Following extensive research, scientists have resolved a conundrum. Heterosexual men, they find, really like breasts. A lot. They like looking at them, like touching them — and just generally like being around them. But while these new findings may not be a total revelation to at least half the population, crucially the study concluded this is true even when there is no shortage of breasts on display. (Whipple, The Times)
Read MoreThey’ve had to hide their Christian worship services amid the civil war in the country, especially after an attack by the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organization formerly operated by the Sudanese government, on the Sudanese Church of Christ in Al Jazirah on Dec. 30, 2024. The attack left at least 14 people, including women and children, seriously injured. (Onyulo, Religion News)
Read MorePilgrims have been pouring into this medieval hilltop town to venerate not only two of the Catholic Church’s most celebrated saints, Francis and Clare, but its newest — Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, who will be canonized on April 27. “St. Francis, St. Clare, of course, important saints who marked an epoch – but that’s far removed from today’s teens. Carlo is like the kids,” said Maria Rosario Riccio, a mother and educator who was visiting Acutis’ shrine recently with a 50-strong parish youth group from southern Italy. “He’s a near-saint of our time, who can show teens that it’s possible to love Jesus while being a regular youth.” (Dell’Orto, AP News)
Read MoreIn many countries around the world, a fifth or more of all adults have left the religious group in which they were raised. Christianity and Buddhism have experienced especially large losses from this “religious switching,” while rising numbers of adults have no religious affiliation, according to Pew Research Center surveys of nearly 80,000 people in 36 countries. (Lesage, Starr & Miner, Pew Research Center)
Read MoreThe start of season 1 didn’t grab Neulinger right away. She switched it off. But then, she said, she heard a voice. “I swear, I heard [God] say, ‘You go back to that show, and you turn it on, and you’re gonna watch it.’ And I did,” she said. As Neulinger watched, she was reminded of her childhood encounters with God. Her grandmother, a devout Christian, had often brought her to Sunday school. (Kuo, Christianity Today)
Read MoreAlcohol and personal health have been in the news lately amid a U.S. surgeon general advisory that even moderate drinking increases cancer risk. About seven-in-ten Americans ages 21 and older say they drink alcohol at least a few times a year, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Our survey explores how this group thinks about their own alcohol use and whether drinkers who are aware of the federal warning about cancer risks plan to change their own behavior. (Tyson & Kennedy, Pew Research Center)
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