News & Ideas

Wednesday's News & Ideas - 5/24/2023

  • IL Catholic clergy abuse
  • Ten Commandments in TX schools
  • Pastors & paid family leave
  • Religion & chronic pain
  • Vaccine confidence
  • Social media babies are growing up

Catholic clergy sexually abused Illinois kids far more often than church acknowledged, state finds
Associated Press: More than 450 Catholic clergy in Illinois sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950, the state’s attorney general found in an investigation released Tuesday, revealing that the problem was far worse than the church had let on.

Bill to force Texas public schools to display Ten Commandments fails*
The New York Times: A Republican effort to bring religion into classrooms faltered, though lawmakers were poised to allow chaplains to act as school counselors.

Does your pastor get paid family leave? Not likely.
Sojourners: In a country with the weakest parental leave standards of all its economic peers, church policy to support new parents is rarely more generous than what one might get from a public school, an architecture firm or a dentist’s office.

Can religion be helpful for people with chronic pain?
JSTOR: A group of researchers asked this question of a group of patients in secularized Western Europe.

Gap widens on American confidence in vaccines
Baptist News Global: More Americans trust childhood immunizations than they do vaccines to protect against coronavirus, according to a new study by Pew Research Center.

The Spark

The first social media babies are growing up — and they’re horrified
How would you feel if millions of people* watched your childhood tantrums? asks The Atlantic.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers



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Ideas for Advent from ZeteoSearch.org

Check out the Zeteo Resource Guide for Advent to find links to a number of different Advent series ideas: 

  • Topical Advent series like “Follow the Star” and “Advent Waiting”
  • Lectionary-based worship plans for year B
  • An Advent art video meditation series
  • Advent candle series about faith stories, peace, and more
Learn more