Intrinsic evil is a term which is often misunderstood as indicating something is essentially (and so absolutely) evil. The reason this is wrong is because evil is not natural, and so, has no real essence or substance of its own. Nothing can be essentially evil. There is nothing which is absolutely evil. Existence is good, which means, everything which exists, has some good in it because of its existence. Evil works to counter the good, to deny some proper good;... Read more
In the Byzantine tradition, Lent is over. Holy Week is a time all unto its own. The last day of Lent was the Friday before Palm Sunday. Then comes Lazarus Saturday, the celebration which commemorates when Jesus brought Lazarus back to life (which can be said to be a resuscitation, not a resurrection, because, in Christian theology, a resurrection is more than just coming back to life). Then comes Palm Sunday which leads us to Holy Week. Holy week was... Read more
It’s easy to shout, Jesus, or Christ, is king. It is another thing to live your life as if you actually believed it. It is easy to say Christ is king, especially if you think you can gain some political or social advantage by doing so. It is easy to play to religious crowds, making them think you are one of them by saying good, pious words. But Jesus will not be fooled. It is no good to say Christ... Read more
Paul explained that there are three theological virtues, those of faith, hope and love, with love being the greatest of the three. Love (caritas, which can sometimes be described as or translated as charity) is greater than knowledge, even if both are goods which we should cultivate in our lives. Knowledge should help us to love better, not less. We certainly should not seek knowledge so as to make ourselves look better than others, hoping to get the praise of... Read more
We are created beings, which means, we have a beginning and possibly, an end. We have limits to our being. We seek eternal life, infinite existence, but, it is beyond our potential. Does that mean eternal life is impossible for us? No. We might not be able to possess it, to attain it through the potential we have been given at the time of our creation, but we can be possessed by it, that is, have it flow in and... Read more
The world markets are in free-fall. Trump, with his tariffs, does not care how many people he hurts, how many lives he destroys, indeed, how many people will die because of his reckless policies. When asked, his only reply is that the weak will fail, suggesting that anyone who suffers from this, anyone whose lives are ruined, are worthless because they are weak. This mentality is also what lies behind all the destruction of the government and its agencies he... Read more
It is way too easy to judge and condemn others. We can see, for example, a prostitute on the street and think that it is sad she had to become a prostitute to survive. We might even try to help her in some way, even as we look down upon her, think poorly of her and condemn her in our minds. It is easy for us to do so, ignoring that, due to our circumstances, and our situation, we are... Read more
Empathy. Sympathy. Compassion. Kindness. Tolerance. Meekness. Humility. All of these qualities are those which should be associated with Christians. Christians should embrace them as they deal with others. This is because they are qualities which Christ uses to deal with humanity. Thus, Scripture tells us that Jesus is the high priest who is able to have empathy with us, and so sympathize with us and our condition, because he became one of us, and experiences the human condition with us... Read more
I often have Christians telling me that I am dealing with insignificant issues when I write on social justice or similar moral concerns (such as on the need to deal with climate change). They say that Christians should prioritize the salvation of souls. It is funny they do not do this when dealing with their own concerns, such as those around the culture wars, or their own theological reflections.  It is only when they are challenged to do and be... Read more
Climate change is upon us, and has been upon us for a long time. We see and experience more and more of its devastating effects, such as in the increasing frequency of wildfires and terrible storms wrecking destruction all around the world. Sadly, many of its effects, at least initially, can be quite subtle, so that we do not notice them. It is only with hindsight can be see how climate change has adversely affected the world we live in... Read more
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