Daily Archives: May 24, 2020

Why not online gambling for Connecticut’s tribes? Drive-in casinos? – theday.com

Posted: May 24, 2020 at 3:38 pm

I would generally caution against second-guessing and criticizing Gov. Ned Lamont for his fraught decision-making in the midst of this public health crisis. But here I go anyway.

What finally lured me in to the tempting waters of the criticize-Lamont pool, where so many are already happily splashing around, was the disclosure Thursday by Mohegan Tribal Chairman James Gessner that he had not heard from the governor since the week before, despite Lamont's public announcement Wednesday that he opposes the tribes' plans to reopen their casinos June 1.

Wow. Not only does the governor seem insensitive to the plight and pleas of the two tribes that together run one of the biggest economic engines of eastern Connecticut, but he won't even pick up the phone and talk about it.

Lamont told reporters Wednesday it is "premature" tosay whether he might pull the casinos' liquor licenses if they reopen against his wishes, but he has clearly given it some thought.

On Thursday, his consumer protection commissioner wrote to the tribes and cited a section of their gaming compacts with the state that could be used to justify a demand by the governor that the sovereign nations abide by his health orders.

This isn't the first time the governor has given the tribes a cold shoulder, but it is especially troubling as they lay off thousands of employees and hemorrhage millions.

Incredibly, Lamont remained silent while his medical reopening expert recently asserted during a virtual news conference that the economic benefits of the casinos are not large.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, to his credit, took the Mohegans up on an invitation for a tour, also offered to Lamont, of the freshly scrubbed Mohegan Sun and its new gaming table sneeze guards, sanitizing stations, air purifiers, digital temperature screeners and strict social distancing signs and policies.

The congressman, lamenting the state's rising unemployment numbers, endorsed the tribal plans to reopen and urged Lamont to take a look.

Lamont is not alone among governors who want to keep casinos shut for now, including those in Massachusetts and Rhode Island that compete with Connecticut's tribes.

Maybe thegovernorsareright about the grave risks. Las Vegas and Atlantic City are still shuttered.

As Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said about opening casinos: "Man, you better get that right."

But couldn't Lamont at least go and hear out the tribes and see what they've done, given what's at risk. Maybe they have it right, ahead of the competition from the other states.

I've come around to the suggestion made by a large bipartisan group of eastern Connecticut lawmakers who pleaded with Lamont in a recent letter to issue an executive order to allow the tribes to conduct online gaming.

The governor reacted as if the bad boys in the schoolyard were urging him to lob a spitball at the teacher. Heavens no, he seemed to say.

It's not like the state wasn'ttaking in boatloads of money from gambling, before the spigot was closed anyway. Why not let people do it safely at home, while we are in this crisis?

It's not such a shocking thing. It's legal in states all around the country.

It could be a temporary order, good only until the legislature can go back in session and take it up as a long-term policy proposal. If the governor has no problem shutting down businesses by executive order to protect public health, why not let one open up to do essentially the same thing they were doing before. It would be no-contact gambling.

We are making allowances in zoning and liquor laws to let restaurants open outside, to help them through the pandemic. Why can't there be a similar temporary order to allow the casinos to continue to offer the same product they've always offered, safely in people's homes?

It's hard to know how the standoff between Lamont and the tribes will end and whether the governor might start yanking liquor permits or other state licenses to block a reopening.

In any event, I'd like to see the tribes roll out online gambling on their reservations, whether they reopen the casinos soon or not.

I don't see whythe governor would try tostop that.

Playing a slot machine on your phone in a parked car on the reservation should be no different than playing one on the casino gaming floor, what is already legal.Drive-in movies are popular again. How about a drive-in casino?

And the state could get its cut.

This is the opinion of David Collins.

d.collins@theday.com

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Best Of The Books: The Match Ignites Golf Betting, Plus Bundesliga & More KBO – Play Pennsylvania

Posted: at 3:38 pm

Nine online sportsbooks in Pennsylvania present lots of lines, betting markets, boosts, tweets and promotions. The coronavirus pandemic forced the shutdown of major sports on March 12. Since then, books have gotten creative to fill the void.

Each week we take a look around the books to bring you some highlights. Sports seems to be waking from their shutdown-induced slumber. There is more to the books now than just table tennis.

The PGA Tour doesnt return until June 11 but you can bet on golf this weekend. Two iconic Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks team up with two legendary golfers for charity on Sunday, May 14 at 3 p.m.

The Match: Champions for Charity pairs Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in an 18-hole competition with two different formats.

The front nine will be four ball play. Each of the golfers will only play his ball throughout the hole. The lower of the partners scores will count as the teams score for that hole.

The back nine will be alternate slot play. The parters will share one golf ball per hole and alternate taking shots.

Considering the foursome represent royalty in their respective sports, its only fitting that DraftKings is rolling out the red carpet. Its a big deal for sports betting, too. Tiger and Phil will be making bets in-play.

The Match Bet and Get promo gives DraftKings users a $20 free live bet when they bet $20 on The Match.

Heres how to get the free bet at DraftKings:

Woods/Manning are currently the favorite at DraftKings. The PA online sportsbook is offering a variety of match props and hole specials for The Match.

Match winner

Leader after 12 holes

Leader after 12 holes tie no bet

Leader after 15 holes

Leader after 15 holes tie no bet

Leader after 3 holes

Leader after 3 holes tie no bet

Leader after 6 holes

Leader after 6 holes tie no bet

Leader after 9 holes

Leader after 9 holes tie no bet

Hole in one in the tournament

Hole 10-18 winner

Hole 10-18 winner tie no bet

Note: Hole special markets listed on DraftKings app

FanDuel has three promos at their online sportsbook for The Match.

Woods/Manning -210 vs Mickelson/ Brady +172 are the odds at FanDuel for The Match. FanDuels biggest liability is Mickelson/Brady overall. 66% of handle and 64% of the bet count in the Match Betting Market is onMickelson/Brady.

The Indianapolis Colts faithful back Manning on any field. Indiana is currently the only state to have a bigger liability on Woods/Manning. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Colorado favor Brady.

To Win Hole 1 has seen the most betting interest (by handle):

For the first Par 3 on Hole 4 nearest to the pin, Brady vs Manning has seen higher handle and big Brady betting.

Woods/Manning are the top selection for customers in the Lead after 9 Holes market in terms of handle:

Largest bets on The Match

Bundesliga has proved to be a popular choice with bettors at PlaySugarHouse and BetRivers. The major European soccer league returned to action last weekend and it resulted in four times the typical betting action expected at PlaySugarHouse and BetRivers.

The most popular match was the Sunday primetime game between Bayern MunichandFC Union Berlin, which received 34% of the total weekend Bundesliga handle. Munich (-550) defeated Union Berlin (+1200), 2-0.

What is Bundesliga? Germanys top tier of club soccer. They have the best average attendances in Europe (43,300). However, no fans are in attendance this season.

Are there a lot of 1-0 matches? During the 2018-2019 season, Bundesligas 306 matches had a total of 973 goals which averages to 3.18 per game. The rate is greater than the English Premier League (2.82), Italys Serie A (2.68), Spains La Liga (2.59) and Frances (2.56). No Bundesliga season has ever finished with an average below 2.58.

How can I watch Bundesliga? PlaySugarHouse and BetRivers stream the matches along with some other PA online sportsbooks.

Where can I bet on Bundesliga? Bundesliga betting lines, game props, player props, team futures, and player futures are available at sportsbooks apps in PA.

