[This entry from 2006, which continues the case that Christmas did NOT derive from a pagan holiday, reminds us that those of us from European, yea, Germanic stock, had pagan ancestors who were brought to faith by missionaries.] Thanks to reader SSchaper–also to commenter Puzzled–
Babies like Christmas music A study has found that Christmas music, more so than other kinds, has a calming effect on babies. Daycare workers have long noticed how babies do not cry as much when Christmas music is played in the background. Other styles they
[Another great Luther quote on Christmas, posted in 2005] The God in the Manger A major hat-tip to What You Do Do Quickly for this heart-touching Christmas meditation from Martin Luther: if you will have joy, bend yourself down to this place. There you will
HT to Paul McCain for quotes about how Luther relates vocation to Christmas: Here is another excellent and helpful lesson, namely, that after the shepherds have been enlightened and have come to a true knowledge of Christ, they do not run out into the desert-which
When veterans of the Clinton administration went into academia, a number of them were shocked to find that despite their impeccable liberal politics, their new university colleagues considered them unacceptably right wing! On many campuses the faculty has more Marxists than Republicans. This has long
The British press is reporting that the head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said in an interview that the nativity story is just a a legend. What he really said is that the Wise Men weren’t kings, that they
Confounding the anti-natalists we talked about recently, the fertility rate in the USA has reached 2.1 children per woman, which means that Americans are, at long last, replacing themselves. This is good news, as other advanced industrial nations are struggling with low fertility rates that
G. K. Chesterton said that there is no such thing as an uninteresting subject. There can only be an uninterested person. His point was that EVERYTHING in this created order is, when seen properly, amazing. A corollary that I have long noted is that ANY
Time Magazine has named Russian strongman Vladimir Putin“Person of the Year.” The choice is attracting some criticism, though at least the magazine has named a, you know, person. As opposed to a computer, which they did not long ago, and what they did last time,
Peter Jackson, who directed “The Lord of the Rings” movies, has finally untangled some legal complexities and will start filming The Hobbit next year. He is splitting Tolkien’s novel into two separate films, with the first to be released in 2010 and the second in
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