Latest news with #Haran
Fox News
14-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Culture is 'most important thing for human flourishing' and Bible provides the guide, says author
Print Close By Mark Gerson Published June 14, 2025 In Genesis, after Sarah dies, Abraham decides it's time to find a wife for his son Isaac. He sends his servant with one instruction: Find her in Haran. (See the video at the top of this article.) Why Haran? Earlier in Genesis, we're told that Abraham "made souls" there. BIBLICAL FORMULA FOR CHOOSING SPOUSE OFFERS LESSONS THAT MODERN DATING OFTEN OVERLOOKS Haran was clearly a place open to goodness. Abraham believed what modern society often forgets: Culture is the most important thing about a place and its people. So how can we recognize a good culture today? The answer appears in Exodus, when God describes His own character to Moses — what we call the Thirteen Attributes. "Again and again, the Bible uses one trait to distinguish leaders worth following." One stands out and it's this: slow to anger. Again and again, the Bible uses this trait to distinguish leaders worth following. THE SECRETS OF A MEANINGFUL AND LIFELONG GRANDPARENT-GRANDCHILD BOND When Abraham's nephew Lot causes serious problems — after Abraham made Lot wealthy — Abraham could have lashed out. Instead, he remains calm, suggests they separate and lets Lot choose where to go. Rachel and Moses later face public insults. They show restraint. No revenge. No rage. They stay totally cool. These moments reject the dominant culture of the ancient world: the honor culture. In an honor culture, a "real man" takes offense easily and retaliates harshly. There is another, seemingly very different culture, in which people are quick to anger. "God forbids favoring the rich or the poor, emphasizing merit and character over victimhood," says the author. This is the victim culture. The main difference between the honor culture and the victim culture is how one responds to being offended. WHY GOD AND THE BIBLE WERE RIGHT ABOUT YOUR WORK SCHEDULE ALL ALONG In the honor culture, you fight; in the victim culture, you complain. God rejects both victim and honor cultures. He calls Jews to remember that we were "strangers" in Egypt, not slaves, to prevent a victim mindset. In Leviticus, God forbids favoring the rich or the poor, emphasizing merit and character over victimhood. Yet in modern America, many institutions promote a victim culture, encouraging people to seek out microaggressions and unconscious bias – and report them. The quickness to anger in both honor and victim cultures is harmful for a number of reasons. Studies have shown that persistent quickness to anger can lead to heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, migraines, memory impairment, risky behaviors and a compromised immune system. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER The Bible wants us to build a different kind of culture – one based on dignity. A dignified culture is composed of people who act thoughtfully and strategically, unlike those in the victim and honor cultures, who are acted upon. For more Lifestyle articles, visit A dignified culture is one in which people take responsibility, use violence judiciously and infrequently, stay focused on their mission and purpose, are grateful for all they have — and choose their words carefully. So: God was right! CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Culture is the most important thing for human flourishing – and the biblical ideal of a culture of dignity provides the model for the one we should build. Mark Gerson's new book is "God Was Right: How Modern Social Science Proves the Torah Is True," published by BenBella Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster (June 2025). This article is part of a series featured exclusively by Fox News Digital. Print Close URL
Fox News
31-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Biblical formula for choosing spouse offers lessons that modern dating overlooks
Maybe this is the most important question we will receive from our children and grandchildren: "How do I know that he (or she) is the one?" The Bible – our great guidebook – has the answer. In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Isaac. His only instruction? Go to Haran, the place where Abraham once "made souls." (See the video at the top of this article.) It was a culture open to God. That's trait No. 1. Look for a spouse in a good place. Eliezer arrives and sees Rebecca. She's "very fair to look upon" — that's trait No. 2. Then he watches her draw water not just for him, but for all his camels — an exhausting and generous act. That's trait No. 3: generosity. On the basis of these three — and only three — characteristics, Eliezer decides: She's the one. Rebecca, in turn, is told only two things about Isaac. "The Torah gives us an instructive sequence: 'Isaac married her. She became his wife. And he loved her.'" He's wealthy, which means he can provide. And he loves God, which means he has a strong set of values. She agrees to marry him. Then the Torah gives us an instructive sequence: "Isaac married her. She became his wife. And he loved her." As Isaac and Rebecca had the best marriage in the Bible, their formula for marital happiness is worthy of our reflection. Identify a few essential traits. Get married. Become a spouse through continual acts of giving. Then love will follow and continually grow. "We don't give to those we love; we love those to whom we give." The Hebrew language supports this. The root of ahava — love — is hav, meaning "to give." Those of us who have enjoyed or even just observed long, happy and loving relationships know why: We don't give to those we love; we love those to whom we give. We don't "fall in love." We cultivate it. Modern culture says the opposite. Waiting until age 30 to marry and have children, for example, increases infertility risks, both for women and men, to varying extents. Casual dating often leads to casual sex, which is so unsatisfying that we are now in what sociologists call a "sexual recession," in which young men prefer video games (particularly new releases) to sex. Repeated rejection causes long-term emotional wear that the body recognizes as physical pain. In the model cited earlier, people "test" compatibility for years. A 2016 Barna study found that 84% of couples who live together before marriage do so to check for compatibility. And yet, according to the Institute for Family Studies, the No. 1 reason for divorce? "Basic incompatibility." When it comes to advising our children and grandchildren about a happy marriage, the Bible offers the now-proven formula. Throw out the 100-item checklists. For more Lifestyle articles, visit It doesn't matter if the young woman prefers warm-weather vacations over cold-weather vacations. It doesn't matter if the young man's friends are funny. If the couple has a foundation for love, which can be found in two or three core characteristics, they might think about getting those church bells ready to ring — as they are set for a wonderful marriage. Mark Gerson's new book is "God Was Right: How Modern Social Science Proves the Torah Is True," published by BenBella Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster (June 2025). This article is part of a series featured exclusively by Fox News Digital.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Simple Energy plans $350mn IPO
EV maker Simple Energy , which has its manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district, is planning a $350 million or Rs 3,000 crore IPO in FY27. Currently backed by investors like Balamurugan Arumugam, Vipul Khanna, Apar Industries family office, Velumani family office and Haran family office among others, Simple Energy will launch its IPO in 'Q2–Q3 of FY27,' said the company in a statement. The amount raised will be used to 'establish a larger manufacturing facility to meet pan-India demand,' it added. So far its investors have pumped in $41 million into the company. Suhas Rajkumar, founder & CEO, Simple Energy said, 'As much as 95% of our vehicle components manufactured in the electric two-wheeler market growing at around 20% year-on-year in FY25, Simple Energy is scaling rapidly to align with this momentum, aiming to cross 1 lakh units cumulative scooter sales by FY27. Our mission goes beyond metros to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Hence the IPO marks a pivotal chapter in this journey.'
