Busy weekend? Here are religion-in-the-news items to get you caught up:
Ebola now threatens Liberian culture, where churchgoers often hold hands while singing and kiss from cheek to cheek.
Fun fact: Many of the Hong Kong protest organizers are also Christians. Foreign Policy looks at why that matters.
Which states give the most to charity? The ones with church-goers.
An American nun credited with curing a boy’s eye disease moved a step closer to sainthood during the first beatification Mass held in the United States.
Pope Francis opened the synod on family, calling for bishops to stop in-fighting.
Mormons held their General Conference over the weekend, where members of the Ordain Women movement attended their first-ever LDS general priesthood session Saturday night.
Nicolas Cage’s “Left Behind” opened in sixth with an estimated $6.9 million, compared to the other faith-ish film “The Good Lie,” opening at an estimated $935,000.
Harvard Divinity School has introduced an “all gender” restroom.
Wheaton College’s contraception lawsuit has proven divisive within its own community. Unrelated, the college will host a dedication ceremony for its reinstallation of a grave marker of an abolitionist.
Guess which “religious” group tweets the most? Hint: They talk a lot about Richard Dawkins.
A cost-benefit analysis of being Jewish: An economist looks at religion not as a spiritual practice but as a good, something that is bought. How much is it worth?
What would King David drink? A scientist in Israel is on a mission to find out what kind of wine was drunk in Biblical times.
Finally, in case you are ever in a gird-your-loins-situation, here’s a how-to:
How to Gird Up Your Loins: An Illustrated Guide http://t.co/wAXi7g5X4j pic.twitter.com/H5UGELZ3Zc
— Art of Manliness (@artofmanliness) October 3, 2014