The Morning News: Monday, January 9, 2012 | Sojourners

The Morning News: Monday, January 9, 2012

SALON: So What If America Is The Most Religious Nation?
Polls consistently tell us that America is the most religious nation in the industrialized world. More that 90 percent of our population say they believe in God, and that they pray regularly. The figure may even be higher when adding the majority of Americans who claim to be atheists but pray, one-third of them often, according to a Baylor University survey.
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FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE: Preaching The Gospel In The Hermit Kingdom
North Korea is a difficult place to spread the Gospel. In the last year, at least three Christian activists working on the border have been stabbed by poisoned needles, likely wielded by North Korean assassins; one, a South Korean pastor who helped smuggle North Koreans out of China, died by the time he reached the hospital. Dozens of missionaries have languished in Chinese prisons, arrested after leaving North Korea or while attempting to enter.
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GALLUP: Record-High 40 Percent Of Americans Identify As Independents In '11
The percentage of Americans identifying as political independents increased in 2011, as is common in a non-election year, although the 40% who did so is the highest Gallup has measured, by one percentage point.
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SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Indefinite Detention Violates American Values (OPINION)
As a candidate for president, Barack Obama argued in 2008 that the indefinite detention of suspects without a trial was at odds with American values. He was absolutely right. Due process is one of this nation's most cherished rights, a defining attribute of a free country. Yet Obama recently signed a $662 billion defense bill that obliterates due process by giving the military the authority to detain terrorism suspects indefinitely - even if they are U.S. citizens.
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SLATE: Americans Drastically Overestimate How Many Unauthorized Immigrants Are In The Country, And They Don't Want To Know The Truth
I'm very passionate about the issue of immigration as a question of substance, but I'll happily concede I don't know a ton about the politics. It turns out, however, that people are very confused about how many immigrants there are and "vastly overestimate the percentage of fellow residents who are foreign-born, by more than a factor of two, and the percentage who are in the country illegally, by a factor of six or seven."
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MOTHER JONES: Newt Dumps Christian Climate Scientist
He used to care about climate, but now Gingrich is cutting a chapter about global warming science from his new book.
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THE ATLANTIC: Don't Let The Economy Pick Your Major For You
Is college worth it? If I had to limit my answer to one word: yes. For every rung you climb on the education ladder -- from high school, to community college, to four-year university, to doctoral degree -- unemployment for your group goes down and wages go up, as illustrated in this BLS graph.
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