Religious Freedom Commission: Punish China for religious persecution The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its first annual report Monday. Among its recommendations was "the U.S. Congress should grant China Permanent Normal Trade Relations status only after China makes substantial improvement in respect for religious freedom." It also singled out the Sudan and Russia for special criticism. The commission also charges that the U.S. State Department withheld documents related to Sudan despite the Commission's security clearance for such materials. The report is available at the commission's Web site. Newsweek describes 'What Teens Believe' This week's cover story says today's teens are "spiritual, optimistic, and ambitious." In fact, writes Sharon Begley, "This generation of teens is more spiritual than their parents, but often less conventionally so." This seems to contradict an earlier Barna survey that said "Faith is a passing fancy of young people," but may not, as a lengthy secondary article by John Leland on teen religion—or, more accurately, spirituality—notes. "The unsung story of today's teenagers may be how religious or spiritual they are," Leland writes, but notes that "in place of strict adherence to doctrine, many teens embrace a spirit of eclecticism and a suspicion of absolute truths." There's nothing particularly new in this article, but it's still a well-written overview of the growing relativistic faith among youths. The Web site includes extra audio interviews and other resources. The gay Mormon who killed himself in shame A saddening, frustrating, and a bit manipulative article in the teen issue of Newsweek tells the story of Stuary Matis, a gay Mormon who committed ...