Via Rachel Held Evans on Facebook, who got it ultimately from someone who said “We're pretty smug up here in Soviet Canuckistan”! 🙂 I should say that I have not watched the series “Breaking Bad,” but I am aware of the premise, and so am able to understand that this cartoon makes an important point about the way the United States, by being unwilling to adopt legislation, principles, and practices that other developed nations take for granted, forces people into... Read more
Jeff Carter recently mentioned science fiction hymns, providing a couple of examples from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And it got me thinking whether there are others, and if so, what they are. Not long ago I mentioned some hymns in Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood, but the contents of those (as Atwood herself would also emphasize about her novels more generally) lack the characteristic features of sci-fi. And there are the “Jedi Hymns”... Read more
I am delighted to be able to share this research opportunity at the University of Exeter, and am grateful to Daniel Kirk for drawing it to my attention! In addition to it being an exciting opportunity for PhD students, the project itself will result in additional important resources related to the Mandaeans being freely available. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran are one of the most endangered religious groups in the world. This project aims to preserve as much as... Read more
David Hayward's cartoon above gets at an important issue. I suspect that very few of the Bible's authors actually thought in this way. Most genuinely believed that their dreams, their sense of conviction, indicated that God had appointed them. Some are fairly clear that they are human beings like any others, researching, discerning, and writing in a manner that requires no special divine intervention. But what happens next – and what happens today – are the crux of the matter.... Read more
This video brings together two clips from the Doctor Who episodes “Voyage of the Damned” and “Planet of the Dead,” in which the Doctor refers to having been present for the original Christmas and Easter. At the original Christmas, he says he “got the last room,” while he starts to say about the original Easter “between you and me, what really happened is…” before he is interrupted by the beeping of a device. They are clips I showed in my... Read more
I was intrigued to see the New York Times article today about something called “Robotic Church.” While one can find lots of examples of human beings going through the motions, this is about an artist bringing together multiple robotic creations of his, capable of making music, together in one place in Brooklyn to “make a joycul noise” together. This comes at a great time, as the next meeting of my religion and science fiction class will shift our focus to... Read more
David Hayward shared this cartoon yesterday: I am sure that there are some who will find it offensive. But the cross has not always been a public symbol for Christianity, and the removal of a physical symbol doesn’t necessarily indicate the removal of that which is symbolized. But on the other hand, I don’t think that the removal of the symbol of the cross is necessary in order to make room for open questioning. Indeed, it might be more effective... Read more
Tyler Francke tackles Ray Comfort’s silly stance on evolution, pointing out that one could say the same thing about the water cycle in light of what the Bible says. Click through to read his post. Read more
I had seen this before, filled in from the perspective that the man in the picture is Kenny Loggins. And there is a greater resemblance. But since this version is at the intersection of religion and science fiction, I thought I ought to share this one identifying him as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Read more
This evening I had the delightful privilege of hearing Desmond Tutu speak at Clowes Memorial Hall here on the campus of Butler University. In addition to his talk, his manner and his sense of humor being delightful, the occasion also saw the announcement that Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary will together be creating a Desmond Tutu Center, focused on the work of global justice, diversity, and reconciliation. As the university’s press release says, South African cleric and anti-apartheid activist... Read more
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