pratt takes President Russell M. Nelson’s directive to seek and expect miracles seriously in this article identifying the kinds of miracles we can look for and how to be more aware of them in our life.

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: Supreme Court rules against Boston in Christian flag case Associated Press The Supreme Court has regularly analyzed whether government entities can discriminate against religious points of view in order to avoid establishment clause concerns. But the court has consistently ruled by strong margins that religious points of view are protected to the same degree as other points of view. The most recent case, decided 9-0, found that the City of Boston can’t allow citizens to display flags for personal ideas on city property, while not allowing religious flags. Religious Liberty Situation Worse Not Better in China Massimo Introvigne – Bitter Winter The managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions examines the new USCIRF report on China that shows increased persecution against Uyghur Muslims, Christians, and groups labeled “xie jiao,” meaning cults, by Chinese authorities. Easy as ABC? No, but studying this Mormon pioneer alphabet is now easier Kaitlyn Bancroft – Salt Lake Tribune Two professors in Illinois have released a considerable amount of work on the “Deseret alphabet” a language used occasionally in pioneer Utah. The work includes copies of documents that use the language, a translator, and a font that can be used to type in the language. Naomi Judd: Press reports covered the dark nights of her life, but not the Sunday mornings Terry Mattingly – Get Religion A long-time staple of media coverage, Naomi Judd’s recent admission to the Country Music Hall of Fame, gave an occasion for media critic Terry Mattingly to examine what coverage was given to Judd’s faith. But despite it’s major impact on her life, and it’s role in helping her through some of the most prominent media stories, little coverage was ever given to her faith. ‘Subversive Habits’ tells the compelling and long-overlooked history of Black Catholic nuns David Crary – America Shannen Dee Williams has decided to devote her life to telling the story of the Black Catholic nuns. The small group has often been overlooked to the point that when Williams first saw a photo with she thought, “How did I not know black nuns existed?” Her book, subversive habits, comes out this month.

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: For Russian priest protesting Ukraine invasion, a mixture of defiance and concern Jack Jenkins – Religion News Services Rev. Ioann Burdin first wrote a letter against the Russian war in Ukraine in late February. He eventually started praying for peace in his church, and within a few weeks the police were contacting his parishioners. His journey is essential reading. God’s Paradoxical Path Meagan Kohler – Mirabile Dictu Starting from a reflection on General Conference, Meagan Kohler concludes, “The world will change when you change yourself.” She bemoans those stuck in perpetual fist-shaking at the heavens. Naw! Nobody in the Title IX wars is asking LGBTQ questions about religious schools Terry Mattingly – Get Religion The Washington Post recently spoke about a new application of Title IX rules. But though the change will effect more than 7,000 religious schools the reporting on the issue ignores the question of religion entirely leaving a major hole in their reporting on the matter. The Women Who Restored Moral Philosophy Paul Dicken – The American Conservative As World War II began, four women took positions at Oxford University. They found the moral philosophy of the academy severely lacking. Watching the horrors of WWII shook them from their complacency. This fascinating story is worth your time. To the columnist who questioned why we ‘half’ to do general conference — let me answer Hanna Seariac – Deseret News In Monday’s Conference run down, I shared a quip in response to a columnist asking why we even have General Conference. Hanna Seariac takes the question much more seriously and gives it a much fuller answer, definitely worth a read.

