According to a Maclean's poll, 8 in 10 Canadians believe in God. The remainder say they have no
religion at all. Nine percent say that God is "just an old superstition". Two-thirds of all Canadian
adults believe that Jesus died and came back to life. 53% of all Canadian adults reject the theory
of scientific evolution.--
Maclean's
Twenty percent of Canadians read the Bible or other religious writings at least weekly. 29% of
Canadians say they pray daily. People from the Atlantic provinces are most likely to pray daily at
37%; Manitoba and Saskatchewan follow at 32%; Ontario and Quebec, 30%; Alberta, 25%, and
B.C., 20%.--
Maclean's.
The top 4 responses by US adults when asked what they most felt guilty about: nothing in
particular--34%; having/spending too much money--15%; taking poor care of their health-- 12%;
not spending time with friends/family-- 12%.--
USA Today (quoted in Leadership)
Catholic nuns in southern Tamul Nadu region of India are learning karate. According to the
Union of Catholic Asian News, since 1990 many priests have been assaulted and some
nuns molested in that area. Most laypeople and church leaders approve of the karate lessons,
while others say self-defense is not in keeping with Christ's command to turn the other cheek. But
one nun said, "You should prevent such hits."--
Alliance Life
According to a new study on teen morality, nondelinquent teens scored well on moral judgement
concerning values such as telling the truth and keeping promises, but did poorly in distinguishing
the reasons why stealing is wrong. For example, some said stealing is wrong because you might
get caught and punished. It also suggested that females have a more developed sense of moral
reasoning than boys at that age.--
The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behaviour Letter, (quoted in Youthworker
Update)
The Oakland, CA, police force recently unveiled its first "lowrider" police car. The vehicle has the
standard logo, lights, and siren, but also includes chrome wheels, hydraulic lifts, and a 500-watt
sound system. The car was put on the force to help officers build better relationships with
inner-city kids.--
Leadership
The highest ranking Hindu priest in India has accused 85-year-old Mother Teresa of using her
charity work to convert India's Hindus to Christianity. Nischalananda Saraswati Maharaj has
launched a public campaign against the Catholic nun and world-famous humanitarian. A statement
from The United Forum of Catholics and Protestants in India, however, reads, "Nothing will
shake the trust hundreds of millions of people have in her. She is a mother to all of India."--
Evangelical Press News Service
Sarah Pollack's parents promised her a car for graduation--if she earned good grades and a college
scholarship. With straight A's and a $5,000 scholarship, the car was hers. On second thought,
Sarah decided there were too many low-income students who could never afford college tuition
bills. So she took the $15,000 and started a college fund for needy students.--
Washington Post, (quoted in Youthworker Update)
One Sunday in Sept. 1995, church member John Claypool, 34, confessed to his pastor that he
murdered a man and his wife 20 years ago. Roger Thompson, pastor of the 1,500-member Berean
Baptist Church in suburban Minneapolis, MN, said Claypool approached him after the Sunday
service and said he wanted Thompson's help in talking to the authorities and making it right.
Claypool was 14 and was high on alcohol and drugs at the time of the killing. He lived in Lake
City, MN at the time, next door to the city's mayor, Wilmer Strickland and his wife Verona. He
shot them with a .22 calibre rifle "just to see what it felt like to kill someone." Authorities
suspected Claypool, but had no evidence to charge him. Since then, he has married, divorced and
become a Christian. Claypool confessed to the crimes even though his attorney and investigators
agreed that without his testimony it would be impossible to convict him. Thompson concluded,
"He's now the freest he's been in his whole life. He has the spiritual freedom of knowing that the
worst secret about him has become known and can begin to be healed. His hope is that it will be
healed for those he victimized as well. He's a free man, even though he's in prison."--
EPNS
Canada is no longer the coldest nation in the world. It has nothing to do with greenhouse
warming, El Nino, or metrication. It's politics. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, formerly
the second coldest country, has enabled the Russian Federation to edge us out as the world's
coldest.--
Environment Canada
Many teenagers are "so sleep deprived, it's almost as if they're drugged", said one researcher. The
teens were measured for their level of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the body's cycle of
sleepiness and wakefulness. In one location, researchers found that among students who began
the school day between 7:10 and 7:30 a.m., 85% were sleep deprived. Researchers say that
students are more naturally inclined to stay up as late as 2 a.m. and stay in bed until noon. Most
feel better and perform activities more easily later in the day and into the night, concluded the
researchers. --
New York Times, (quoted in Youthworker Update)
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, holy city to Muslims, will soon have its own McDonalds restaurant. Only
"halal" meat (the Muslim equivalent to kosher) will be served. Only Muslims are allowed in the
holiest city in Islam, and planes are not permitted to fly over the city, in case some non-Muslims
might be on board.--
Liberty, (quoted in The Mennonite)