Thursday's News & Ideas - 11/11/2021

Facebook bans ads targeting race, sexual orientation and religion
The Guardian: The platform says it is responding to feedback on preventing firms from abusing targeting options.
The New York Times: Meta plans to remove thousands of sensitive ad-targeting categories*

Belief that America has divine favor with God is on the decline
Baptist News Global: The notion cherished by Christian nationalists that the United States enjoys divine favor is not shared by most Americans, according to new research from Public Religion Research Institute.

Toxic foam coats sacred river in India as Hindu devotees bathe in its waters
CNN: A layer of toxic foam coated parts of a sacred river near India’s capital on Wednesday as Hindus gathered on its banks to celebrate a religious festival and some devotees bathed in the waters.
Al Jazeera: Hindus bathe in India’s sacred Yamuna covered with toxic foam

Survey: A third of young Catholics expect to attend Mass less often after the pandemic*
America Magazine: Only 8 percent of young U.S. Catholics said their faith was weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, but nearly one-third expect to attend Mass less often after the pandemic than they had before.

What the world can learn from the Buddhist concept loving-kindness
The Conversation: A scholar of Buddhist studies explains its idea of compassion and the diverse ways to think about and express kindness.

The Spark

How to reopen a high school library 18 months after a pandemic closure
“Step into the dim library: a pre-pandemic time capsule....The last time you cupped this cool metallic key in your palm, you thought the pandemic would last a couple weeks,” writes Jess deCourcy Hinds at Literary Hub.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers