I started writing a while back about John Rawls and his journey away from a rather orthodox Protestant faith. Rawls mentions three incidents which he viewed as playing a significant role in this change. All are connected to World War II, with the first two dealing with specific experience Rawls had while fighting in the Pacific. I wrote about them here. The third incident is a much larger event. It is the Holocaust. Rawls recounts finding out about the Holocaust in the following way: It … [Read more...]
Kant on Duty, Inclination, and Loving Our Enemies.
May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Along with my dissertation, I have been pondering and working on a project about the idea of loving our enemies. Earlier, I shared a variety of English translations of the fifth book of Matthew verses 43-48. The philosopher Immanuel Kant references these verses, specifically the instruction to love our neighbors and enemies, in his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. I was introduced to Kant in school. Much of my exposure to Kantian ideas came from reading John Rawls and Jurgen … [Read more...]
Sister Monson Passes Away
May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Only moments before seeing the news that Frances Monson had passed away this morning at the age of 86, I was telling a friend that my wife and children mean more to me than anything. Sister Francis Beverly Monson is the wife of Thomas S. Monson, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since Since Francis is a fellow Utah Ute, I want to share this part of the statement from the Church Public Affairs statement about her passing: She grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah … [Read more...]
I Am Going the Netroots Nation!
May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I just got the call from Democracy for America. I have been awarded a scholarship to Netroots Nation 2013 in San Jose! The scholarship covers 4 nights of hotel and the conference fee. Thanks to all of my supporters that voted for me! Also, thank you to Democracy for America for this opportunity! … [Read more...]
Books and My Mother: Happy Mother’s Day
May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment
My mother Carla Henrichsen is Dutch. She was born in The Hague. She met and married my father in Munich when she was 22. He was stationed there with he U.S. Army. She was working at the military hospital. My older brother was born a year later while my father was on a tour in Vietnam. With her baby, my mother immigrated to the United States while my father was still in Vietnam. My mother would go on to become a successful business woman, starting an in-home daycare before I was born. She was … [Read more...]
Not Heavenly Mother…Pink Floyd Mother (covered by Pearl Jam)
May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment
There has been a number of rather contentious and awkward conversations about Heavenly Mother on the bloggernacle over the years. My view is that we should spend more time thinking about the role that mother's play in our society and our relationship with the mothers in our own lives. I think that one of the great contributions of feminist theory is the emphasis on the here and now...and the need to avoid unnecessary abstraction. In "Mother" by Roger Waters (originally perform by Pink Floyd on … [Read more...]
When the beating of your heart Echoes the beating of the drums..
May 9, 2013 By 4 Comments
Last week I watched Les Mis for the first time. I’ve heard of the story but had never seen any of the film or play productions. I will say I was impressed. I thought it was a great story. The music is what got me. I felt it to be inspiring in many ways, and making the story that much more influential. There were many great songs, and lines in the songs that I thought were pretty powerful. One of the lines comes from the song, “The People’s song” it is as follows: “Do you hear … [Read more...]
Moving to Sin City
May 8, 2013 By 7 Comments
After 3 years in Wyoming, the Henrichsen clan will be moving to Las Vegas! My wife has accepted an elementary school teaching position there. Pretty much everything has fallen apart for us here and we are super excited about starting over. I will continue to blog and I will be continuing my position as Faith and Social Justice Director with Independence Rock Group: Center to Faith, Ethics, and Social Justice. We will be going from a state with about 530,000 people to a county (Clark … [Read more...]
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