Noteworthy

Euthanasia rates climbing quickly

The number of Canadians opting to die by assisted suicide has increased by 26 per cent in two years according to a federal government report. Government statistics show assisted suicide now accounts for 2 per cent of deaths in Canada. More than 14,000 Canadians have died by assisted suicide since it was legalized in 2016. Among 2019 cases about half (53.9 per cent) cited inadequate control of pain as the reason for requesting assisted suicide. WWW.BCCATHOLIC.CA

Dalhousie offers new abortion course

Nova Scotia’s Dalhousie University is offering students in nursing, medical and social work a new minicourse on abortion care. Ruth Lobo of the National Campus Life Network says pro-lifers should find the minicourse very disturbing. “The purpose of this course is to get students comfortable with abortion so they will accept it as ‘normal, common and safe,’ specifically so they will act on their newfound beliefs and further the abortion industry. It is anything but that — we’d suggest: ‘common, lethal, destructive.’” WWW.CBC.CA

Ability to detect patterns linked to stronger faith

People able to recognize complex patterns are more likely to have a strong religious belief, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. For the study neuroscientists used a cognitive test to evaluate a group of American Christians in their ability to subconsciously detect patterns. They repeated the tests among Afghani Muslims. In both groups the ability to predict complex patterns correlated with stronger religious beliefs. Researchers theorize that those who are more able to recognize complex patterns may attribute patterns they see in the world around them to the workings of a deity. WWW.CHRISTIANPOST.COM

Evangelicals questioning fundamental beliefs

A new study found 30 per cent of Evangelicals believe Jesus was a good moral teacher, but was not God. The study by LifeWay Research surveyed Americans about their views on Jesus, the Bible and ethics. The research also showed 17 per cent of Evangelicals believe modern science disproves the Bible and more than half of Evangelicals (56 per cent) believe Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God. WWW. THESTATEOFTHEOLOGY.COM

Secular study verifies Iranian church growth

While many governments have disputed the possibility of an ongoing Christian revival in Iran, even rejecting refugee claims on that basis, a new secular study strongly supports what Christian activists have said for years. GAMAAN, a secular Dutch research organization, surveyed 50,000 literate Iranians about their religious beliefs. Although only 1.5 per cent self-identified as Christians, the findings show a remarkable growth in Iranian Christianity. GAMAAN estimates Iran’s Christians to number in the hundreds of thousands and “growing beyond 1 million.” WWW.CHRISTIANITYTODAY.COM