The US remains a deeply religious – and deeply Christian – place, especially compared to other high-income “Western” countries. However, dig into the data and you’ll find the nation’s religiosity varies wildly from state-to-state and contains a fair amount of diversity.According to the 2020 US Religion Census, the states with the highest percentage of their population that's actively involved in religious congregations: are Utah (76.1 percent), Alabama (63.6 percent), Louisiana (63.3 percent), Oklahoma (61.2 percent), and Mississippi (59.4 percent). On the opposite end of the spectrum, the states with the lowest rates of involvement in religious congregations are New Hampshire (27.2 percent), Maine (30.8 percent), Oregon (33.2 percent), Montana (34.8 percent), and Alaska (35.2 percent).While Utah is commonly cited as the most religious state, it is also one of the least religiously diverse. Up to 65 percent of the state’s population are Adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known as Mormons.The Mormon church is showing no signs of slowing down either. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of followers grew 11.3 percent from 1,910,504 to 2,126,216 people, according to a recent report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute [PDF].A 2016 poll by the Pew Research Centre asked Americans in every state if they identified as “highly religious” and reached similar, although slightly different, results. The top five states were: Alabama (77 percent), Mississippi (77 percent), Tennessee (73 percent), Louisiana (71 percent), and Arkansas (70 percent). Utah was further down the list with 64 percent of the population identifying as “highly religious”.Nationwide, the most followed religious tradition is Protestantism, which accounts for around 49.2 percent of religious people, as per the US Religion Census. This is followed by Catholicism (38.4 percent), Latter-day Saints (4.2 percent), Islam (2.8 percent), and Judaism (1.3 percent). There is evidence that the US is becoming less religious, though. In 1972, up to 90 percent of Americans identified as Christian. By 2020, that number had slipped to about 64 percent, while around 30 percent reported being religiously unaffiliated and all other religions – including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism – accounted for just 6 percent of the population.A 2022 report by the Pew Research Centre looked into how different demographic changes could drive this trend in the decades ahead. If “religious switching” – whereby people don’t identify with the religion they grew up with – among young Americans continues at current rates, Christians would slip below 50 percent of the population by 2060, accounting for 46 percent of the population in 2070.If the rate of switching increases, the percentage of Christians in the US could fall to between 35 and 39 percent by 2070. The proportion of religiously unaffiliated Americans could rise to around 52 percent. 

Researchers have finally figured out who might own the skull that was recently found in China. Scientists believe that the skull of an unknown human ancestor found in China may be the fruit of love between two different species, reports the Daily Mail. The 900,000-year-old skull is believed to have belonged to a hybrid of Homo sapiens and Homo longi, also known as the “Dragon Man.” The skull, called “Yunxian Man”, has baffled scientists due to its strange shape and other features. A new study was able to recreate a complete 3D model of the skull. She revealed that the hybrid had the facial bones of a human, but a denser skull, bulging eyes, and a thicker brow bone, like the “Dragon Man”. Thus, scientists believe that the found “Yunxian Man” refers to our “long-lost sister line.” “It is reasonable to assume that the hybrid is morphologically and chronologically close to the last common ancestor of the lineage of Homo sapiens and Homo longi,” the study authors write. Over the past 50 years, two more similar skulls have been found in China, the origin of which was unclear. According to Boston University archaeologist Anna Goldfield, comparing bones from different species might not seem like a difficult task. But the fact is that science has yet to determine how many human-like species there were in our recent archaeological history. There are generally recognized two archaic species of humans – Neanderthals and Denisovans, who lived on Earth in separate groups approximately 30 thousand years ago. The skull of the “Yunxian Man” was difficult to attribute to one of these species. Based on its physical characteristics and location, the researchers suggested that it could be a member of the Denisovan family, which appeared in Asia about 500 thousand years ago. Although “Yunxian Man” had an elongated skull like Denisovans, it also had distinct bulging eyes, which Denisovans did not have. But later, researchers suggested that the hybrid could have received Denisovan traits from the “Dragon Man,” since both of these groups lived on Earth at about the same time. After analyzing the new skull, the researchers concluded that “Yunxian Man” is a descendant of “Dragon Man” and Homo sapiens. The post Million-year-old skull found in China belongs to “dragon man” appeared first on Anomalien.com.

