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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why the Upcoming Conclave Will Be a Decisive Step for Europe – Analysis: When they enter the Sistine Chapel to elect the successor to Peter’s throne, the European cardinals will carry on their shoulders a heavy responsibility for the fate of their continent, which is facing challenges unprecedented since the Church of the first centuries.
https://www.ncregister.com/news/conclave-european-cardinals-voting-new-pope

Gen Z flocks to Catholicism in search of 'truth' and 'order' as young people reject leftism – A Harvard University survey revealed a significant increase in the percentage of Generation Z [born 1997-2012] identifying as Catholic, with numbers climbing 15-21 percent from 2022 to 2023. Many described their generation’s embrace of religion as a quest for “truth” and a rejection of leftist social values.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/gen-z-flocks-catholicism-search-truth-order-young-people-reject-leftism-/27881

What the Old Testament Says About Eyes and Sight – Generally speaking, humans take sight for granted when their eyes work well, until one day- poof! We begin with the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. It only took until the fourth verse of Genesis for God to introduce the concept of sight...
https://townhall.com/columnists/myrakahnadams/2025/04/27/a-quick-bible-study-vol-265-what-the-old-testament-says-about-eyes-and-sight-n2656108

As homeschooling increases, so do attempts to restrict it – As parent-led education has grown in popularity, lawmakers in the United States and the U.K. have called for heightened accountability due to concerns that the homeschooling movement has compounded the risk of child abuse. But homeschooling advocates say added documentation hasn’t proven an effective countermeasure to abuse and it makes home education more tedious for law-abiding families. In Illinois, which currently has no notification requirements, lawmakers are considering a bill that would require parents to provide local school districts with a declaration of intent to homeschool. Failure to file could result in truancy charges if the Homeschool Act, introduced in February, passes the state legislature. Accusations that homeschool communities facilitate child abuse have surfaced within the past decade.
https://wng.org/roundups/as-homeschooling-increases-so-do-attempts-to-restrict-it-1744319667

"Pride Month" / LGBTQ+ Orgs Struggle to Stay Solvent as Corporations Drop Support – With Pride festivals and parades fast approaching [in June, particularly], organizers in major US cities are scrambling to make up hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost corporate sponsorships. Many are tapping smaller businesses and local communities to ensure their signature annual events proceed as planned. But they say the shortfalls are cutting into funding to support other LGBTQ programs throughout the year — and their long-term viability.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-04-24/corporations-scale-back-pride-parade-sponsorships-amid-dei-backlash

Migrants Set Church in Wales Ablaze – A church in Wales was set on fire by two Muslim migrants. Bethany English Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in Wales has stood since the 19th century. Over 1000 churches have been burned or vandalized in Europe. British churches are vandalised an average of eight times a day, according to new data.
https://gellerreport.com/2025/04/muslim-migrants-set-church-in-wales-ablaze.html/

Garden of Eden's "true location can only be" at unusual tourist landmark, new argument claims – Konstantin Borisov, Ph.D., who specializes in computer engineering, claimed in a recent article in the journal Archaeological Discovery that the true location of the Garden of Eden was near the Great Pyramid of Giza. The pyramids date back to roughly 2600 B.C., more than 1,000 years after the first chapter of Genesis takes place. Borisov extensively consulted biblical and medieval texts to support his argument – and to understand his claim, one must go back to the Bible to see what is said about the location of the legendary garden.
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/garden-edens-true-location-can-only-be-unusual-tourist-landmark-new-argument-claims

Research reveals first skeletal evidence of gladiator bitten by lion in Roman period – The research presents compelling skeletal evidence of a human victim attacked by a large carnivorous animal, likely within the context of Roman-era spectacle combat. While images of gladiators being bitten by lions have appeared in ancient mosaics and pottery, this is the only convincing skeletal evidence using forensic experiments anywhere in the world of bite marks produced by the teeth of a large cat, such as a lion.
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-reveals-skeletal-evidence-gladiator-bitten.html

How a Canaanite Tomb Rewrote Spice History – What do you and a 3,600-year-old Canaanite have in common? You both have used vanilla. The discovery of vanilla-laced wine in Iron Age Jerusalem caused no small commotion. After all, vanilla was only domesticated in the 12th century CE, in Mesoamerica. So, how could the spice appear nearly two thousand years earlier and half a world away from where it was domesticated?
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/the-vanilla-enigma-how-a-canaanite-tomb-rewrote-spice-history/