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In his novel, The First Circle, the Russian author Alexandr Solzhenitsyn ironically refers to Joseph Stalin as “the plowman.” The month of April is a significant month of anniversaries for the plowman. It is also a time when we should look forward, hopeful that the great biblical promises of a better plowman will soon be fulfilled in Tomorrow’s World!

Throughout history, many millions of people have lived in nations where a state religion was enforced. Some of these religions have been relatively mild in their influence, while others have been severe. Even today, despite the trend toward secularism, dozens of nations have at least a nominal state religion. Modern generations have grown up during a period of secularism in Western nations, and many may be tempted to think that the country in which they live will never be under a state religion.

The headlines scream of the carnage unfolding in Syria, with new allegations of the use of poison gas by the Bashar al-Assad regime. While the United Nations makes empty pronouncements and the major powers hurl meaningless threats of intervention, people on both sides of the conflict die in increasing numbers.

If you are in the habit of telling lies, then your “pants on fire” may not be your only problem. So says researcher Susan Guibert. Research from the University of Notre Dame was presented at the 2012 American Psychological Association’s annual convention, revealing that people who were able to reduce the number of lies they told over a period of ten weeks experienced “significantly improved physical and mental health.” Interesting?