In a heartwarming video, viewers are introduced to Caesar, a bear who endured unimaginable suffering in a Chinese bile farm. This video chronicles Caesar’s harrowing journey from captivity to freedom, shedding light on the cruel practices humans often employ for profit. It also showcases the incredible transformation Caesar underwent after being rescued by the dedicated... The post Bear forced to wear awful steel vest most of his life finally gets it removed appeared first on Animal Channel.

Amber Lavigne's 13-year-old daughter had gender dysphoria. At least that was the diagnosis the teen came up with; how better to explain her persistent anxiety and depression? When she went to her counselors at the Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta, Maine, they agreed. They began a simple treatment protocol. Daily use of a chest binder (they instructed her in its proper use), as well immediate adoption of a a new name and pronouns, to be used by all staff and students at the school. They neglected to inform Lavigne; this was a private mental health matter between Lavigne's daughter and school authorities. Lavigne found out anyway and sued the school. While the judge in the case acknowledged that it was reasonable for Lavigne to expect the school to keep her in the loop about the decision to "trans" her child, he could find no legal basis to hold the school liable and dismissed the lawsuit. Yesterday Lavigne filed an appeal. In the meantime she has begun to homeschool her daughter. Lavigne's case is far from unique and is a cautionary example about the limited legal resources parents have once school or government has usurped their authority. While the school overstepped its bounds, where did Lavigne's daughter get the idea that she was the wrong gender in the first place? It's not hard to imagine potential sources. Take Scholastic books. Any parent of young children is familiar with the company's colorful book order forms, which are sent home with students every quarter or so. The latest such form comes with a "Read with Pride Resource Guide" highlighting “LGBTQIA+ children’s and young adult literature." The guide features children's books like "Llama Glamarama," which depicts the titular character's "coming out" party, and "The Beautiful Something Else," about a girl's realization that she is "nonbinary" after being sent to live with her transgender aunt. Subscribers to the American Parents Coalition's new, free text-based notification service, the Lookout, were quick to learn about this latest incursion of ideology into children's education. It featured in the service's inaugural alert. According to APC founder Alleigh Marré, the Lookout is meant to be "an informative tool to keep parents up to speed on the latest threats to parental involvement, state and local school policies, social media trends, and more." The Lookout is just the latest tool APC has created to help parents protect their right to oversee their children's education and health. Last month, Align spoke to Marré about "TikTok is Poison," the nonprofit's guide advising parents how to fight the influence of TikTok, which arguably does more than any other platform to amplify and disseminate gender ideology to children. TikTok's Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, has fought back against a potential ban recently signed into law by President Biden. The company claims that as an "online publishing platform" incorporated in the United States, it is protected under the First Amendment. Contacted by Align, Marré scoffed at such claims: "TikTok is flat-out lying to the American public. Counting celebrities and elected officials among its users does not erase the fact that Chinese-owned TikTok manipulates millions of Americans every day and is particularly harmful to children."