How do I bet on soccer? If you have more questions, a full guide on soccer wagering can be found here.

ESPN airs six Korean Baseball Organization games a week. It has gained the interest of bettors with the Doosan Bears getting the most handle.

We miss the Phillie Phanatic, even though his appearance has been slightly altered. We dont have Major League Baseball, yet. And when we do, apparently there will be no mascots. That makes no sense. They are literally wearing the most creative form of PPE!

Instead, we have the NC Dinos mascot. A dinosaur with a pair of jacked forearms. Gym shutdowns might have made our workout routine extinct, but this long-necked dino still finds a way to get his reps in.

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Best Of The Books: The Match Ignites Golf Betting, Plus Bundesliga & More KBO - Play Pennsylvania

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Atheist A Logo Found Near Graffiti at Site of Burned Down Mississippi Church – Patheos

Posted: at 3:37 pm

We posted yesterday about how the First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs, Mississippi had burned to the ground shortly after the church sued the city over its stay-at-home orders, which were stricter than those for the state as a whole. (That lawsuit was prompted by police going into the church during a Bible study and Easter service after members refused to respect social distancing requirements.)

The alleged arsonist was said to have left graffiti on the parking lot reading Bet you stay home now you hypokrits [sic].

Theres no indication about who did this. Ive heard conspiracy theories abound about how a church member may have done this tobolster the claims of persecution, but theres no evidence of that.

But heres a disturbing new wrinkle in the story:

A photograph of the graffiti also appears to show an atomic symbol with an A in the center, which is sometimes used as a logo for atheist groups.

Part of me is eagerly coming up with defenses against the suggestion that an atheist did this:

Thats not really the same design thats popular with some online atheists.

Atheists dont even use that symbol. (We dont have a symbol.)

Why would an atheist burn the church down and leave a calling card?

What atheist would misspell hypocrite like that?

Who would be so idiotic to burn down a church over COVID concerns when plenty of other churches are doing the same thing, when there could have been people inside this building, and when this wont resolve anything since church members will just meet somewhere else?

Thats not to go all conspiracy in the other direction. Only that Im not quite ready to take this symbol as slam-dunk evidence that an atheist did it.

Still, without any leads, what else should people think? All we know publicly is that a church has been destroyed and theres a symbol associated with atheism at the scene of the crime.

American Atheists is the group that uses the atomic logo thats also the URL the New York Times uses in their article andthe groups president Nick Fish issued a statement this afternoon:

Words cannot capture how strongly we condemn this heinous act of destruction. I hope that the perpetrator of this crime is swiftly brought to justice and held to account for their actions. No one should face violence of any kind because of their religion or lack thereof. No matter what our disagreements may be, violence is never the appropriate response.

Im disgusted that anyone would associate a symbol of our community with something so incompatible with our values as atheists. Pluralism, open dialogue, finding common ground, and protecting equality under the law have never been more important than they are today.

My thoughts are with the members of the First Pentecostal Church during this difficult time.

Theres a fundraiser for the rebuilding of the church here.

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Polygamy (Plural Marriage) | LDS Church Perspective on …

Posted: at 3:35 pm

TheBibleand theBook of Mormonteach that the marriage of one man to one woman is Gods standard, except at specific periods when He has declared otherwise.1

In accordance witha revelationtoJoseph Smith, the practice of plural marriagethe marriage of one man to two or more womenwas instituted among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1840s. Thereafter, for more than half a century, plural marriage was practiced by someLatter-day Saints. Only the Church President held the keys authorizing the performance of new plural marriages.2In 1890, the Lord inspired Church PresidentWilford Woodruffto issue a statement that led to the end of the practice of plural marriage in the Church. In this statement, known as theManifesto, President Woodruff declared his intention to abide by U.S. law forbidding plural marriage and to use his influence to convince members of the Church to do likewise.3

After the Manifesto, monogamy was advocated in the Church both over the pulpit and through the press. On an exceptional basis, some new plural marriages were performed between 1890 and 1904, especially in Mexico and Canada, outside the jurisdiction of U.S. law; a small number of plural marriages were performed within the United States during those years.4In 1904, the Church strictly prohibited new plural marriages.5Today, any person who practices plural marriage cannot become or remain a member of the Church.

This essay primarily addresses plural marriage as practiced by the Latter-day Saints between 1847 and 1890, following their exodus to the U.S. West and before the Manifesto.

Latter-day Saints do not understand all of Gods purposes for instituting, through Hisprophets, the practice of plural marriage during the 19th century. The Book of Mormon identifies one reason for God to command it: to increase the number of children born in the gospel covenant in order to raise up seed unto [the Lord] (Jacob 2:30). Plural marriage did result in the birth of large numbers of children within faithful Latter-day Saint homes.6It also shaped 19th-century Mormon society in other ways: marriage became available to virtually all who desired it; per-capita inequality of wealth was diminished as economically disadvantaged women married into more financially stable households;7and ethnic intermarriages were increased, which helped to unite a diverse immigrant population.8Plural marriage also helped create and strengthen a sense of cohesion and group identification among Latter-day Saints. Church members came to see themselves as a peculiar people,9covenant-bound to carry out the commands of God despite outside opposition, willing to endure ostracism for their principles.10

For these early Latter-day Saints, plural marriage was a religious principle that required personalsacrifice. Accounts left by men and women who practiced plural marriage attest to the challenges and difficulties they experienced, such as financial difficulty, interpersonal strife, and some wives longing for the sustained companionship of their husbands.11But accounts also record the love and joy many found within their families.They believed it was acommandmentof God at that time and thatobediencewould bring great blessings to them and their posterity, both on earth and in the life to come. While there was much love, tenderness, and affection within many plural marriages, the practice was generally based more on religious belief than on romantic love.12Church leaders taught that participants in plural marriages should seek to develop a generous spirit of unselfishness and the pure love of Christ for everyone involved.

During the years that plural marriage was publicly taught, all Latter-day Saints were expected to accept the principle as arevelation from God.13Not all, however, were expected to live it. Indeed, this system of marriage could not have been universal due to the ratio of men to women.14Church leaders viewed plural marriage as a command to the Church generally, while recognizing that individuals who did not enter the practice could still stand approved of God.15Women were free to choose their spouses, whether to enter into a polygamous or monogamous union, or whether to marry at all.16Some men entered plural marriage because they were asked to do so by Church leaders, while others initiated the process themselves; all were required to obtain the approval of Church leaders before entering a plural marriage.17

The passage of time shaped the experience of life within plural marriage. Virtually all of those practicing it in the earliest years had to overcome their own prejudice against plural marriage and adjust to life in polygamous families. The task of pioneering a semiarid land during the middle decades of the 19th century added to the challenges of families who were learning to practice the principle of plural marriage. Where the family livedwhether in Salt Lake City, with its multiple social and cultural opportunities, or the rural hinterlands, where such opportunities were fewer in numbermade a difference in how plural marriage was experienced. It is therefore difficult to accurately generalize about the experience of all plural marriages.

