Thursday's News & Ideas - 5/13/2021

Liz Cheney, ousted from party leadership, invokes pope and the ‘power of faith’
Religion News Service: U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney made appeals to public and personal faith in trying to forestall her removal from House leadership.

As Gaza war escalates, new front opens in Israeli cities*
The New York Times: Rioting and mob violence between Arabs and Jews tore through towns and cities across Israel. Rockets from Gaza and Israeli airstrikes continued to kill civilians.
Religion News Service: Religion plays a role in the renewed conflict in Israel, but it may not be what you think

U.S. calls Xinjiang an ‘open-air prison,’ decries religious persecution by China
Reuters: The Chinese government has turned its western Xinjiang province into essentially an “open-air prison,” a U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday as the department published a report that criticized China's persecution of religious minorities.
South China Morning Post: US Secretary of State says China ‘criminalizes religious expression’ as report on religious freedom is released

The unseen economic and social impacts of American faith
Deseret News: Religious freedom sets religion free to help communities across the country to thrive.

‘We even performed it in front of the pope!’ -- how we made Godspell
The Guardian: ‘Religious groups didn’t like Jesus wearing a Superman shirt or the lack of a resurrection. So we told them the curtain call was the resurrection -- when Jesus runs on and takes a bow,’ Godspell’s composer said.

The Spark

We shouldn’t go back to “normal.” Normal wasn’t good enough.
Many of us feel resistant to return to pre-pandemic life -- for good reason, Vox says.

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