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Copyright © 2013 by Frans de Waal. With permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The Moral Lives of Primates, Questioning the Priesthood, and More
April 11, 2013
Summary: Finding our moral heritage in our animal ancestors, Garry Wills on why the priesthood has 'failed,' and a violent mob attacks Coptic Christians in Egypt.
Credit: Catherine Marin
Finding Our Moral Heritage Among the Primates April 11, 2013
From chimpanzees to bonobos, primates can be amazingly altruistic--consoling distressed group members, even prying rocks from fighting male’s hands. Biologist Frans de Waal explains why we humans can trace traits like empathy, justice and cooperation all the way back to our animal ancestors.

Frans de Waal, author of The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates

Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Has the Priesthood Failed? April 11, 2013
The Christian priesthood was first described in an anonymous letter in the New Testament, known as the Epistle to the Hebrews. It managed to become an institution, and Garry Wills argues it has now created a top-heavy, unequal church. He says it's as if "God set up a conduit, and it can only be run through priests." In his new book, Wills explores where the priesthood came from, and why we don't need it anymore.

Garry Wills, author of Why Priests: A Failed Tradition
Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Ashashyou
In Egypt, More Violence Against Coptic Christians April 11, 2013
On April 7th, Coptic Christian mourners were attacked outside their central Cathedral in Cairo, a holy site on par with the Vatican. They had gathered for a funeral for fellow Copts, who were killed during sectarian fighting a few days earlier. Though it's unclear who started the violence, it's a sign of the deep-rooted tension between Egypt's Christian minority and Muslim majority. 

Nelly van Doorn-Harder, professor of Islamic Studies at Wake Forest University