“A liberal,” the poet Robert Frost once said, “is someone too broad-minded to take his own side in a quarrel.” The brouhaha over Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement address at the seriously Catholic Benedictine College in Kansas was a clarifying moment for traditional religious people and other ostensible “conservatives.” Whatever their own particular place within the right’s broad array, too many looked at the ritualistic denunciations of the football player and decided that where Frost’s two roads diverged in a wood, they would take the one less criticized — whether it was their own road or not. In this public struggle session, they, too, would be Frostian liberals. It's not that one couldn’t criticize the speech. Nobody believes Butker is a theologian, a philosopher, or even a poet. He’s a traditionalist Catholic and a football player. Looking at it as a text to study, one could surely find a few small errors of fact, a few bad phrasings, things that might be easily misunderstood outside the conservative Catholic community to which he was asked to speak. Maybe even something to disagree with. It’s an intellectual and rhetorical war out there. When the battle is going, don’t be a liberal too broad-minded to take your own side. But — and let me be as nuanced as possible — who cares? Butker didn’t deliver an inspired text or infallible pronunciation of dogma. He delivered a commencement address received by everybody at the ceremony (except a few malcontent graduating seniors) with a standing ovation. The people present, and most normal people, understand that a speech isn’t going to be perfectly phrased or calibrated even by serious academics, intellectuals, or writers. They understand that when anybody talks about the challenges of living a serious Catholic Christian life and hot-button challenges such as abortion, in vitro fertilization, and transgenderism, he won’t be perfect. It’s the thought and heart that count. Butker had them in spades. Yet what did supposedly conservative sources say? On CNN, conservativish Jonah Goldberg labeled the speech “reactionary,” implying it would have been hard to make the speech in the days before social media provided an amplification of such views. At Goldberg’s old stomping grounds National Review Online, the first piece published was an attempted takedown. Haley Strack’s “Harrison Butker Misses the Point” made a few worthy observations but needed some misinterpretation and uncharitable accusations to finish the job. Butker’s reference to “diabolical lies” women are told about career and promotions and titles being the most important thing in life was taken by Stack to mean that women should never value career or accomplishment. In fact, he said they weren’t the most important and not most valued by young women themselves. He also told the young men that putting career and work ahead of the vocation of father and husband was a mistake that his wife helps him avoid. Strack also claimed Butker promoted a view of women in which the time before marriage and motherhood was “a period of limbo” because Butker said his own wife “would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” An incredibly wooden reading. Strack closed her piece by mentioning Butker’s wife, Isabelle, and saying some lines of Pope Paul VI about loving one’s spouse for his or her own sake were “worthy of reflection.” The rather gross implication was that Butker doesn’t love his wife for herself. NRO was, thankfully, smart enough to follow up with Rich Lowry’s column, “Harrison Butker Is Right About Men and Women,” which backed up some of the kicker’s points with social science data. There were plenty of other “conservative” criticisms of Butker issuing on X (formerly Twitter) and elsewhere. Lots of “I generally agree” combined with laments about “tone,” “nuance,” and “culture warring.” Such nitpicking showed that too many on the right don’t understand the way in which media mobs work. Or maybe they do and simply have given in. If a person on the right is being crucified for saying something that you generally agree with, the right thing to do is support that person. “Nuanced” critiques will be taken as surrender by the leftist enemies of all you believe who don’t want you to say certain things with or without nuance. They will be taken as betrayal by the people on your side who will see you — probably correctly — as trying to curry favor with the ruling class and keep your social and professional status. We do live in polarized times. We can’t help that. It’s an intellectual and rhetorical war out there. When the battle is going, don’t be a liberal too broad-minded to take your own side. Wait till the smoke is cleared and then make your critiques. You’ll be less likely to make it seem as if you’re on the other side and less likely to misinterpret the people speaking for your own.

