(ANALYSIS) Scroll through TikTok, browse dating profiles or sit at a cafe, and you’ll often hear people reference their astrological sign. Someone might proudly claim their Leo energy; others joke that they would never date a Scorpio.
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(ANALYSIS) Months before his assassination, Charlie Kirk joined comedian Bill Maher on the “Club Random” podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on faith, science, politics and free speech. Despite Maher’s irreverence and marijuana use, Kirk held firm to his Christian convictions during that Eastertime conversation, especially in defending the hope of eternal life.
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(ANALYSIS) A United Nations commission — the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel — concluded that Israel has committed acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
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(ANALYSIS) As you may have heard, the United States is facing a looming fertility crisis. Put simply, Americans are having fewer children. The total fertility rate (TFR) in the United States is currently 1.6 children per woman.
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(ANALYSIS) As Bangladesh grapples with political instability for a year since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country following mass student-led protests in August 2024, Islamist radicals have been trying to make a comeback in this South Asian nation of 173 million people.
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(ANALYSIS) Emma Stone and Javier Bardem think that, by pledging to boycott Israel’s film industry, they’re helping Palestinians. Instead, they’re actually helping a man they likely despise: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Apple TV’s sci-fi drama “Severance” was the most-nominated show at this year’s Emmys — and for good reason. The series boasts a chillingly unique premise: Workers at mega-corporation Lumon have the opportunity to undergo surgery which renders them into two, an “innie” who works from nine to five and an “outie” who lives a regular life outside of work — all to manufacture a twisted work-life balance and preserve confidentiality around work.
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The only humans yet to set foot on the Moon are American astronauts in the series of six Apollo landings that ended 53 years ago. But last January, President Donald Trump’s Inaugural Address proclaimed a far more extraordinary goal: “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars. . . . Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and pioneers. The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls.”
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The monastery is in the news again, and for unhappy reasons connected to the court decision. Under pressure from Greek Orthodox leaders internationally, the monastery's head, Archbishop Damianos, announced that he would resign as of last Friday. Meanwhile, on Sept. 8, the Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem unanimously resolved that Damianos be already deposed.
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In the most recent Lifeway Research study, the youngest and oldest Americans are among the most likely to support physician-assisted suicide. Those 18-34 (56 percent) and 65 or older (54 percent) are more likely than those 50-64 (45 percent) to see the practice as morally acceptable. Men are also more likely to agree than women (54 percent vs. 49 percent).
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(ANALYSIS) What do Joe Rogan, Charlie Sheen and Charlie Kirk have in common? On many levels, the correct answer is, “Not much.” And I never thought that I would be discussing Sheen in the context of someone like Kirk who, whatever you thought of his MAGA messages, was maturing into an increasingly effective public apologist on topics of faith, family and public life.
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(ANALYSIS) It is entirely accurate to say that Christianity continues to thrive as an international religion, spanning vast regions across the world. But it is also necessary to acknowledge that the global Christian community is not without its travails. And it is increasingly necessary to take a careful look at the “world’s largest religious group,” revealing not only thriving communities across several continents, but also increasing numbers of endangered religious believers who continue to face real threats to their survival.
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(ANALYSIS) When you teach certain classes at the college level, you just know you are going to have to cover certain subjects. Any introductory biology course should touch on photosynthesis, a class on philosophy should cover logical fallacies, and any course on American history has to spend way too much time talking about the constitutional convention.
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For years, MLB teams such as the Detroit Tigers and the San Diego Padres have boosted ticket sales by appealing to evangelical Christians. Sunday’s Faith and Family Night marked a first for the Rangers — at least in several years — as Texas joined the growing trend of franchises organizing such events.
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After 40-plus years on the Godbeat, let me offer this observation: It’s extremely difficult to write about ancient, complex, often mysterious religious beliefs and doctrines in language that is both accurate and easily understandable in the mainstream media.
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(ANALYSIS) “The Exorcist” may be the most famous exorcism film ever made. But “The Conjuring” is easily the most successful exorcism franchise. Starting with “The Conjuring” in 2013, the franchise follows Ed and Lorainne Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively) as they, with the blessing of the Catholic Church, help families who claim to be haunted by demons.
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(ANALYSIS) The fatal shooting of Christian conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University has drawn condemnation and renewed attention to the climate of political violence in the United States. He was one of the most visible leaders of the young conservative movement.
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(ANALYSIS) Any sounding music is not silent and, in human terms, silence is largely metaphorical, since we cannot escape sound. But Pärt’s silence is different. It is spiritual stillness communicated through his musical formulas but made sensible through the action of human performers. It is a composer’s silence as he gets out of the way of a sacred text’s musicality to communicate its truth.
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(ANALYSIS) Darren Aronofsky’s most formative encounter with Haredi Jews may have come when he was an 18-year-old in Israel at the Kotel. It was there at the wall, he told film journalist Andrea Chase, he met a group of Hasidim who introduced him to the Jewish mysticism he’d go on to use to award-winning effect in his debut feature, “Pi.”
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(ANALYSIS) Every decade or so, it's common to see news reports about pastors leaving pulpits in search of less stressful work. Consider the 2024 Hartford Institute for Religion Research poll in which more than half said they have considered quitting. According to 2022 polling by the Barna Institute, the main causes for anxiety were strong job stress (56%), followed by feeling isolated (43%).
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