Still, some patterns are discernible, and they correct some myths. Although some leaders had large polygamous families, two-thirds of polygamist men had only two wives at a time.18Church leaders recognized that plural marriages could be particularly difficult for women. Divorce was therefore available to women who were unhappy in their marriages; remarriage was also readily available.19Women did marry at fairly young ages in the first decade of Utah settlement (age 16 or 17 or, infrequently, younger), which was typical of women living in frontier areas at the time.20As in other places, women married at older ages as the society matured. Almost all women married, and so did a large percentage of men. In fact, it appears that a larger percentage of men in Utah married than elsewhere in the United States at the time. Probably half of those living in Utah Territory in 1857 experienced life in a polygamous family as a husband, wife, or child at some time during their lives.21By 1870, 25 to 30 percent of the population lived in polygamous households, and it appears that the percentage continued to decrease over the next 20 years.22

The experience of plural marriage toward the end of the 19th century was substantially different from that of earlier decades. Beginning in 1862, the U.S. government passed laws against the practice of plural marriage. Outside opponents mounted a campaign against the practice, stating that they hoped to protect Mormon women and American civilization. For their part, many Latter-day Saint women publicly defended the practice of plural marriage, arguing in statements that they were willing participants.23

After the U.S. Supreme Court found the anti-polygamy laws to be constitutional in 1879, federal officials began prosecuting polygamous husbands and wives during the 1880s.24Believing these laws to be unjust, Latter-day Saints engaged in civil disobedience by continuing to practice plural marriage and by attempting to avoid arrest. When convicted, they paid fines and submitted to jail time. To help their husbands avoid prosecution, plural wives often separated into different households or went into hiding under assumed names, particularly when pregnant or after giving birth.25

By 1890, when President WoodruffsManifestolifted the command to practice plural marriage, Mormon society had developed a strong, loyal core of members, mostly made up of emigrants from Europe and the Eastern United States. But the demographic makeup of the worldwide Church membership had begun to change. Beginning in the 1890s converts outside the United States were asked to build up the Church in their homelands rather than move to Utah. In subsequent decades, Latter-day Saints migrated away from the Great Basin to pursue new opportunities. Plural marriage had never been encouraged outside of concentrated populations of Latter-day Saints. Especially in these newly formed congregations outside of Utah, monogamous families became central to religious worship and learning. As the Church grew and spread beyond the American West, the monogamous nuclear family was well suited to an increasingly mobile and dispersed membership.

For many who practiced it, plural marriage was a significant sacrifice. Despite the hardships some experienced, the faithfulness of those who practiced plural marriage continues to benefit the Church in innumerable ways. Through the lineage of these 19th-century Saints have come many Latter-day Saints who have been faithful to their gospel covenants as righteous mothers and fathers, loyal disciples of Jesus Christ, and devoted Church members, leaders, and missionaries. Although members of the contemporary Church are forbidden to practice plural marriage, modern Latter-day Saints honor and respect these pioneers who gave so much for their faith, families, and community.

The Church acknowledges the contribution of scholars to the historical content presented in this article; their work is used with permission.

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Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo – Church Of Jesus …

Posted: at 3:35 pm

Latter-day Saints believe that monogamythe marriage of one man and one womanis the Lords standing law of marriage.1 In biblical times, the Lord commanded some of His people to practice plural marriagethe marriage of one man and more than one woman.2 Some early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also received and obeyed this commandment given through Gods prophets.

After receiving a revelation commanding him to practice plural marriage, Joseph Smith married multiple wives and introduced the practice to close associates. This principle was among the most challenging aspects of the Restorationfor Joseph personally and for other Church members. Plural marriage tested faith and provoked controversy and opposition. Few Latter-day Saints initially welcomed the restoration of a biblical practice entirely foreign to their sensibilities. But many later testified of powerful spiritual experiences that helped them overcome their hesitation and gave them courage to accept this practice.

Although the Lord commanded the adoptionand later the cessationof plural marriage in the latter days, He did not give exact instructions on how to obey the commandment. Significant social and cultural changes often include misunderstandings and difficulties. Church leaders and members experienced these challenges as they heeded the command to practice plural marriage and again later as they worked to discontinue it after Church President Wilford Woodruff issued an inspired statement known as the Manifesto in 1890, which led to the end of plural marriage in the Church. Through it all, Church leaders and members sought to follow Gods will.

Many details about the early practice of plural marriage are unknown. Plural marriage was introduced among the early Saints incrementally, and participants were asked to keep their actions confidential. They did not discuss their experiences publicly or in writing until after the Latter-day Saints had moved to Utah and Church leaders had publicly acknowledged the practice. The historical record of early plural marriage is therefore thin: few records of the time provide details, and later reminiscences are not always reliable. Some ambiguity will always accompany our knowledge about this issue. Like the participants, we see through a glass, darkly and are asked to walk by faith.3

The revelation on plural marriage was not written down until 1843, but its early verses suggest that part of it emerged from Joseph Smiths study of the Old Testament in 1831. People who knew Joseph well later stated he received the revelation about that time.4 The revelation, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 132, states that Joseph prayed to know why God justified Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon in having many wives. The Lord responded that He had commanded them to enter into the practice.5

Latter-day Saints understood that they were living in the latter days, in what the revelations called the dispensation of the fulness of times.6 Ancient principlessuch as prophets, priesthood, and templeswould be restored to the earth. Plural marriage was one of those ancient principles.

Polygamy had been permitted for millennia in many cultures and religions, but, with few exceptions, was rejected in Western cultures.7 In Joseph Smiths time, monogamy was the only legal form of marriage in the United States. Joseph knew the practice of plural marriage would stir up public ire. After receiving the commandment, he taught a few associates about it, but he did not spread this teaching widely in the 1830s.8

When God commands a difficult task, He sometimes sends additional messengers to encourage His people to obey. Consistent with this pattern, Joseph told associates that an angel appeared to him three times between 1834 and 1842 and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage when he hesitated to move forward. During the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully.9

Fragmentary evidence suggests that Joseph Smith acted on the angels first command by marrying a plural wife, Fanny Alger, in Kirtland, Ohio, in the mid-1830s. Several Latter-day Saints who had lived in Kirtland reported decades later that Joseph Smith had married Alger, who lived and worked in the Smith household, after he had obtained her consent and that of her parents.10 Little is known about this marriage, and nothing is known about the conversations between Joseph and Emma regarding Alger. After the marriage with Alger ended in separation, Joseph seems to have set the subject of plural marriage aside until after the Church moved to Nauvoo, Illinois.

The same revelation that taught of plural marriage was part of a larger revelation given to Joseph Smiththat marriage could last beyond death and that eternal marriage was essential to inheriting the fulness that God desires for His children. As early as 1840, Joseph Smith privately taught Apostle Parley P. Pratt that the heavenly order allowed Pratt and his wife to be together for time and all eternity.11 Joseph also taught that men like Prattwho had remarried following the death of his first wifecould be married (or sealed) to their wives for eternity, under the proper conditions.12

The sealing of husband and wife for eternity was made possible by the restoration of priesthood keys and ordinances. On April 3, 1836, the Old Testament prophet Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple and restored the priesthood keys necessary to perform ordinances for the living and the dead, including sealing families together.13 Marriages performed by priesthood authority could link loved ones to each other for eternity, on condition of righteousness; marriages performed without this authority would end at death.14

Marriage performed by priesthood authority meant that the procreation of children and perpetuation of families would continue into the eternities. Joseph Smiths revelation on marriage declared that the continuation of the seeds forever and ever helped to fulfill Gods purposes for His children.15 This promise was given to all couples who were married by priesthood authority and were faithful to their covenants.

For much of Western history, family interesteconomic, political, and social considerationsdominated the choice of spouse. Parents had the power to arrange marriages or forestall unions of which they disapproved. By the late 1700s, romance and personal choice began to rival these traditional motives and practices.16 By Joseph Smiths time, many couples insisted on marrying for love, as he and Emma did when they eloped against her parents wishes.

