Tuesday's News & Ideas - 9/24/2023
- US universities & big oil donations
- Polls on key Catholic voters
- An Ohio megachurch tackling racism
- Trump’s Black allies
- ‘Death row imam’
- Neuroscience on rewatching TV
Elite US universities rake in millions from big oil donations, research finds
The Guardian: Student-led analyses raise concerns of conflict of interest at six universities, including Princeton, Columbia and Cornell.
New polls offer conflicting clues on key Catholic voters
Religion Unplugged: How Catholic voters view the candidates and issues could nudge margins enough to swing the election, and so could many other factors in such a nail-biter. Though political coverage emphasizes evangelicals, shifts by two different Catholic segments are usually much more important in general elections.
What happened when an Ohio megachurch decided to tackle racism*
The New York Times: In “Undivided,” the political scientist Hahrie Han follows members of a mostly white congregation that resolved to fight bias and promote racial justice.
Trump’s Black allies want to win over Black Christians. Will it work?
Sojourners: As the 2024 election inches closer, conservatives are making a serious push to persuade Black Protestants to support former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
Interfaith advocates urge clemency for ‘death row imam’ a day before scheduled execution
Religion News Service: They point to a lack of DNA evidence and racial bias in the conviction of Imam Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, who has maintained his innocence for over two decades.
The Spark
From The Office to Breaking Bad: What is the neuroscience of chronic TV rewatching?
Encountering nostalgia is like autoloading and hitting play on past positive experiences, elevating desire and regulating mood, The Guardian says.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
