This weekend, a group of American Catholic leaders are meeting in Baltimore to discuss how “to prepare more priests and bishops to respond to the demand” for more exorcisms. The article in the New York Times makes it clear that the Catholic church is responding to a demand from the laity, and that they carefully screen people to separate those needing psychological care from those who are truly possessed. I have many issues with the theology and practices of the... Read more

Ah, insight. Sometimes you have to labor for it, through study and prayer. Sometimes you have to pursue it, through meditation and divination. And sometimes out of nowhere it pours over you like a waterfall, washing away your fears and overflowing your soul with more wisdom than you can contain. That’s what happened to me yesterday. I was stretching before going walking, mentally sketching out a blog post on walking as a spiritual discipline (which I will write before too... Read more

Religious leaders of almost all flavors like to rant against our evolutionary desire for more more more. Unless you’ve been immersed in a “prosperity gospel” church for the past twenty years you know what I’m talking about. Once our basic needs are covered, “more” material stuff doesn’t make us happier, so our religions teach us to focus our time and energy on things like family, spiritual work, and work to help those whose basic needs aren’t covered. This makes sense,... Read more

Not exactly a spiritual event, but well worth attending if you’re in the DFW area.  Click on the image to see a larger version of the flyer. Read more

I’m not mad, I’m disappointed. I hear parents say that to their kids when what they really mean is “I’m mad as hell but I’m trying to set a good example.” I hear supervisors say that when what they really mean is “I’d like to fire your worthless ass but I don’t have time for all the paperwork HR will make me do.” When it comes to Tuesday’s election, I’m not mad, and I’m certainly not surprised. I’m disappointed. I’m... Read more

Summerland photo by Erica Svenson The Samhain weekend was very busy, with the CUUPS Circle on Friday night and the DUUF Sunday service on Sunday morning. And then last night, seven of us gathered at the Summerland stone circle near Decatur – I hadn’t been there since the funeral for James Stevens, who built the circle. His wife Carolyn has made some improvements – she’s doing her best to continue his vision. I love liturgy and ritual. Whether I’m leading... Read more

Samhain Sunday Service Reflection by John Beckett Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship October 31, 2010 Imagine, if you will, that instead of living in 21st century America, with our technological wonders and overabundance of food in seemingly infinite varieties, you live in Europe three thousand years ago. There is no McDonalds, no Kroger, no Wal-Mart – your food supply depends not on a complex supply chain, but on you, your family and your neighbors. The fields that were green in Summer... Read more

I don’t talk much politics or social commentary here. But I saw something today I want to explore in a little more detail. Something that on the surface doesn’t seem like a big deal, but that has me asking some deeper questions and drawing some fairly strong conclusions. First, the facts. I had lunch at Chick-fil-a today. I got my food and was looking for a place to sit when I noticed a man sitting by himself in one of... Read more

Via The Wild Hunt, here’s a link to an interview with Christian author Drew Dyck who has written a book titled “Generation Ex-Christian: Why Young Adults Are Leaving the Faith … and How to Bring Them Back.” Navel-gazing on why people have been leaving Christianity has been going on all my life, but Dyck has drawn on some legitimate research and done some reasonable analysis. He identifies six broad categories of ex-Christians: Drifters, Neopagans, Rebels, Recoilers, Modern leavers and Postmodern... Read more

When asked if I’m a hard polytheist or a soft polytheist, my usual answer is “yes.” I’m a hard polytheist because – like our ancestors – I experience the various gods and goddesses as unique, individual beings with their own likes, dislikes, goals and personalities. I’m a soft polytheist because I have experienced the Unity of All. Deities are a part of the All, the same as me and you and everyone else and all other living things (and most... Read more