Latter-day Saints motives for plural marriage were often more religious than economic or romantic. Besides the desire to be obedient, a strong incentive was the hope of living in Gods presence with family members. In the revelation on marriage, the Lord promised participants crowns of eternal lives and exaltation in the eternal worlds.17 Men and women, parents and children, ancestors and progeny were to be sealed to each othertheir commitment lasting into the eternities, consistent with Jesuss promise that priesthood ordinances performed on earth could be bound in heaven.18

The first plural marriage in Nauvoo took place when Louisa Beaman and Joseph Smith were sealed in April 1841.19 Joseph married many additional wives and authorized other Latter-day Saints to practice plural marriage. The practice spread slowly at first. By June 1844, when Joseph died, approximately 29 men and 50 women had entered into plural marriage, in addition to Joseph and his wives. When the Saints entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, at least 196 men and 521 women had entered into plural marriages.20 Participants in these early plural marriages pledged to keep their involvement confidential, though they anticipated a time when the practice would be publicly acknowledged.

Nevertheless, rumors spread. A few men unscrupulously used these rumors to seduce women to join them in an unauthorized practice sometimes referred to as spiritual wifery. When this was discovered, the men were cut off from the Church.21 The rumors prompted members and leaders to issue carefully worded denials that denounced spiritual wifery and polygamy but were silent about what Joseph Smith and others saw as divinely mandated celestial plural marriage.22 The statements emphasized that the Church practiced no marital law other than monogamy while implicitly leaving open the possibility that individuals, under direction of Gods living prophet, might do so.23

During the era in which plural marriage was practiced, Latter-day Saints distinguished between sealings for time and eternity and sealings for eternity only. Sealings for time and eternity included commitments and relationships during this life, generally including the possibility of sexual relations. Eternity-only sealings indicated relationships in the next life alone.

Evidence indicates that Joseph Smith participated in both types of sealings. The exact number of women to whom he was sealed in his lifetime is unknown because the evidence is fragmentary.24 Some of the women who were sealed to Joseph Smith later testified that their marriages were for time and eternity, while others indicated that their relationships were for eternity alone.25

Most of those sealed to Joseph Smith were between 20 and 40 years of age at the time of their sealing to him. The oldest, Fanny Young, was 56 years old. The youngest was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Josephs close friends HeberC. and Vilate Murray Kimball, who was sealed to Joseph several months before her 15th birthday. Marriage at such an age, inappropriate by todays standards, was legal in that era, and some women married in their mid-teens.26 Helen Mar Kimball spoke of her sealing to Joseph as being for eternity alone, suggesting that the relationship did not involve sexual relations.27 After Josephs death, Helen remarried and became an articulate defender of him and of plural marriage.28

Following his marriage to Louisa Beaman and before he married other single women, Joseph Smith was sealed to a number of women who were already married.29 Neither these women nor Joseph explained much about these sealings, though several women said they were for eternity alone.30 Other women left no records, making it unknown whether their sealings were for time and eternity or were for eternity alone.

There are several possible explanations for this practice. These sealings may have provided a way to create an eternal bond or link between Josephs family and other families within the Church.31 These ties extended both vertically, from parent to child, and horizontally, from one family to another. Today such eternal bonds are achieved through the temple marriages of individuals who are also sealed to their own birth families, in this way linking families together. Joseph Smiths sealings to women already married may have been an early version of linking one family to another. In Nauvoo, most if not all of the first husbands seem to have continued living in the same household with their wives during Josephs lifetime, and complaints about these sealings with Joseph Smith are virtually absent from the documentary record.32

These sealings may also be explained by Josephs reluctance to enter plural marriage because of the sorrow it would bring to his wife Emma. He may have believed that sealings to married women would comply with the Lords command without requiring him to have normal marriage relationships.33 This could explain why, according to Lorenzo Snow, the angel reprimanded Joseph for having demurred on plural marriage even after he had entered into the practice.34 After this rebuke, according to this interpretation, Joseph returned primarily to sealings with single women.

Another possibility is that, in an era when life spans were shorter than they are today, faithful women felt an urgency to be sealed by priesthood authority. Several of these women were married either to non-Mormons or former Mormons, and more than one of the women later expressed unhappiness in their present marriages. Living in a time when divorce was difficult to obtain, these women may have believed a sealing to Joseph Smith would give them blessings they might not otherwise receive in the next life.35

The women who united with Joseph Smith in plural marriage risked reputation and self-respect in being associated with a principle so foreign to their culture and so easily misunderstood by others. I made a greater sacrifice than to give my life, said Zina Huntington Jacobs, for I never anticipated again to be looked upon as an honorable woman. Nevertheless, she wrote, I searched the scripture & by humble prayer to my Heavenly Father I obtained a testimony for myself.36 After Josephs death, most of the women sealed to him moved to Utah with the Saints, remained faithful Church members, and defended both plural marriage and Joseph.37

Plural marriage was difficult for all involved. For Joseph Smiths wife Emma, it was an excruciating ordeal. Records of Emmas reactions to plural marriage are sparse; she left no firsthand accounts, making it impossible to reconstruct her thoughts. Joseph and Emma loved and respected each other deeply. After he had entered into plural marriage, he poured out his feelings in his journal for his beloved Emma, whom he described as undaunted, firm and unwavering, unchangeable, affectionate Emma. After Josephs death, Emma kept a lock of his hair in a locket she wore around her neck.38

Emma approved, at least for a time, of four of Joseph Smiths plural marriages in Nauvoo, and she accepted all four of those wives into her household. She may have approved of other marriages as well.39 But Emma likely did not know about all of Josephs sealings.40 She vacillated in her view of plural marriage, at some points supporting it and at other times denouncing it.

In the summer of 1843, Joseph Smith dictated the revelation on marriage, a lengthy and complex text containing both glorious promises and stern warnings, some directed at Emma.41 The revelation instructed women and men that they must obey Gods law and commands in order to receive the fulness of His glory.

The revelation on marriage required that a wife give her consent before her husband could enter into plural marriage.42 Nevertheless, toward the end of the revelation, the Lord said that if the first wife receive not this lawthe command to practice plural marriagethe husband would be exempt from the law of Sarah, presumably the requirement that the husband gain the consent of the first wife before marrying additional women.43 After Emma opposed plural marriage, Joseph was placed in an agonizing dilemma, forced to choose between the will of God and the will of his beloved Emma. He may have thought Emmas rejection of plural marriage exempted him from the law of Sarah. Her decision to receive not this law permitted him to marry additional wives without her consent. Because of Josephs early death and Emmas decision to remain in Nauvoo and not discuss plural marriage after the Church moved west, many aspects of their story remain known only to the two of them.

