Contemporary America has lost its way. Polarized, liberals and extreme conservatives, have cleaved the country, perhaps permanently. (more…) Read more
Contemporary America has lost its way. Polarized, liberals and extreme conservatives, have cleaved the country, perhaps permanently. (more…) Read more
During a 1966 episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show, one of the show’s main character Buddy Sorell, gets up the chutzpah to finally take part in the Jewish ceremony of Bar Mitzvah, where, typically, a young Jewish boy becomes a man within his religion. Buddy had not participated in the revered ceremony, and missed the opportunity to do as a 13-year old boy. There are multiple references to the fact that Buddy waited about 30 years to have his... Read more
It was a singular moment in television history, one etched in the collective audience’s minds, was the unlikely persona of Archie Bunker, baptizing a baby. America knew Archie Bunker as the seemingly coldhearted bigot whose unrefined language ruffled America’s sensibilities each week. His liberal son-in-law Mike (aka ‘meathead’) and daughter Gloria, maintained stringent standards as to what external influences their new son “Joey” would be exposed to in the first critical years of life, institutionalized religion being among them. Archie... Read more
“Light” is an exciting concept. The phrase “light of the world” has religious origins and can be found in the Bible, specifically in the New Testament. Zoroastrians treat it, along with fire, as a sacred cleansing creation. In Judaism, God appeared to Moses from within a lighted bush of fire. The Temple had constant burning oil lights. In Christian theology, it is often used to refer to Jesus Christ. In the book of Matthew, Chapter 5, verse 14, Jesus says... Read more
It’s that expectant time of year that’s different, but also so familiar, as we repeatedly celebrate a ritual that’s ensconced in both home and worship spaces. Had people not been familiar with the symbolism of the Advent Candles, it would almost seem like a simple secular gesture. School children bring in candles and finesse it around a wreath to be placed in a favored place in the classroom. Parents herald the coming of Christmas via a similar ritual in their... Read more
In the midst of the culture wars of the past 4 to 5 years, many beautifully carved statues and memorials to great and prominent figures have been very unceremoniously destroyed or displaced. Granite, marble or stone personas, not by their own volition, have been relegated to the annals of time and memory. Some, the dastardly, or clearly cruel personas, likely deserved this fate; but not others, as those of the well intentioned statesman, war soldiers or zealous missionaries... Read more
Bells… “tintinnabulations of the Bells, Bells…” sung out Edgar Allen Poe.. The concept of these ringing marvels have maintained a storied place throughout history. They seem well ensconced into the fabric of our minds, memories and hearts. We’ve all been “saved by the bell”during those school days when our assignment was not completed, or it was just too warm to be inside a classroom on a warm late spring afternoon. People in San Francisco would stop on and off the... Read more
God manifests in so Many ways… As a very young boy, my Italian -born mother told me something that has always baffled and intrigued me to this very day. As many other families, we had a cat. A beautiful animal marked by various colors, and my constant companion as I played away the days. I had had asked my mother why our cat purred so often throughout the day. Without skipping a beat, my mother informed me that my cat... Read more
The timeless line in which Shakespear’s Hamlet utters to Horatio that “there are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamt of in your philosophies”.. proves remarkably timeless and almost always true in our lives. Due to the notion of the Fall of Man, we can only experience God by circumstance, thru others, and in prayer. Otherwise he was an entity completely known, and immediately accessible, before man betrayed him in Paradise. This is not to say that God... Read more
Money is a funny thing. Man is engrossed by it, romanced by it – and often motivated by it, whether by need or greed. Scriptures have at least an estimated 2.000 verses referencing money or possessions in the Bible. It’s obviously a necessity in most every economic system on earth, but can be used in sinister ways. Money- it’s also an onerous thing. The statement that “love of money is root of all evilness” is profoundly on target in... Read more
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