Doctors are warning teens and others to not take part in a YouTube fad being called the “cinnamon challenge.” The challenge involves swallowing a spoonful of ground cinnamon in 60 seconds without the help of water. It’s obviously hard to do—otherwise it wouldn’t be a challenge—and with good reason: Cinnamon in such concentrated doses is caustic, potentially causing choking, breathing trouble and collapsed lungs. More than 30 teens have been hospitalized after trying the challenge. (Associated Press)
Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.