Friday's News & Ideas - 4/5/2019

LDS Church dumps its controversial LGBTQ policy, cites 'continuing revelation' from God
The Salt Lake Tribune: The Utah-based faith walked back all the hotly disputed elements of a 2015 policy. The shift comes after 41 months -- by Mormon historical standards, an astonishingly rapid reversal.

Africa is set to be the global center of Christianity for the next 50 years
Quartz: There are already more Christians in Africa than any other continent -- that's not going to change soon.
Pew Research: The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations

Authoritarians worldwide define religions they don't like as extremist
The Economist: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) says that sloppy charges of "extremism" are used more and more by authoritarian regimes to clamp down hard on almost any religious group.

Gregory's promise: 'I will always tell you the truth'
National Catholic Reporter: In what he termed "a moment fraught with challenges," the new leader of the Archdiocese of Washington, in his first public appearance in the role, repeatedly pledged to be honest with his flock.

Spanish health minister says Catholic Church could face legal action over gay "conversion therapy"
Euronews: "They (the church) are breaking the law," the minister told a press conference.
MAP: US Conversion therapy laws

The Spark

Cats might not act like it, but they know their names as well as dogs, study says
Call a dog by his name, and his tail wags, he starts panting happily, and he showers you with love and affection. But cats are a bit harder to read. Does the cat even know what its name is? NPR says it does.

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