Friday’s News & Ideas - 10/2/2026

Pete Hegseth creates a Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to him
AP: “Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,” he said in a speech announcing the office.

Bishop Mariann Budde to resign, will remain in post during lengthy replacement process
Religion News Service: The Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, who shot to fame after urging President Donald Trump to have mercy on immigrants and others, has announced that she plans to resign as head of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

Religious scholars met with Anthropic. What they heard stunned them.*
New York Times: In a series of private meetings, the company consulted religious scholars to help instill morality into its A.I. models — and make the case that Claude could be conscious.

Pope Leo’s visit to France shows how the church and country are changing
Religion News Service: While the youth greeted the pope like a rock star, European representatives welcomed him as a respected leader who supports multilateralism, reconciliation, justice and peace.

How a Michigan church embraces its Muslim neighbors
Religion Unplugged: For years, Parkside Church of Christ has worked to share the love of Jesus with Muslims. So in the wake of an anti-Islam rally in Dearborn, minister Wayne Beason felt compelled to speak up for his Muslim neighbors.

The Spark

Physicists who uncovered the first particle accelerator were honored with a Nobel Prize 75 years ago – their work shaped physics, medicine and even art research
In the early 1930s, scientists were just beginning to discover the extraordinary world hidden inside the atom.

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