Below are this week's Articles of Interest as compiled by Mr. Van Baker. This collection of articles is cultivated by Mr. Baker with the goal of highlighting some of the trends, upheavals, and things to watch for in our society. These articles are not necessarily the express views of the United Church of God, Mr. Baker, or me as the pastor, but they are informative of what is occurring in our nation and culture. In accordance with Christ's warning to correctly discern the times (Matthew 16:1-4), it is wise to be aware of what is going on around us. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Study Shows Americans Are Becoming More Afraid. Are We Doomed to Live in Fear? Americans are “in the grasp of deep, paralyzing dread” according to Andre Mouchard of The Orange County Register. Mouchard is commenting on the results of an annual study conducted by Chapman University in which researchers poll more than 1,000 Americans to find out what their top fears are. The researchers inquire about a wide range of phobias and fears, from ghosts to spiders to nuclear war. The survey reveals that Americans today are more afraid than at any other time in recent history. The trends sketched out by ten years of the survey indicate that “Fear is taking a larger and larger role in American life...”
https://intellectualtakeout.org/2024/11/study-shows-americans-are-becoming-more-afraid-are-we-doomed-to-live-in-fear/

HALF of Gen Z suffers from ‘eco-anxiety,’ new poll finds – About half of Gen Z struggles with “eco-anxiety” and wants universities to take a more active role in solving their climate change concerns, a new poll shows. The poll’s findings break down distress levels among fifteen to twenty-nine-year-olds about climate change. More than half of the polled youth identify with the highest level, which the study names “eco-anxiety.” These youth agree with the statement: “My level of concern for climate change causes psychological distress that impacts my daily life.”

"Right" to abortion passed in seven out of ten states – Abortion was on the ballot in ten states. Reuters reports on the results in all of the states [below]. In seven states, the guarantee for abortion rights passed. In Florida and South Dakota, bills failed. In Nebraska, a bill adding the right to access abortions to the state constitution failed, but another measure enshrining the state’s current 12-week ban, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, passed.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/results-state-level-abortion-ballot-measures-us-election-2024-11-06/

Nearly half of anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe were in France, report says – A recently released report from a European watchdog group has found nearly 2,500 documented instances of hate crimes [2023-2024] against Christians living in Europe. Approximately 1,000 of these attacks took place in France.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260575/nearly-half-of-2500-anti-christian-hate-crimes-in-europe-were-in-france-report-says

Bold Christian and Catholic Colleges Make Gains – Leaders of religiously affiliated colleges say enrollment at small, relatively strict faith-based institutions is booming.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/religious-colleges/2024/11/19/bold-christian-and-catholic-colleges-make-gains

In Northern Ireland it's easier to "come out" as gay than Christian – In schools across Northern Ireland, students are finding it more challenging to reveal their Christian faith than their sexual orientation, according to testimony provided during an ongoing inquiry into Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) at Stormont.
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/in.northern.ireland.its.easier.to.come.out.as.gay.than.christian.says.evangelical.group/142354.htm

Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row, unable to fully account for $824B budget – The Pentagon failed its seventh consecutive audit on Friday [11/15]... though officials were confident the Department of Defense "has turned a corner" in understanding its budgetary challenges going forward. The audits resulted in a disclaimer of opinion, which means auditors were provided with insufficient information to form an accurate opinion of the accounts.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pentagon-fails-7th-audit-row-unable-fully-account-824b-budget

There's an A.I. Jesus taking confessions at Peter's Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland – While the blasphemous AI is set in a confessional, there is a warning at the beginning of a session that worshipers should not actually confess anything personal. It's not really Jesus listening after all.
https://notthebee.com/article/ai-jesus-taking-confessions-at-st-peters-church-in-lucerne

Amazing Defense Systems – Bacteria (prokaryotes) are ubiquitous. A fraction cause disease in people, animals, and plants, but the majority are the foundation for the global food web, the nitrogen cycle, soil formation, and are part of the critical microbiome (the collection of microorganisms living in or on people and animals).
https://www.icr.org/article/amazing-defense-systems/

Did You Know Your Body Is Full of Robot Repairmen? It’s all but impossible these days to listen to a podcast, watch video on YouTube or read a news story without sooner or later hearing something about the remarkable proliferation of robots performing all kinds of tasks in our daily lives. Add the explosion of applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and it’s difficult to go through an entire [day?] without your life being improved in some way or another by robots. But did you know robots are nothing new in the universe? [video (12:31)]
https://www.hillfaith.org/hillfaith/secrets-of-the-cell-did-you-know-your-body-is-full-of-robot-repairmen/