So, maybe the whole tradwife lifestyle isn’t so good for women after all.This is certainly the main takeaway from writer Mary Harrington’s recent essay in UnHerd, which analyzes the story of Lauren Southern, a popular anti-feminist influencer who followed her own advice and became a tradwife — only to be utterly ruined by the experience.Mutual sacrifice and humility are what will ultimately empower both sexes and make them happy.At the height of her fame, Southern married at 22 and gave up everything for her husband. The relationship soon became toxic as he grew to be more demanding and abusive. Eventually, they had a child and moved to Australia shortly before officials imposed extreme COVID lockdowns. Depressed and alienated, Southern flew to Canada to visit her family. Her husband divorced her over this, leaving her and her child destitute and living in a cabin in the woods.Fortunately, by the end of it, she has emerged from the experience happier and stronger.No doubt, many will interpret Southern’s experience as indisputable proof that the tradwife trend and anti-feminist movement in general are inherently misguided and dangerous. Harrington, herself an expert on feminism, argues that Southern’s misfortunes have more to do with oversimplifying the debate on the feminine ideal: “It seems to me, I tell her, that condensing millennia of religious belief and real-world domestic praxis into viral memes has produced a right-wing gender ideology every bit as over-simplified, dematerialised, and radically disconnected from the complexities of life as the disembodied Left-wing version.”Online media discourages nuance and instead casts every argument as a battle between unrealistic extremes. In this case, women can either be girlboss feminists or conservative tradwives.Harrington concludes that women of both the political and cultural left and right need to abandon these extremes, come back to reality, and work on cultivating a deeper understanding of modern femininity. One hopes they can do all this without the hardship and heartbreak that both she and Southern endured.Far be it from me, a husband and father, to disagree with any of this, much less speak to any woman’s lived experience. Nevertheless, at the risk of being accused of mansplaining, I believe it’s worthwhile to consider how men figure into this equation of modern womanhood.Doomed to failToo often, people have contradictory assumptions about men and their attitudes about modern feminism. On one hand, men are automatically anti-feminists because they are instinctively drawn to the idea of weaker women who want to have babies and stay home. On the other hand, men are also automatic feminists because they are just as instinctively drawn to the idea of obligation-free sex with empowered women who can take care of them. In both cases, the man is essentially a self-interested predator seeking to exploit the opposite sex.But this is both wrong and unfair. Like most women, most men are neither natural anti-feminists nor feminists, nor are they predators. Men are corrupted and become predators only when they take sides and establish extremes. Put simply, being the spouse of a girlboss or a tradwife is bad for men and turns them into massive jerks.Southern’s experience is illustrative. However one feels about it, her decision to put her ideas of traditional femininity into practice pressured her husband to embody some form of traditional masculinity. He needed to be the breadwinner and patriarch so that she could be his domestic goddess. Josh Edelson/Stringer/Getty ImagesThis is a tall order for any man, and it’s not surprising that Southern’s husband collapsed under the pressure. Here was a beautiful and famous young woman naively relying on his leadership and strength to make her happy and fulfilled. Moreover, he needed to make this fairytale happen in a deeply liberalized, progressive environment that routinely stigmatized traditional values. Not only would he inevitably fall short and fail in some way, but he would also become a pariah living on the margins of what was socially acceptable. Nothing in his education or upbringing prepared him for this.Thus, it makes sense that he immediately asked Southern to stop posting content online so that he could fit in at his job and be on good terms with his neighbors. It also makes sense that he had fights with his wife, who was likely disoriented and depressed by this radical change in lifestyle.Furthermore, if there were any hope of saving the marriage, both would have to admit that they failed to live up to their ideals and make some serious changes. Instead, she would “pray by his bed when he was angry with her, hoping that if she gave him grace one more time he’d realise the depth of her love and be kinder,” and he would resolve to become even more controlling and cruel.Striking the right balanceNone of this excuses Southern’s husband, who ends up acting like a loser and coward by abandoning his wife and child. Rather, it’s to show how the unrealistic expectations of being a tradhusband can easily turn an otherwise normal guy into an immature creep. So much of it amounts to roleplaying rather than authentic living and relating.This was true even in supposedly more traditional times. In his autobiography, former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass argued just how corrosive and harmful the ownership of human beings was to both the slave and the slaveowner. Even in the best of times, the slave would be exploited and abused, and even with the best of people, the slaveowner would turn into a monster. Specifically, he describes one of his owners, a kind woman who had her own business and originally taught Douglass how to read, gradually degenerate into a vicious tyrant because of the newfound power and authority she had as a slaveholder.Although Harrington largely treats the pitfalls of feminism and anti-feminism as products of online media consumption and thus encourages her readers to reengage with reality, I would also suggest that men and women seek more balance in their romantic relationships, neither submitting to nor overpowering their loved ones.Whether it’s the man or woman, no one wins in a relationship that is unnaturally lopsided, no matter what the circumstances might be. In my experience, mutual sacrifice and humility are what will ultimately empower both sexes and make them happy.

