Headed for heaven or hell? This roadmap will help

'The Broad and Narrow Way' helped 19th-century preachers explain the consequences of virtue and vice.

Image: British Museum - CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
  • This moral topography shows two walks of life with very different outcomes: heaven and hell.
  • It all starts with a simple choice: the broad gate or the narrow one. From there on in, follow the Bible verses to your choice of afterlife.
  • Despite the map's stark, binary landscape, sinners can still repent and good Christians may be tempted by the Devil.
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The awkward truth about choosing charities

Philosopher Peter Singer broaches an uncomfortable truth about the Make-A-Wish Foundation and GoFundMe pages.

  • None of us have infinite bank accounts so when we make charitable donations we have to weigh up how to do it most effectively. What is the most suffering you can reduce for the amount of money you have?
  • Philosopher Peter Singer uses the Make-A-Wish Foundation as an example. It's a much loved charity for the joy it gives to dying children. Yet the cost of the average wish is $7,500—an amount that, if spent effectively, can save one, two, three, four, or more children's lives, says Peter Singer.
  • "We ought to think about that before we respond emotionally to what seems like a great idea," says Singer. "If you compare saving a child's life with giving a child one great day then anybody—the child, the parents—anybody would say 'Oh, so much better to save the child's life, of course.' And you can save not just one child's life but more than one."
A free download of the 10th anniversary edition of The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty is available here.





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People in rural areas more likely to die of preventable causes, according to the CDC

Preventable deaths for all five leading mortality causes are "consistently higher" in rural communities.

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
  • A CDC report found a large and consistent urban-rural gap when it comes to preventable deaths.
  • The gap results from many factors, from lifestyle choices to a lack of quality health care.
  • Expert recommendations are varied but focus on education, preventative screening, and other methods of cultivating America's medical deserts.
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What happens to your social media when you die?

Do you want Facebook or Google to control your legacy?

Photo by Josh Marshall on Unsplash
  • Faheem Hussain, clinical assistant professor at Arizona State University, says we need to discuss our digital afterlife.
  • One major problem is that we generally avoid talking about death in the first place.
  • Where and how we (and our data) will be used when we die remains a mystery.
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A mummy murder has been solved after 2,600 years

Researchers confirmed that the mummy known as Takabuti died from a stab wound to the back.

Ulster Museum
  • The mummy Takabuti has inspired a great deal of speculation since it was first unwrapped in 1835.
  • Takabuti died when she was between 20 and 30, leading researchers to wonder about her cause of death.
  • New techniques have enabled researchers to determine that Takabuti died from a stab wound to the back, among other interesting findings.
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