Episode 84: Religious pupils do better in school, Origin of religion, Raffle fundraisers, Hole-in-one insurance, Descriptive Representation and Kamala Harris

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Shawn is up first this week. The Ancient Tradition is a podcast hosted by Dr. Jack Logan who is a professor who has researched religious traditions throughout the world. In her study she found reputable scholars that kept pointing out similarities in all these traditions all over the world that indicate there was one original ritual system. She references reputable academic scholars in religion, cosmology, archeology and Several argue that the evidence is so profound that they concluded it is incontrovertible that religions of today were descendants of some common source.
Why are lds members so interested in this? If the findings are true are they big deal, little deal or no deal?

Next up, Matt. A car dealership raffled off a brand new Toyota Camry as a fundraiser for schools in their community. This fundraiser raised over $300,000. It's a good way to make a small donation go a long way, if you think about it. The church has long taught that games of chance and gambling are spiritually harmful. The church handbook specifically states that we cannot use raffles to raise funds for things like young men's and young women's camp. Is it morally right to use raffles as a way to raise money for charitable causes in our communities?

Finally, Sam.

The Big Question: I was touring the National Park where the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were assigned, the tour guide told the story of a man named James Forten. Shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he was in the streets of Philadelphia and noticed a regiment of soldiers from Rhode Island marching through town, and it caught his attention because this was a regiment of all black soldiers. Seeing somebody who looked like him as a member of the militia that was going to take on Great Britain inspired him to join the cause. He was captured, and one of the Officers of the British Army was impressed with him and offered to free him and employ him in his home in Great Britain. James was being offered a chance at freedom from bondage in exchange for a very extravagant lifestyle in Great Britain. James turned the offer down and returned to prison. Because he was so inspired by the cause of the revolution. Eventually, James was freed and became a prominent, wealthy, industrialist in the city of Philadelphia after the Revolutionary War. In political science, we have this concept called descriptive representation. James's story is reflective of the idea of descriptive representation. It is that even when you do not know much about policies or issues that are going on in politics, when you see somebody involved in politics who is similar to you, it makes you feel like you are being represented in the cause. It inspires patriotism and it inspires people to be more supportive of elected officials. Simply seeing a black militia fighting in the Revolutionary War was sufficient to persuade James Forten that he should give up opportunities provided to him by the Kingdom of Great Britain and fight for the liberation of the colonies. So far, women and Asian Americans have never seen somebody like them sitting in the White House as president of the United States. Simply seeing an Asian American woman in the White House Would persuade millions of Americans that the American Dream is a reality for them, not just something on paper, but something that could actually be realized in their own lifetime. The big question: Is that a good enough reason to vote for Kamala Harris for president of the United