Years later in Utah, participants in Nauvoo plural marriage discussed their motives for entering into the practice. God declared in the Book of Mormon that monogamy was the standard; at times, however, He commanded plural marriage so His people could raise up seed unto [Him].44 Plural marriage did result in an increased number of children born to believing parents.45

Some Saints also saw plural marriage as a redemptive process of sacrifice and spiritual refinement. According to Helen Mar Kimball, Joseph Smith stated that the practice of this principle would be the hardest trial the Saints would ever have to test their faith. Though it was one of the severest trials of her life, she testified that it had also been one of the greatest blessings.46 Her father, Heber C. Kimball, agreed. I never felt more sorrowful, he said of the moment he learned of plural marriage in 1841. I wept days. I had a good wife. I was satisfied.47

The decision to accept such a wrenching trial usually came only after earnest prayer and intense soul-searching. Brigham Young said that, upon learning of plural marriage, it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave.48 I had to pray unceasingly, he said, and I had to exercise faith and the Lord revealed to me the truth of it and that satisfied me.49 Heber C. Kimball found comfort only after his wife Vilate had a visionary experience attesting to the rightness of plural marriage. She told me, Vilates daughter later recalled, she never saw so happy a man as father was when she described the vision and told him she was satisfied and knew it was from God.50

Lucy Walker recalled her inner turmoil when Joseph Smith invited her to become his wife. Every feeling of my soul revolted against it, she wrote. Yet, after several restless nights on her knees in prayer, she found relief as her room filled with a holy influence akin to brilliant sunshine. She said, My soul was filled with a calm sweet peace that I never knew, and supreme happiness took possession of my whole being.51

Not all had such experiences. Some Latter-day Saints rejected the principle of plural marriage and left the Church, while others declined to enter the practice but remained faithful.52 Nevertheless, for many women and men, initial revulsion and anguish was followed by struggle, resolution, and ultimately, light and peace. Sacred experiences enabled the Saints to move forward in faith.53

The challenge of introducing a principle as controversial as plural marriage is almost impossible to overstate. A spiritual witness of its truthfulness allowed Joseph Smith and other Latter-day Saints to accept this principle. Difficult as it was, the introduction of plural marriage in Nauvoo did indeed raise up seed unto God. A substantial number of todays members descend through faithful Latter-day Saints who practiced plural marriage.

Church members no longer practice plural marriage.54 Consistent with Joseph Smiths teachings, the Church permits a man whose wife has died to be sealed to another woman when he remarries. Moreover, members are permitted to perform ordinances on behalf of deceased men and women who married more than once on earth, sealing them to all of the spouses to whom they were legally married. The precise nature of these relationships in the next life is not known, and many family relationships will be sorted out in the life to come. Latter-day Saints are encouraged to trust in our wise Heavenly Father, who loves His children and does all things for their growth and salvation.55

Resources

The Church acknowledges the contribution of scholars to the historical content presented in this article; their work is used with permission.

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My wife pushed me to marry another woman – Pastor Habil Were – Breaking NEWS in KENYA for Today Right Now & Kenyan News | TUKO

Posted: at 3:35 pm

- Pastor Habil Were met his second wife at a church he was ministering and decided to befriend her

- This was after his first wife hinted him it was time he married another woman to be him children since he could not do so

- The couple had been married for 12 years but was still childless

- The two women got along well even before the second was officially introduced to the family

- They all live together but in different rooms with the man of God having his own room

- After the second wife bore him children, they worked together with the first wife to raise them

In almost all African societies, polygamy is an acceptable and valid form of marriage - in fact, monogamy has been associated with people of lower social status.

Proponents of polygamy have claimed that the more wives a man has, the more children he is likely to have.

READ ALSO: Tanzania's tantrums over border closure pointless, could make a bad situation worse

One polygamist who was allowed full and active participation in the life of the church was Pastor Habil Were. Photo: Edwin OchiengSource: Original

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And the more children, the greater the chances that the family will enjoy immortality.

This is indicative of the high regard in which the tradition is held by some African people, particularly in men.

However, the theological thinking of various Christian denominations is divided on the subject of polygamy.

While some churches are reluctant to allow the wives of polygamists to occupy prominent posts within the church, others are reluctant to permit a polygamist to occupy a church leadership role.

READ ALSO: Tearful moment as man stolen as a child reunites with mother 32 years later

Yet others, such as some of the African Independent Churches, accommodate polygamists and allow them full and active participation in the life of the church.

One such polygamist who was allowed full and active participation in the life of the church was Pastor Habil Were who opened up to TUKO.co.kes Lynn Ngugi about his polygamous life.

Habil was a doting husband to his wife of 35 years but having a childless marriage seemed to have been a bother for his wife who then created room for him to be able to court another woman.

READ ALSO: Mombasa woman who boiled stones for her children to get own rental house from govt

Habil was a doting husband to his wife of 35 years but having a childless marriage seemed to have been a bother for his wife. Photo: Habil WereSource: Original

Were met his second wife at a church where he was ministering and befriended her before professing his love for her, which according to him, was accidental.

But the woman confessed to having had a mutual feeling and that he did not have to apoogise.

The second wife became a frequent guest at Weres home and the two women become friends even before the man of God decided to take her in as his second wife.

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Knowing the first wife unable to conceive, the second wife vowed to protect her with all she had including leaving her husband if he ever chose to abandon his first wife.

To ensure there was peace at home, he clearly outlined each ones position in the family but that did not stop problems from popping up time to time nonetheless.

The women lived together in the same house but different rooms while the man of God and his own room but never drew up a schedule to indicate in whose room he would sleep in or when.

READ ALSO: Meet Bungoma midwife helping pregnant women deliver safely for free

The second wife became a frequent guest at Weres home and the two women become friends. Photo: Habil Were.Source: Original

The happy couple was finally blessed by children but that did not stop his first wife from enjoying the joys of motherhood as they worked together to take care of of the children.

According to the apostle, a number of churches had accepted him as a polygamous man of God but usually asked him to keep his status a secret while preaching to the masses.

Were, who has no plan of marrying a third wife, defended his decision to marry two wives using scriptures from the Holy Book citing Abraham who sired a child with his servant after Sarah failed to bear him a child.

He further called out on polygamous men to proudly own their status and not to shy from speaking about their position

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

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My wife pushed me to marry another woman - Pastor Habil Were - Breaking NEWS in KENYA for Today Right Now & Kenyan News | TUKO

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The impact of the coronavirus on the Genetic Engineering Market Solid Analyzed Segmentation, Demand, Recent Share Estimation and Growth Prospects by…

Posted: at 3:34 pm

Genetic Engineering Market 2018: Global Industry Insights by Global Players, Regional Segmentation, Growth, Applications, Major Drivers, Value and Foreseen till 2024

The report provides both quantitative and qualitative information of global Genetic Engineering market for period of 2018 to 2025. As per the analysis provided in the report, the global market of Genetic Engineering is estimated to growth at a CAGR of _% during the forecast period 2018 to 2025 and is expected to rise to USD _ million/billion by the end of year 2025. In the year 2016, the global Genetic Engineering market was valued at USD _ million/billion.

This research report based on Genetic Engineering market and available with Market Study Report includes latest and upcoming industry trends in addition to the global spectrum of the Genetic Engineering market that includes numerous regions. Likewise, the report also expands on intricate details pertaining to contributions by key players, demand and supply analysis as well as market share growth of the Genetic Engineering industry.

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The Research projects that the Genetic Engineering market size will grow from in 2018 to by 2024, at an estimated CAGR of XX%. The base year considered for the study is 2018, and the market size is projected from 2018 to 2024.

The report on the Genetic Engineering market provides a birds eye view of the current proceeding within the Genetic Engineering market. Further, the report also takes into account the impact of the novel COVID-19 pandemic on the Genetic Engineering market and offers a clear assessment of the projected market fluctuations during the forecast period. The different factors that are likely to impact the overall dynamics of the Genetic Engineering market over the forecast period (2019-2029) including the current trends, growth opportunities, restraining factors, and more are discussed in detail in the market study.

