Gallup:Less Than Half US Pop. Church Members; First Time in 80 Yrs.Under Half Belong to Church

 A new Gallup poll shows that while America remains a highly religious nation with seven in 10 claiming affiliation with some kind of organized religion, for the first time in nearly 80 years, fewer than half of them now say they have formal membership in a specific house of worship, the Christian Post website reports today (March 31, 2021).

In 1937, says Gallup, some 70% of Americans had formal church membership and that measure remained steady for the next 60 years until it began a steady decline in 1998. In 2020, formal membership in houses of worship stood at 49%.

One of the biggest factors Gallup found strongly correlates with church membership is age. Some ^^% of traditionalists -- U.S. adults born before 1946 -- have formal membership in a church, compared with 58% of Baby Boomers, 50%  of those in Generation X, and 36% of millenials. 

Finland Rated World's Happiest Country of 2021; Followed by Iceland, Denmark, and Switzerland

 For the sixth year in a row, Finland has been named the world's happiest country by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Refinery 29 website reports today (March 31, 2021). 

Iceland places second on this year's list, followed by Denmark in third place. Switzerland and the Netherlands also make the top five. 

Sponsored by the UN, the  World Happiness Report asks people from 140 countries to rate their own happiness. 

Suicide Bombers Wound 20 at Indonesian Church; Two IS Backers Blast Church at Palm Sunday Mass

Two attackers, believed to be strong supporters of the Islamic State (IS) group, blew themselves up outside a packed Roman Catholic cathedral during a Palm Sunday Mass on Indonesia's Sulawesi island, wounding at least 20 people, the Religion News website reports today (March 30, 2021). 

Rev. Wilhelmus Tulak, a priest at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, said he had just finished celebrating Palm Sunday Mass when a loud bang shocked his congregation.

He added that security guards at the church were suspicious of two men on a motorcycle who wanted to enter the building and when they went to confront them, one of the men detonated his explosives

Police said both attackers were killed instantly and evidence collected at the scene indicated one of t he two was a woman.

Over 24 States See Increase in New COVID Cases; People Moving Too Fast Results in COVID Growth

 More than two dozen states are now reporting at least a 10 percent increase of new coronavirus cases compared to a week earlier, due to people moving too fast from safety standards, The Daily Beast website reports today (March 29, 2021).

Nationwide, the average number if new COVID-19 cases saw a 7 percent increase from the previous week.

The average number of new virus-related hospitalizations also saw a slight uptick.

 

Pope Leads Almost Empty Palm Sunday Services; Says Devil Taking Advantage of COVID Pandemic

 Pope Francis led Palm Sunday services in an almost empty St. Peter's Basilica because of coronavirus restrictions for the second consecutive year and said the devil is taking advantage of the pandemic, the Reuters website reports today (March 28, 2021).

In pre-coronavirus times, Palm Sunday, which marks the start of Ho;y Week and leads to Easter, tens of thousands of people would pack St. Peter's Square holding olive branches and intricately woven palm fronds in an outdoor ceremony.

Instead, only about 120 members of the faithful participated in Sunday's Mass.

Romney Awarded Profile in Courage for His Vote; Only GOP Sen. to Vote against Trump in 1st Trial

 U,S. Sen Mitt Romney was named the recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage , the AP News website reports today (March 27, 2021).

He received the award yesterday for splitting with his party and becoming the only Republican senator to vote to convict former President Donald Trump during the first impeachment trial.

The award was created by the family of the late president to honor public figures who risk their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good, and is named after Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Profiles in Courage."

Rutgers Is 1st US College to Require Fall Vaccine; Students Need Anti-COVID Shots to Attend Class

Rutgers University in New Jersey has become the first major college in the U.S. to require all of its students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend classes on campus this fall, the UPI website reports today (March 26, 2021).

Administrators said President Joe Biden's mandate for everyone to be eligible for a vaccine shot by May will give students enough time to get the shot. 

"We are committed to health and safety for all members of our community, and adding COVID-19 vaccination to our student immunization requirements will help provide a safer and more robust college experience for our students," Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said in a statement.