A recent post on the blog Jesus Creed highlights the need for liberals to tell our own story, and not simply allow caricatures by our opponents to predominate. Liberal Christianity, in a nutshell, is simply one form of Christianity that has existed for as long as Christianity has. It recognizes that the Bible is a collection of works by human beings and not written by God, and that there is a need to be open to other sources of information... Read more
I recently had a comment left on my blog by what appears to be a bona fide geocentrist. I had been planning on blogging about the topic, since it had come up on a couple of other blogs I read. Brandon Withrow blogged about a movie called “The Principle” which promotes geocentrism. It appears to use some famous people in ways that it is hard to believe they approve of. Here is the trailer (see Brandon’s post for more details):... Read more
A slide show with some of the most popular New Yorker cartoons came my way. Below are my favorites. Click through to see the whole collection. I hope this gives you something to do to pass the time while stuck inside on this day of blizzard. Read more
As weather forecasters are warning of a “polar vortex” set to bring record low temperatures in many areas, is anyone besides me thinking back to the apocalyptic movie “The Day After Tomorrow,” which envisaged global warming disrupting weather patterns, leading to a new ice age? The movie’s scenario is obviously ridiculously extreme, but it is frustrating to see people responding to recent weather forecasts by saying “See, it is cold, therefore global warming is a myth.” How can people not... Read more
On Reddit I came across this wonderful bit of wisdom about interpreting the Bible, from an individual whose user name is SleetTheFox: “Whatever is supposed to be literal I interpret literal. Whatever is supposed to be symbolic I interpret symbolic. Whatever I have mischaracterized the intended meaning of, I interpret incorrectly.” That pretty much sums it up. Perhaps it needs to be turned into a song – “What does Sleet the Fox say?” Read more
Via Catholic Memes on Facebook Read more
Via the Daily Kos. Read more
“[W]hen people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together.” — Isaac Asimov, “The Relativity of Wrong,” The Skeptical Inquirer 1989 Read more
It has been proposed that the above Hebrew inscription may have indicated that the vessel contained wine of the lowest quality. The article’s proposed connections with Solomon are pure speculation, but given the traditions connecting Solomon’s court with a school of wisdom, it is fun to ponder whether, then as now, grad students were among the consumers of the least expensive wine available… Read more
This cartoon came to my attention via Facebook. I’ve long observed that the terminology we use for our files and information parallels the language some Christians use about the afterlife: “saved” and “lost.” And so I can readily see a technological metaphor catching on in reciprocal fashion. But is uploading the same thing as continuing to exist? Would that be you or a copy? The same philosophical issues confront both belief in resurrection and the hope to upload one’s mind... Read more
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