Leading manufacturers of Genetic Engineering Market:

The key players covered in this studyThermo Fisher Scientific Inc.GenScriptAmgen Inc.Genentech, Inc.Merck KGaAHorizon Discovery Group plcSangamo Therapeutics, Inc.Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.OriGene Technologies, Inc.

Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoArtificial SelectionCloningGene SplicingOthersMarket segment by Application, split intoAgricultureBt- CottonGolden RiceOthersMedical IndustryRecombinant ProteinsRecombinant AntibodiesOthersForensic Science

Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South America

The study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Genetic Engineering status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Genetic Engineering development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, market and key regions.

In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Genetic Engineering are as follows:History Year: 2015-2019Base Year: 2019Estimated Year: 2020Forecast Year 2020 to 2026For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2019 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.

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The impact of the coronavirus on the Genetic Engineering Market Solid Analyzed Segmentation, Demand, Recent Share Estimation and Growth Prospects by...

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Emerging from stealth, Octant is bringing the tools of synthetic biology to large scale drug discovery – TechCrunch

Posted: at 3:34 pm

Octant, a company backed by Andreessen Horowitz just now unveiling itself publicly to the world, is using the tools of synthetic biology to buck the latest trends in drug discovery.

As the pharmaceuticals industry turns its attention to precision medicine the search for ever more tailored treatments for specific diseases using genetic engineering Octant is using the same technologies to engage in drug discovery and diagnostics on a mass scale.

The companys technology genetically engineers DNA to act as an identifier for the most common drug receptors inside the human genome. Basically, its creating QR codes that can flag and identify how different protein receptors in cells respond to chemicals. These are the biological sensors which help control everything from immune responses to the senses of sight and smell, the firing of neurons; even the release of hormones and communications between cells in the body are regulated.

Our discovery platform was designed to map and measure the interconnected relationships between chemicals, multiple drug receptor pathways and diseases, enabling us to engineer multi-targeted drugs in a more rational way, across a wide spectrum of targets, said Sri Kosuri, Octants co-founder and chief executive officer, in a statement.

Octants work is based on a technology first developed at the University of California Los Angeles by Kosuri and a team of researchers, which slashed the cost of making genetic sequences to $2 per gene from $50 to $100 per gene.

Our method gives any lab that wants the power to build its own DNA sequences, Kosuri said in a 2018 statement. This is the first time that, without a million dollars, an average lab can make 10,000 genes from scratch.

Joining Kosuri in launching Octant is Ramsey Homsany, a longtime friend of Kosuris, and a former executive at Google and Dropbox . Homsany happened to have a background in molecular biology from school, and when Kosuri would talk about the implications of the technology he developed, the two men knew they needed to for a company.

We use these new tools to know which bar code is going with which construct or genetic variant or pathway that were working with [and] all of that fits into a single well, said Kosuri. What you can do on top of that is small molecule screening we can do that with thousands of different wells at a time. So we can build these maps between chemicals and targets and pathways that are essential to drug development.

Before coming to UCLA, Kosuri had a long history with companies developing products based on synthetic biology on both the coasts. Through some initial work that hed done in the early days of the biofuel boom in 2007, Kosuri was connected with Flagship Ventures, and the imminent Harvard-based synthetic biologist George Church . He also served as a scientific advisor to Gen9, a company acquired by the multi-billion dollar synthetic biology powerhouse, Ginkgo Bioworks.

Some of the most valuable drugs in history work on complex sets of drug targets, which is why Octants focus on polypharmacology is so compelling, said Jason Kelly, the co-founder and CEO of Gingko Bioworks, and a member of the Octant board, in a statement. Octant is engineering a lot of luck and cost out of the drug discovery equation with its novel platform and unique big data biology insights, which will drive the companys internal development programs as well as potential partnerships.

The new technology arrives at a unique moment in the industry where pharmaceutical companies are moving to target treatments for diseases that are tied to specific mutations, rather than look at treatments for more common disease problems, said Homsany.

People are dropping common disease problems, he said. The biggest players are dropping these cases and it seems like that just didnt make sense to us. So we thought about how would a company take these new technologies and apply them in a way that could solve some of this.

One reason for the industrys turn away from the big diseases that affect large swaths of the population is that new therapies are emerging to treat these conditions which dont rely on drugs. While they wouldnt get into specifics, Octant co-founders are pursuing treatments for what Kosuri said were conditions in the metabolic space and in the neuropsychiatric space.

Helping them pursue those targets, since Octant is very much a drug development company, is $30 million in financing from investors led by Andreessen Horowitz .

Drug discovery remains a process of trial and error. Using its deep expertise in synthetic biology, the Octant team has engineered human cells that provide real-time, precise and complete readouts of the complex interactions and effects that drug molecules have within living cells, said Jorge Conde, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and member of the Octant board of directors. By querying biology at this unprecedented scale, Octant has the potential to systematically create exhaustive maps of drug targets and corresponding, novel treatments for our most intractable diseases.

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Emerging from stealth, Octant is bringing the tools of synthetic biology to large scale drug discovery - TechCrunch

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One of the World’s Most Powerful Scientists Believes in Miracles – Scientific American

Posted: at 3:34 pm

When I talk to my students aboutthe tempestuous relationship between science and religion, I like to bring up the case of Francis Collins. Early in his career, Collins was a successful gene-hunter, who helped identify genes associated with cystic fibrosis and other disorders. He went on to become one of the worlds most powerful scientists. Since 2009, he has directed the National Institutes of Health, which this year has a budget of over $40 billion. Before that he oversaw the Human Genome Project, one of historys biggest research projects. Collins was an atheist until 1978, when he underwent a conversion experience while hiking in the mountains and became a devout Christian. In his 2006 bestselling bookThe Language of God, Collins declares that he sees no incompatibility between science and religion. The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome, he wrote. He can be worshipped in the cathedral or in the laboratory. Collins just won the$1.3 million Templeton Prize, created in 1972 to promote reconciliation of science and spirituality. (See my posts on the Templeton Foundationhereandhere). This news gives me an excuse to post an interview I carried out with Collins forNational Geographicin 2006, a time whenRichard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and others were vigorously attacking religion. Below is an edited transcript of my conversation with Collins, which took place in Washington, D.C. I liked Collins, whom I found to be surprisingly unassuming for a man of such high stature. But I was disturbed by our final exchanges, in which he revealed a fatalistic outlook on humanitys future. Collins, it seems, haslots of faith in God but not much in humanity. John Horgan

Horgan:How does it feel to be at the white-hot center of the current debate between science and religion?

Collins:This increasing polarization between extremists on both ends of the atheism and belief spectrum has been heartbreaking to me. If my suggestion that there is a harmonious middle ground puts me at the white-hot center of debate--Hooray! Its maybe a bit overdue.

Horgan:The danger in trying to appeal to people on both sides of a polarized debate is--

Collins:Bombs thrown at you from both directions!

Horgan:Has that happened?

Collins[sighs]: The majority have responded in very encouraging ways. But some of my scientific colleagues argue that its totally inappropriate for a scientist to write about religion, and we already have too much faith in public life in this country. And then I get someverystrongly worded messages from fundamentalists who feel that I have compromised the literal interpretation of Genesis 1 and call me a false prophet. Im diluting the truth and doing damage to the faith.

Horgan:Why do you think the debate has become so polarized?

Collins:It starts with an extreme articulation of a viewpoint on one side of the issue and that then results in a response that is also a little bit too extreme, and the whole thing escalates. Every action demands an equal and opposite reaction. This is one of Newtons laws playing out in an unfortunate public scenario.

