Thursday's News & Ideas – 10/3/2019

Forgiveness after Botham Jean trial
Newsweek: In the hours after the brother of Botham Jean offered a hug and forgiveness to his killer, the word "forgiveness" began trending on Twitter as some feared it would set a “terrible precedent.”

Mormon women given increased role in 2 key ceremonies
Associated Press: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will allow women to be official “witnesses” at two key ceremonies, marking the latest small step toward breaking down rigid gender roles in the religion.
Religion News Service: Why it’s important that Mormon women can now be official witnesses to a baptism

'Why is there nothing left?' Pension funds failing at Catholic hospitals
NPR: Because of a loophole, many religious organizations are not covered by a federal guarantee that protects most other workers' pensions, so the workers can get left with nothing.

Where companies go wrong with learning and development
Harvard Business Review: Not only is the majority of training in today’s companies ineffective, but the purpose, timing, and content of training is flawed.

Holy relics and celebrity mementos put heaven within reach
Aeon: In the past, virtually every church possessed a corpse or a fragment of bone, hair or flesh believed to be powerfully active. These ‘relics’ had the power to draw a community together in a sanctified whole and attract visitors from afar. But how and why?

The Spark

Joker has toxic fans. Does that mean it shouldn’t exist?
Alissa Wilkinson writes that we make a gamble when we’re creating art or experiencing it. Safe art is usually bad art; then again, not all unsafe art is good art.

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