A Terrible Human-Devouring God

Last updated on: July 21, 2016 at 6:02 pm By James F. McGrath

Two stories by Philip K. Dick (“Rautavaara’s Case” and “Faith of our Fathers,” both included in the collection Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick, with an introduction by Jonathan Lethem) explore alien gods and ideas of God. One contrasts the human image of Christ with the equivalent savior of plasma-based beings from Proxima Centauri. Whereas our human Christ offers himself to be eaten, intoning words from the Gospel of John, their Christ devours others. The other story envisages a world... Read more

Terminator: The Simone Beauvoir Chronicles

Last updated on: July 20, 2016 at 11:09 am By James F. McGrath

Existential Comics recently offered a philosophical variation on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a program which I used to blog about regularly because of the show’s exploration of religion and my interest in artificial intelligence. Having duly issued the necessary language warning, I nonetheless recommend it and link to it. Of related interest, see the recent papers by Amitai and Oren Etzioni on AI-assisted ethics and why killer robots won’t doom humanity – but our fears of them might. See... Read more

Who is My Neighbor?

Last updated on: July 18, 2016 at 8:37 am By James F. McGrath

I had someone ask me about the claims made on a blog called Theological Sushi about the parable of the Good Samaritan. Here is an example of what the post claims (click through to read the details): This is an important argument for understanding who the neighbor is. The laws in the Old Testament do not command us to take care of the unbeliever. Instead, all of the laws have to do with preserving the life of one’s fellow covenant... Read more

Studies in Late Antiquity

Last updated on: July 18, 2016 at 6:02 am By James F. McGrath

Via Jim Davila, I learned about this fascinating new book series that Edinburgh University Press has launched, which will be a good venue for, among other things, those who work on the Mandaeans. Alternative Histories: Narratives from the Middle East and Mediterranean Series Editor(s): Sargon Donabed Explores the narratives of minority communities and individuals in the Middle East This new series will provide a forum for exchange on a myriad of alternative histories of minorities in the Near and Middle... Read more

Run From Christlike Candidates

Last updated on: July 17, 2016 at 1:12 pm By James F. McGrath

I really wanted to believe it was satire when a website called GOPocalypse claimed that a Southern Baptist pastor named Robert Jeffress had said the following: You know, I was debating an evangelical professor on NPR and this professor said, ‘Pastor, don’t you want a candidate who embodies the teaching of Jesus and would govern this country according to the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount?’ I said, ‘Heck no.’ I would run from that candidate as far as possible, because... Read more

Jesus is My Airbag

Last updated on: July 21, 2016 at 6:03 pm By James F. McGrath

Hemant Mehta shared the image above. I wonder whether the two different bumper stickers, depicting God or Jesus as copilot and airbag respectively, could usefully symbolize two common approaches to religion – that which views the divine as playing a crucial role in everyday life, and that which views the divine as something to fall back on in an emergency, but whose presence can otherwise be ignored? Read more

Cast out of the Synagogue/USA: History, Rhetoric, and Reality

Last updated on: July 21, 2016 at 6:04 pm By James F. McGrath

I participated in a fascinating conversation about the Gospel of John as a group of us who had attended the “John the Jew” Enoch Seminar coped with a train strike in Italy. The conversation was about the references in the Gospel of John to being expelled from the synagogue. Since there was no universally-accepted authority that could kick people out in any formal way, some have suggested that the references in John are merely rhetoric. But thinking about this in the... Read more

Day Jobs

Last updated on: July 21, 2016 at 6:05 pm By James F. McGrath

Via Scot McKnight Read more

A Gastly Encounter

Last updated on: July 15, 2016 at 9:06 pm By James F. McGrath

Apparently the campus of Butler University is simply teeming with Pokemon. There are four gyms, and Pokemon are even to be found roaming the halls of the buildings. Someone spotted one today right above my head… Read more

Introducing Religion Prof

Last updated on: July 15, 2016 at 7:20 pm By James F. McGrath

I announced earlier that my blog would be undergoing a rebranding, and said that the name would not surprise anyone. ReligionProf has long been my Twitter handle, my nickname on Reddit, as well as being in use in other places – including Hearthstone! And so as I considered how my blog has become so much more than a place where I blog about The Matrix (even though I continue to explore our matrix), I thought it was time for a... Read more