Horgan:I must admit that Ive become more concerned lately about the harmful effects of religion because of religious terrorism like 9/11 and the growing power of the religious right in the United States.

Collins:What faith hasnotbeen used by demagogues as a club over somebodys head? Whether it was the Inquisition or the Crusades on the one hand or the World Trade Center on the other? But we shouldnt judge the pure truths of faith by the way they are applied any more than we should judge the pure truth of love by an abusive marriage. We as children of God have been given by God this knowledge of right and wrong, this Moral Law, which I see as a particularly compelling signpost to His existence. But we also have this thing called free will which we exercise all the time to break that law. We shouldnt blame faith for the ways people distort it and misuse it.

Horgan:Isnt the problem when religions say,Thisis the only way to truth? Isnt that what turns religious faith from something beautiful into something intolerant and hateful?

Collins:There is a sad truth there. I think we Christians have been way too ready to define ourselves as members of an exclusive club. I found truth, I found joy, I found peace in that particular conclusion, but I am not in any way suggesting that that is the conclusion everybody else should find. To have anyone say, My truth is purer than yours, that is both inconsistent with what I see in the person of Christ andincrediblyoff-putting. And quick to start arguments and fights and even wars! Look at the story of the Good Samaritan, which is a parable from Jesus himself. Jews would have considered the Samaritan to be a heretic, and yet clearly Christs message is:Thatis the person who did right and was justified in Gods eyes.

Horgan:How can you, as a scientist who looks for natural explanations of things and demands evidence, also believe in miracles, like the resurrection?

Collins:My first struggle was to believe in God. Not a pantheist God who is entirely enclosed within nature, or a Deist God who started the whole thing and then just lost interest, but a supernatural God who is interested in what is happening in our world and might at times choose to intervene. My second struggle was to believe that Christ was divine as He claimed to be. As soon as I got there, the idea that He might rise from the dead became a non-problem. I dont have a problem with the concept that miracles might occasionally occur at moments ofgreatsignificance where there is a message being transmitted to us by God Almighty. But as a scientist I set my standards for miracles very high. And I dont think we should try to convince agnostics or atheists about the reality of faith with claims about miracles that they can easily poke holes in.

Horgan:The problem I have with miracles is not just that they violate what science tells us about how the world works. They also make God seem too capricious. For example, many people believe that if they pray hard enough God will intercede to heal them or a loved one. But does that mean that all those who dont get better arent worthy?

Collins:In my own experience as a physician, I have not seen a miraculous healing, and I dont expect to see one. Also, prayer for me is not a way to manipulate God into doing what we want Him to do. Prayer for me is much more a sense of trying to get into fellowship with God. Im trying to figure out what I should be doing rather than telling Almighty God whatHeshould be doing. Look at the Lords Prayer. It says, Thywill be done. It wasnt, Our Father who are in Heaven, please get me a parking space.

Horgan:Many people have a hard time believing in God because of the problem of evil. If God loves us, why is life filled with so much suffering?

Collins:That isthemost fundamental question that all seekers have to wrestle with. First of all, if our ultimate goal is to grow, learn, discover things about ourselves and things about God, then unfortunately a life of ease is probably not the way to get there. I know I have learned very little about myself or God when everything is going well. Also, a lot of the pain and suffering in the world we cannot lay at Gods feet. God gave us free will, and we may choose to exercise it in ways that end up hurting other people.

Horgan:The physicist Steven Weinberg, who is an atheist, has written about this topic. He asks why six million Jews, including his relatives, had to die in the Holocaust so that the Nazis could exercise their free will.

Collins:If God had to intervene miraculously every time one of us chose to do something evil, it would be a very strange, chaotic, unpredictable world. Free will leads to people doing terrible things to each other. Innocent people die as a result. You cant blame anyone except the evildoers for that. So thats not Gods fault. The harder question is when suffering seems to have come about through no human ill action. A child with cancer, a natural disaster, a tornado or tsunami. Why would God not prevent those things from happening?

Horgan:Some theologians, such as Charles Hartshorne, have suggested that maybe God isnt fully in control of His creation. The poet Annie Dillard expresses this idea in her phrase God the semi-competent.

Collins:Thats delightful--and probably blasphemous! An alternative is the notion of God being outside of nature and of time and having a perspective of our blink-of-an-eye existence that goes both far back and far forward. In some admittedly metaphysical way, that allows me to say that the meaning of suffering may not always be apparent to me. There can be reasons for terrible things happening that I cannot know.

Horgan:I think youre an agnostic.

Collins:No!

Horgan:You say that, to a certain extent, Gods ways are inscrutable. That sounds like agnosticism.

Collins:Im agnostic about Gods ways. Im not agnostic about God Himself. Thomas Huxley defined agnosticism as not knowing whether God exists or not. Im a believer! I have doubts. As I quote Paul Tillich: Doubt is not the opposite of faith. Its a part of faith. But my fundamental stance is that God is real, God is true.

Horgan:Im an agnostic, and I was bothered when in your book you called agnosticism a copout. Agnosticism doesnt mean youre lazy or dont care. It means you arent satisfied with any answers for what after all are ultimate mysteries.

Collins:That was a putdown that should not apply to earnest agnostics who have considered the evidence and still dont find an answer. I was reacting to the agnosticism I see in the scientific community, which has not been arrived at by a careful examination of the evidence. I went through a phase when I was a casual agnostic, and I am perhaps too quick to assume that others have no more depth than I did.

Horgan:Free will is a very important concept to me, as it is to you. Its the basis for our morality and search for meaning. Dont you worry that science in general and genetics in particularand your work as head of the Genome Project--are undermining belief in free will?

Collins:Youre talking about genetic determinism, which implies that we are helpless marionettes being controlled by strings made of double helices. That is so far away from what we know scientifically! Heredity does have an influence not only over medical risks but also over certain behaviors and personality traits. But look at identical twins, who have exactly the same DNA but often dont behave alike or think alike. They show the importance of learning and experience--and free will. I think we all, whether we are religious or not, recognize that free will is a reality. There are some fringe elements that say, No, its all an illusion, were just pawns in some computer model. But I dont think that carries you very far.

Horgan:What do you think of Darwinian explanations of altruism, or what you callagape, totally selfless love and compassion for someone not directly related to you?

Collins:Its been a little of a just-so story so far. Many would argue that altruism has been supported by evolution because it helps the group survive. But some people sacrifically give of themselves to those who are outside their group and with whom they have absolutely nothing in common. Like Mother Teresa, Oscar Schindler, many others. That is the nobility of humankind in its purist form. That doesnt seem like it can be explained by a Darwinian model, but Im not hanging my faith on this.

Horgan:If only selflessness were more common.

Collins:Well, there you get free will again. It gets in the way.

Horgan:What do you think about the field of neurotheology, which attempts to identify the neural basis of religious experiences?

Collins:I think its fascinating but not particularly surprising. We humans are flesh and blood. So it wouldnt trouble me--if I were to have some mystical experience myself--to discover that my temporal lobe was lit up. Id say, Wow! Thats okay! That doesnt mean that this doesnt have genuine spiritual significance. Those who come at this issue with the presumption that there is nothing outside the natural world will look at this data and say, Ya see? Whereas those who come with the presumption that we are spiritual creatures will go, Cool! There is a natural correlate to this mystical experience! How about that! I think our spiritual nature is truly God-given, and may not be completely limited by natural descriptors.

