Wednesday's News & Ideas - 11/3/2021

For some churches, paying back PPP loans is better than forgiveness
Religion News Service: A handful of congregations decided to pay back their large Paycheck Protection Program loans.

‘Make it a Christian town’: the ultra-conservative church on the rise in Idaho
The Guardian: A controversial church whose leader has openly expressed the ambition of creating a “theocracy” in America has accumulated significant influence in the city of Moscow, Idaho.

Many scientists are atheists, but that doesn’t mean they are anti-religious
The Conversation: Distrust of atheists is strong in the United States. The General Social Survey consistently demonstrates that as a group, Americans dislike atheists more than any other religious group.

Scientology accusers ask court for a trial, not a religious arbitration*
Los Angeles Times: The case was brought by women who said they were stalked and harassed after they complained to police that they had been raped by actor Danny Masterson, a Scientologist who has been criminally charged.

Will that college degree pay off? A look at some of the numbers*
The Washington Post: For more than 11 years, colleges have fought off attempts to hold them accountable for one of the most basic measures of student success: whether what graduates learn will provide them with the gainful employment they need to make it worth the price.

The Spark

The curious case of the ancient whale bones
A trove of fossils in the Atacama Desert may hold lessons about the plight of modern whales, Vox says.

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