Hemant Mehta shared the delightful BuzzFeed rundown of the different ways different media outlets would report the apocalypse. Click through to see the series. It includes self-parody, i.e. what BuzzFeed would have about the apocalypse… In a related vein, see Ed Cook’s Buzzfeedesque list of unbelievable Aramaic expressions. Read more
Hector Avalos has a lengthy and detailed post about the solidity of the sky – the “firmament” – in ancient Israelite thinking, as found reflected in the Bible. Click through to read it, especially if you are not aware of how this provides overwhelming evidence that so-called Biblical literalists in fact pick and choose what to take literally. Read more
The very terminology of “believing” in evolution is controversial. Two contrasting views on the subject popped up on blogs I read yesterday. Paul Braterman emphasizes the problems with using such language. Here is a sample from his post: Evolution, whether we mean changes in the genetic make-up of populations over time, or the common descent of living things on earth, is a fact. It is supported by, and explains, innumerable more specific facts concerning the fossil record, molecular phylogeny (the same... Read more
The sermon at my church yesterday was about sin. The pastor preached about Jesus’ statements (clearly not to be taken literally) about cutting off one’s hand, or foot, or plucking out one’s eye. The context in Mark suggests that there is a real danger of judgment, with fire, but also that the fire has a purifying rather than an ultimately destructive aim. That in itself would be worth talking about further. But the main point of the sermon was how... Read more
From Saturday Night Live, via Hemant Mehta. What struck me most was the parental nature of God as depicted in the sketch. Disobedience wasn't something surprising, and Eve is not told “Get out of this house, you disobeyed my rules” or something authoritarian like that, but rather than she was going to need to move out on her own sooner or later. I think much of that is true to the symbolism of the story. Human beings are not meant... Read more
John Walton discusses the interpretation of Genesis’ creation stories. HT Allan Bevere Read more
I thought this cartoon by Chris Bambrough was worth sharing. I think it is the first one I have ever seen focused on the creation of the tomato! Read more
This song by My Brightest Diamond caught my eye and ear on the album All Things Will Unwind. I heard the singer, Shara Worden, perform as the soloist on Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra last weekend. It was a fantastic concert, also including Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No.1 and Kilar’s Krzesany. Read more
HT Dănuț Mănăstireanu Read more
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