Horgan:What if this research leads to drugs or devices for artificially inducing religious experiences? Would you consider those experiences to be authentic? You probably heard about the recent report from Johns Hopkins that the psychedelic drug psilocybin triggered spiritual experiences.

Collins:Yes. If you are talking about the ingestion of an exogenous psychoactive substance or some kind of brain-stimulating contraption, that would smack of not being an authentic, justifiable, trust-worthy experience. So that would be a boundary I would want to establish between the authentic and the counterfeit.

Horgan:Some scientists have predicted that genetic engineering may give us superhuman intelligence and greatly extended life spans, and possibly even immortality. We might even engineer our brains so that we dont fear pain or grief anymore. These are possible long-term consequences of the Human Genome Project and other lines of research. If these things happen, what do you think would be the consequences for religious traditions?

Collins:That outcome would trouble me. But were so far away from that reality that its hard to spend a lot of time worrying about it when you consider all the truly benevolent things we could do in the near term. If you get too hung up on the hypotheticals of what night happen in the next several hundred years, then you become paralyzed and you fail to live up to the opportunities to reach out and help people now. That seems to be the most unethical stance we could take.

Horgan:Im really asking, Does religion requires suffering? Could we reduce suffering to the point where we just wont need religion?

Collins:In spite of the fact that we have achieved all of these wonderful medical advances and made it possible to live longer and eradicate diseases, we will probably still figure out ways to argue with each other and sometimes to kill each other, out of our self-righteousness and our determination that we have to be on top. So the death rate will continue to be one per person by one means or another. We may understand a lot about biology, we may understand a lot about how to prevent illness, and we may understand the life span. But I dont think we will figure out how to stop humans from doing bad things to each other. That will always be our greatest and most distressing experience here on this planet, and that will make us long the most, perhaps, for something more.

Further Reading:

In Defense of Disbelief: An Anti-Creed

Can Faith and Science Coexist?

Richard Dawkins Offers Advice for Donald Trump, and Other Wisdom

What Should We Do With Our Visions of Heaven and Hell?

Mind-Body Problems(free online book, also available asKindle e-bookandpaperback).

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One of the World's Most Powerful Scientists Believes in Miracles - Scientific American

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COVID-19 Vaccines: A Reason to Hope We’re Flying Blind No More – The Wire

Posted: at 3:34 pm

A scanning electron microscope image showing SARS-CoV-2 (orange), the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the US, emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. Photo and caption: NIAID-RML.

COVID-19 continues to be an immense global challenge, with over 5.2 million confirmed cases and over 338,000 deaths.

In this gloom, science offers hope. Never before have scientists come together to do so much in so little time. Important research that stayed behind paywalls earlier is now openly accessible; over 5,000 articles on preprint servers and over 30,000 viral genome sequences are freely available.

Vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus are also being developed at pandemic speed with 10 candidates in clinical testing and another 114 in pre-clinical development. But the basic understanding of whether a vaccine would work, what might be the correlates of protection, and how would one measure those, has been lacking. This was addressed recently.

Most vaccines in development aim to produce antibodies that would disable the virus from entering target cells. These are produced by B cells. Another arm of immunity utilises T-cells that thwart infection in two ways the helper T-cells help B-cells produce antibodies, and the killer T-cells seek out and destroy virus-infected cells. But a small fraction of virus-specific B, helper-T and killer-T cells also develop into memory cells, which respond very quickly to future infections by the same pathogen.

The success of most COVID-19 vaccines under development rests on whether they can produce neutralising antibodies. How does one measure these antibodies? How long do these take to develop, and how long do they last?

Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, USA provide answers to some of these questions in a preprint paper posted on the medRxiv server on May 8. Using molecular biology and biochemical tools they obtained purified receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein, which contacts the ACE2 receptors on target cells to facilitate virus entry (see illustration). Antibodies to RBD are expected to neutralise the virus.

The RBD protein was used to develop blood tests to look for anti-RBD antibodies in COVID-19 patients and assess their ability to neutralise the virus in 44 patients. The study showed that RBD-specific and virus-neutralising antibodies correlated nicely and developed very early after SARS-CoV-2 infection. When validated with 231 hospitalised COVID-19 patients, the RBD-specific antibody test was highly sensitive and specific, and found to be a good surrogate for measuring neutralising antibodies.

These findings have important implications for our understanding of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the use of immune plasma as a therapy, and the development of much-needed vaccines, said Mehul S. Suthar, co-lead author of the study, in an Emory University press release. This study provides a snapshot of the immune response as it is happening, not after the battle is over, he added.

Two recent papers looked at T-cells to SARS-CoV-2. In a paper published May 14, researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, California, designed peptides (small fragments) corresponding to various SARS-CoV-2 proteins and exposed blood cells from COVID-19 patients to these snippets. Their results showed that all patients carried helper T-cells and over 70% also carried killer T-cells, suggesting that the immune system was seeing the virus and mounting a response. These results agreed well with a study from Charit University Hospital, Berlin, posted on medRxiv on April 22.

These and many other T-cell studies are assisted by the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource and the IEDB website, which is the bread and butter of T-cell epitope mapping.

But the real surprise came when blood cells from people who had no SARS-CoV-2 infection were exposed to these peptides. About a third in the Berlin study and about half in the La Jolla study carried the memory T-cells. These are likely to be from past exposure to one of four other human coronaviruses that are endemic and are estimated to cause 20-30% of common cold annually.

These are comprehensive studies characterising the T-cell response to COVID-19 virus, says Rafi Ahmed, a leading immunologist and director of the Vaccine Centre at Emory University, Atlanta. This information will be useful in designing vaccines that induce T cell immunity against COVID-19, adds Ahmed, who is also a fellow of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Most vaccines under development aim to produce an immune response against the viral spike protein, but the La Jolla study showed the presence of T cells that recognise several other viral proteins. As Ahmed suggests, these studies inform vaccine design by recommending the inclusion of other proteins as well. The whole virus attenuated and killed vaccines may therefore offer better and longer lasting protection compared to single protein vaccines.

Though T-cells are often overlooked and neutralising antibodies are typically considered a correlate to protection, it is well established that poor T cells result in poor memory B-cells and thus long-lived antibodies something all vaccine manufactures and proponents of herd immunity are looking for, says Anmol Chandele, group leader of the ICGEB-Emory Vaccine Programme at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi.

The blood test developed at Emory University also helps inform vaccine development. Scientists could test the blood of vaccine study participants for the RBD-specific antibodies as a measure of neutralising antibodies, and use it predict vaccine efficacy. The infusion of blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients has been proposed as a potential therapy for critical patients. This blood test would also be useful in assessing the therapeutic value of convalescent plasma before infusion.

The Emory University researchers are now using the blood test to assess neutralising antibodies in people who get mild disease or remain asymptomatic. This would inform if such people are at a risk of re-infection. In a pandemic situation, it may also be better placed to offer immunity passports.

Commenting on the Emory study, of which he is an author, Ahmed says, This study makes the important observation that COVID-19 patients rapidly generate neutralising antibodies against the virus. This is a very hopeful sign for protective immunity against re-infection in the recovered patients. This, he says has important implications for public health and for COVID-19 vaccines.

The La Jolla T-cell study links well with the Emory antibody study, where the key result is that RBD-binding antibody titres beautifully correlate to neutralising antibody titres in an individual, adds Chandele, who was not part of either study.

These studies offer hope that vaccine developers will no longer fly blind.

Dr Shahid Jameel is a former Group Leader of Virology at ICGEB, New Dehi, India. He is currently CEO, DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance.

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