News & Ideas

Wednesday's News & Ideas - 10/9/2019

  • Remembering Pittsburgh Jews
  • Synod’s first day
  • Fundamentalism turns 100
  • Sugarcoating feedback
  • Laity running Catholic church
  • Play & human nature

Felled by bullets, 11 Pittsburgh Jews will be remembered this Yom Kippur as martyrs
Religion News Service: The liturgy for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is a marathon of penitential prayers, confessions, Bible readings and mournful melodies. But in some synagogues Wednesday, a newly composed poem will substitute for a far older one.

Synod’s day one features ecology, married priests, an Amazon rite and blowback
Crux: The Synod of Bishops on the Amazon had been expected to generate strong ecological consensus, firm support for indigenous cultures and peoples, and movement toward married priests for the Amazon.
Salon: Will ordaining married priests save the Catholic Church from decline?

Fundamentalism turns 100, a landmark for the Christian Right
The Conversation: These days, the term “fundamentalism” is often associated with a militant form of Islam. But the original fundamentalist movement was actually Christian. And it was born in the United States a century ago this year.

Are you sugarcoating your feedback without realizing it?*
Harvard Business Review: Managers tend to inflate the feedback they give to their direct reports, particularly when giving bad news. This makes it impossible for employees to learn, damaging their careers and, often, the company.

Could the future of Catholicism be taking shape in this church basement?
Boston Globe Magazine: In Fall River, a group of parishioners won the chance to run their crumbling church. If their experiment works here, it might just work anywhere.

The Spark

Play may be a deeper part of human nature than we thought
Scientific American reports that an animal study brings us closer to understanding our own behavior.

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