HT Christians Against the Tea Party on Facebook I’ve commented several times on what prominent would-be spokespeople for Christianity have had to say about the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Initially I added additional links I came across to those posts. But there continue to be so many that I thought I should share some of the beautiful and horrific things that have come to my attention. The Lead has had a steady stream of reporting on sermons and prayers... Read more
I saw this on Reddit: OK, a holographic Ki-Adi Mundi where one might expect an angel is interesting. But why would Han and Leia give birth to Yoda, or even just be next to Yoda in a manger? If you’re going to put Star Wars or other action figures in a nativity scene, please give some thought to it and have it make sense! This one (also via Reddit) is perhaps better. I can imagine Herod hiring one of the... Read more
Via the 501st Georgia Garrison on Facebook, where a comment was added along the lines of the following: Dad, there's something on the roof and its markings match those of a ships that blasted its way out of Mos Eisley! Read more
In case you missed it, I’ve posted the winners of the giveaway. Disappointed you didn’t win a set of Theologian Trading Cards here at Exploring Our Matrix? I might still have to pick one more winner, since the winner of the Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza signed card and set had not been in touch to provide an e-mail address. But either way, there is another chance to win – over at Tony Jones’ blog! For this one, you need to write a... Read more
From a “Rationalist Christmas Card” HT Hemant Mehta Read more
The episode of Fringe “Black Blotter,” which aired last week, fascinated a lot of people because of its LSD-augmented aspects, and in particular its surreal tribute to Monty Python (with an Empire Strikes Back moment worked in for good measure). There has been a connection between religion and psychedelic drug use for as long as people have been experimenting with the latter, and so it is perhaps unsurprising that religious topics and themes were prominent in the episode. If you... Read more
The beautiful choral piece “O Magnum Mysterium” composed by René Clausen, performed here by the Anderson University Chorale. Read more
I have been struck by the language some atheist bloggers I read have used in recent days, in reference to how they felt about President Obama’s speech/sermon in Newtown. Alienation. As a progressive Christian, and as someone who has studied Biblical studies, theology, and philosophy of religion, I often feel something that could be described as “alienation” when I hear others use religious language, even in my own church. But I am part of a diverse congregation, and am a... Read more
If you’re still looking for last-minute gifts, keep in mind that you can give someone a Kindle book and it will be delivered to them as quickly as you want it too. Set it so that the notification e-mail arrives Christmas day if you like! All of my books are on Kindle, for those who may be interested: The Burial of Jesus: What Does History Have to Do with Faith? Religion and Science Fiction The Only True God: Early Christian... Read more
First, let’s have some appropriate music to go with this post: Now, on with the post! Tony Jones has suggested in a blog post that I am wrong in what I wrote about the massacre of the innocents. He is wrong about my wrongness, and this post is to explain why. The heart of the problem is that he is approaching the question as a theological one, not a historical one. That is the danger, I suppose, we all face... Read more
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