Last Friday a meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere and broke up, “raining fireballs” over central Russia. About 1,200 people were injured, most by shards of glass from windows shattered by the shockwaves. It created a flash of light described as making the night sky look “as bright as if it were day” (Reuters, February 15, 2013).

Muslim imam Anjem Choudary was secretly filmed in the UK mocking non-Muslims and calling on Muslims to wage a state-funded jihad against the non-believers (Telegraph, February 17, 2013).  He personally receives more than £25,000 ($38,000) in benefits from the UK government—£8,000 more than the average British soldier fighting in Afghanistan (ibid.).

Sunday, the day many professing Christians today view as the Sabbath, is losing its protections in the UK. “Judges have been accused of diluting the rights of Christians after a key judgment on whether they can refuse to work on Sundays.” In a recent court case, a High Court judge ruled that “Christians have no right to decline working on Sunday as it is not a ‘core component’ of their beliefs” (Telegraph, December 29, 2012).

Vatican watchers are questioning how a newly elected pope might function while a living “past Pope” resides within the Vatican.  Some warn that “Benedict XVI may be too frail to continue as Pope, but even in retirement he will be able to keep an iron grip on the church... Benedict XVI has embarked on an unprecedented and potentially perilous endgame.

People around the world were deeply affected when 20-year-old Adam Lanza murdered 27 victims in Sandy Hook Elementary School before committing suicide. This tragedy has sparked worldwide controversy over the source of school violence. Young people increasingly see violence as rewarding. Youths are deceived into thinking that wrong actions have no more consequences than a video game they can reset at will. Who or what is the real source of this kind of thinking?