Happy Friday! As always, your weekly roundup:
Can a beautiful landscape compete with religious worship? A Baylor University study, published in the journal Sociology of Religion, found that U.S. counties with nicer weather and prettier natural surroundings see lower rates of religious affiliation. The study authors suggest that, yes, people tend to use nature as a spiritual resource, making it a competitor with organized religious institutions.
Over the past few weeks, bumper stickers carrying the motto "In God we trust" have been placed on cars driven by police officers, sheriff’s deputies and firefighters in Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina and elsewhere. It’s not clear exactly where — or when — the trend began, but it appears to have spread via social media and been driven by personal initiatives in various agencies. And while many people in these communities have expressed support for the stickers, their usage by law enforcement has sparked some protests: Critics say the stickers promote religious belief, and some secular groups have asked agencies to remove them.
Thursday (Aug. 6) was the last episode of “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.” Over the years, Stewart has trod heavily on the religion beat, often with uproarious results. (Remember the recurring segment “This Week in God”?)
Faith-based food trucks are building momentum across the country. In St. Paul, Minn., Lutheran pastor Margaret Kelly’s church is actually a food truck, providing free food and prayers to homeless and impoverished members of the community.
The Milwaukee archdiocese has agreed to give survivors of clergy sex abuse $21 million, a move that is expected to end the four and a half years that church has been in bankruptcy court. In a statement issued by the archdiocese, 330 of the 575 survivors will share in the compensation. They will receive varying amounts to be determined by an outside administrator. There will also be a $500,000 therapy fund established and it will be paid for by all of the parishes in the archdiocese. The agreement otherwise protects parishes and schools from future lawsuits.
And now for the papal rapid fire roundup
This week, Pope Francis:
- called for the church to embrace divorced and remarried Catholics.
- inspired U.S. politicians to call for presidential candidates to address climate change
- could have a huge impact on the next presidential election.