If you've ever tried an XGIMI projector before, you know how impressive the company's offerings are. In fact, several XGIMI portable projectors are among my favorite models in their respective classes. I've tested six different XGIMI projectors over the years, and they all offer best-in-class picture quality as well as sleek, compact designs. More recently, one of my colleagues at BGR ran an XGIMI HORIZON Ultra 4K projector review that you should definitely read. In the competitive home theater projector space where XGIMI shines, brands like Epson and BenQ are still more recognizable. But anyone who has ever tried an XGIMI projector will tell you that it's an even better value. That's especially true right now, while all four of my favorite models from the brand are on sale at the lowest prices of 2024. XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K Projector, 1500 ISO Lumens, Android TV 10.0 Movie Projector with Integrate… Price: $999 (reg. $1,699) You Save: $700.00 (41%) Buy Now XGIMI HORIZON 1080p FHD Projector 4K Supported Movie Projector, 1500 ISO Lumens, Harman Kardon… Price: $699.99 (reg. $999) You Save: $299.01 (30%) Buy Now XGIMI MoGo 2 Portable Projector, Mini Projector with Wifi and Bluetooth, 400 ISO Lumens Movie P… Price: $249.99 (reg. $399) You Save: $99.01 (25%) Buy Now XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro 1080P Portable Projector, Mini Projector with WiFi and Bluetooth, Android TV 1… Price: $399 (reg. $600) You Save: $200.99 (33%) Buy Now Other companies like Epson and BenQ make great products, and they also spend plenty of cash on marketing and advertising. With that in mind, it's no mystery why most people know them. On the other hand, XGIMI doesn't do much advertising at all here in the US. But as I said before, anyone who has ever tried an XGIMI product will tell you the same thing. The brand's home theater projectors are flat-out awesome, and they often cost so much less than comparable alternatives. A couple of years ago, the company finally released the hotly-anticipated 4K version of its best projector ever. It's called the XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K projector, it's absolutely incredible, and it's currently on sale for $999. That's a massive $700 discount, and it's the best price I've seen. Or, if you don't care about 4K, the FHD XGIMI Horizon projector is down to just $699.99 right now, which is the best price I've seen since last year. XGIMI's Horizon projector lineup Image source: XGIMI First, I need to get one thing out of the way. No one seems to know how to pronounce the company's name. It's certainly not a conventional name or spelling, so I can understand the confusion. In case you're curious, XGIMI is pronounced "ex-gee-mee." With that all cleared up, let's shift focus to the company's awesome portable projectors. The XGIMI Horizon projector was released last year, and people love it. Just look at the reviews. This incredible home theater projector is lightweight and extremely portable. It also packs built-in Harman Kardon sound, 2200 ANSI lumens, Android TV 10, and more. It also packs advanced keystone correction and can beam a 1080p picture up to 300 inches in size! All that for $999 is more than fair. But if you grab one today, you'll only pay $699.99 thanks to a discount. XGIMI HORIZON 1080p FHD Projector 4K Supported Movie Projector, 1500 ISO Lumens, Harman Kardon… Price: $699.99 You Save: $299.01 (30%) Buy Now You can see from the reviews how much people adore that model. Now, the hotly anticipated upgrade is also available. Horizon Pro is one of our favorite portable 4K projectors As the name suggests, the XGIMI Horizon Pro is the "pro" version of XGIMI's Horizon projector. The specs are actually almost identical, which is a good thing considering how impressive the Horizon is. Image source: XGIMI The big difference other than the color of the housing is the addition of 4K support. While the Horizon projector supports 4K input, the picture it beams maxes out at 1080p. With the newer Horizon Pro, you can project true 4K (3840 × 2160) resolution video onto your wall or projector screen. This model's picture quality is truly outstanding. 8.3 million pixels combine to create a crystal clear image that can expand up to 300 inches diagonally. The impressive 2200-lumen brightness is stunning in the dark. Plus, it's still surprisingly bright with the lights on. You can connect any video source you want to the XGIMI Horizon Pro, or the built-in Android TV 10 platform has its own apps you can use to stream. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and everything else you can think of are all supported. Then, two Harman Kardon 8W 45mm speakers add impressive audio to the mix. But you can also connect external speakers if you want. On top of all that, the Horizon Pro's keystone correction is so cool! Whether you're using your wall or a projector screen, you'll always have a perfectly flat picture. Check out this GIF from our review to see it in action: How awesome is that?! Definitely check out our XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K Projector review to learn more about this projector. I've been impressed from start to finish while testing the XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K projector. It'll definitely impress you too. And right now, this incredible 4K projector is on sale with a massive $700 discount. XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K Projector, 1500 ISO Lumens, Android TV 10.0 Movie Projector with Integrate… Price: $999.00 You Save: $700.00 (41%) Buy Now And finally, you'll find great discounts right now on two of XGIMI's newest portable projectors. The $599 XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro is down to $399, which matches the all-time low. Or, if you want to spend even less and don't need "pro" features, the regular XGIMI MoGo 2 is on sale for $249.99 instead of $399. Just be sure to clip the on-site coupon in order to get the lowest price. XGIMI MoGo 2 Portable Projector, Mini Projector with Wifi and Bluetooth, 400 ISO Lumens Movie P… Price: $249.99 (reg. $399) You Save: $99.01 (25%) Buy Now XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro 1080P Portable Projector, Mini Projector with WiFi and Bluetooth, Android TV 1… Price: $399 (reg. $600) You Save: $200.99 (33%) Buy Now Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $3.25 smart plugs, $79 AirPods, $849 M2 MacBook Air, $329 Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, more The post These are my 4 favorite XGIMI projector models appeared first on BGR. 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The Unicode Consortium opened its beta review period for Unicode 16, which includes the all-new emojis coming with iOS 18 and Android 15, most likely at the beginning of next year. So far, the platform has considered seven new emojis. This beta review period lasts until July 2, and then Unicode 16 will be announced with the officially approved new characters. After that, it's up to Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other vendors to add these new figures to their systems. So far, the new emojis expected for iOS 18 include a face with bags under the eyes, a fingerprint, a leafless tree, a root vegetable, a harp, a shovel, and splatter. If Apple follows the trend, the new iOS 18 emojis should be available with iOS 18.4, which should come in early 2025. With iOS 17.4, Apple added several new figures, including mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain, and shaking heads emoji are available in the emoji keyboard in addition to 18 people and body emoji with the option to face them in either direction. While Apple would add several new emoji figures with previous iOS versions, Unicode is basically adding diversity to the current figures or adding a new animal, plant, fruit, etc., as the keyboard is pretty much completed by now. The original draft for the new emojis coming with iOS 17.4 Image source: Emojipedia Alongside iOS 17.4, Apple also added: Apple Podcasts Transcripts:  Transcripts let you follow an episode with text that highlights in sync with the audio in English, Spanish, French, and German Accessibility podcast features: Episode text can be read in full, searched for a word or phrase, tapped to play from a specific point, and used with accessibility features such as Text Size, Increase Contrast, and VoiceOver Apple Music tweaks:  Music recognition lets you add songs you have identified to your Apple Music Playlists and Library with iPadOS 17.4 Messages changes: Business updates you opt-in to keep you informed of order status, flight notifications, fraud alerts, or other transactions from trusted businesses in Messages for Business Apple Cash: Apple Cash virtual card numbers enable you to pay with Apple Cash at merchants that don't yet accept Apple Pay by typing in your number from Wallet or using Safari AutoFill BGR will let you know once Unicode officially unveils the new emojis that are expected to land with iOS 18. Don't Miss: iOS 18: Release date, AI, supported iPhones, and everything we know The post Unicode reveals possible new iOS 18 emojis coming to your iPhone appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: MacBook Pro & Air blowout, $99 Bose speaker, $25 Fire TV Stick 4K, $15 TOZO earbuds, more Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $415+ free Today’s deals: $79 AirPods, $249 iPad 9, free smart bulbs, Lexar memory sale, 20% off Galaxy S24, more Best Apple deals for May 2024

Russia last week launched a satellite that U.S. intelligence officials believe to be a weapon capable of inspecting and attacking other satellites, the U.S. Space Command said on Tuesday as the Russian spacecraft trails a U.S. spy satellite in orbit.

The Biden administration is canceling student loans for an additional 160,000 borrowers through a combination of existing programs.