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: 3 firsts you may have missed at the April 2022 general conference Haley Lundeberg – LDS Living Without any new major announcements or initiatives, it may have seemed like this latest General Conference didn’t have anything new to offer. But here are a few new things that you may not have caught the first time you watched. How the Person Became a Self Ryan T. Anderson – First Things This adaptation of the foreword to Carl Trueman’s new book “Strange New World” is great reading by itself, and can introduce you to the general idea before you choose to buy it or not. You can also check out Trueman’s article here on Public Square. Press quiet as a mouse when it comes to Catholic angles in this Disney-DeSantis fight Clemente Lisi – Get Religion While talk about Florida’s new elementary sex-education bill has dominated headlines, especially with Disney weighing in favor of schools teaching sexual orientation and gender identity to children 5-8. But Clemente Lisi points out that all of this media coverage. has rather conspicuously left out the Catholic faith of Governor DeSantis and much discussion of faith at all from their coverage. New federal rules on abortion, transgender services may pose ‘existential threat’ to Catholic hospitals Tom Tracy – America Leaders at the Catholic Benefits Association are sounding alarm bells about new rules coming from the Department of Health and Human Services that may pose increasing problems for the free exercise of religion, including potentially shuttering many hospitals with religious missions. I don’t know enough to know if I should share the concern, but certainly something worth having on your radar. Is Science of Any Help in Thinking About Heaven? Stephen M. Barr – Church Life Journal This article asks a very interesting question and adds some interesting thoughts about the role of the body. But ultimately, this article is likely of interest to Latter-day Saints for the sheer number of questions asked for which we have doctrinal answers. What’s the destiny of the physical universe? What will our resurrected bodies be like?  

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: Should We Dramatize Jesus’s Life for Television? John Piper – Desiring God This interview posits an interesting question. I think the obvious answer is yes, but I find it significant that the Church’s Bible videos stick strictly with the existing language adding as little as possible to the accounts. What do you think? Most Christian parents are worried about their kids’ spiritual health Ryan Foley – Christian Post As the debate continues to rage around elementary education on sexuality and gender, this poll provides useful context to where Christian parents are coming from. The Antisocial Strain of Sincere Religious Beliefs Is on the Rise Charles McCrary – The New Republic The left-leaning New Republic with a good-faith, but nevertheless troubling approach to religious freedom that frames the free exercise of religion as harmful. But never tries to define this harm, or seek to balance competing harms. This mimics this recent Twitter thread where many of the respondents equated religious freedom with the freedom to discriminate. An Orthodox Theory of Brainworms Lucian Staiano-Daniels – Mere Orthodoxy It’s long been popular to call political extremism a “form of religion,” but these analyses have usually come from Protestant perspectives. Staiano-Daniels explores the idea from an explicitly Orthodox lens. Honoring and Renewing Dr. King’s Other, More Challenging, Dream— 55 Years Later Peter Laarman – Religion Dispatches On the 54th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death, a look back at his Riverside address denouncing the Vietnam war, recognizing the value of each individual person, and decrying the “spiritual death” he saw around him.  

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: Religious diversity: Corporate obstacle? Or asset? Kathryn Post – Religion News Services Businesses have traditionally tried to keep religion out of the workplace. But as businesses try to recruit exceptional candidates, they’re finding that being open about religious diversity is a positive. Just Say No: The Four-Letter Word Religion Writers Really Want To Avoid Bobby Ross Jr. – Religion Unplugged More coverage of the AP Style Guide’s emphasis to avoid the word cult, and what its impact on religion reporters will be. ‘Uncharted’ is a surprisingly Catholic video game. Why does the movie adaption strip out the faith? Kevin Christopher Robles – America Magazine The popular video game series “Uncharted” has a prominent religious through-line. But when the video game was adapted to the big screen, its religious elements went missing. Robles looks at what was lost. Primary general presidency: Preparing our children for a lifetime of covenant keeping Primary General Presidency – Church News The Primary General Presidency announced that one counselor in ward primary presidencies will be responsible for helping prepare children for baptism, the other to prepare children for the temple. I’m a feminist Mormon. Almost everything you’ve heard about my culture is wrong Rachel Rueckert – The Independent The cultural depictions of Latter-day Saints and our world are often limited and frankly inaccurate, and too often we feel obliged to laugh along to be in on the joke. While Rueckert poses some odd ideas (atheist Mormons?), she does a good job of celebrating the diversity of Latter-day Saints.