Over and over again

Last updated on: February 6, 2015 at 10:32 am By Simcha Fisher

Pro-lifers routinely refer to “the miracle of life,” a phrase which isn’t really technically accurate. A miracle is, strictly theologically speaking, an event which wouldn’t happen ordinarily in nature. It’s something which only happens because of the special intervention of God. If you’re going to look at sheer numbers, it’s hard to imagine anything less miraculous, or more ordinary and natural than the conception of a child. It’s something that’s happened billions of times, often without anyone meaning or wanting... Read more

If you watch garbage, you will get dirty.

Last updated on: February 5, 2015 at 11:46 am By Simcha Fisher

We are in denial about how vulnerable our hearts really are. Watching brutality makes us brutal. Torturing our emotions inevitably makes torture seem more normal, not less. Read the rest at the Register. image via Bing Read more

So Benedict was the pinko who green lighted Oscar Romero cause

Last updated on: February 4, 2015 at 2:31 pm By Simcha Fisher

According to the AP (bold type is my addition): The monsignor who spearheaded the saint-making process for El Salvador’s slain Archbishop Oscar Romero said Wednesday it was Pope Benedict XVI— and not Pope Francis — who removed the final hurdle in the tortured, 35-year process. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia told reporters Benedict “gave the green light.” Speaking a day after Francis declared that Romero died as a martyr for the faith, Paglia said Romero’s beatification would likely be within a few months in... Read more

Dealing with busybodies: some practical tips

Last updated on: February 3, 2015 at 2:24 pm By Simcha Fisher

For a sociable or tender-hearted person, just saying, “None of your business. Buzz off!” isn’t a real option. So how do we handle busybodies with grace, tact, and peace of mind? Read the rest at the Register. image “Morning Gossip NOLA” by Arnold Genthe – Photograph by Arnold Genthe via Library of Congress website [1]. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – Read more

Artist of the Month: Matt Clark’s Amphibians, Minotaurs, and other Christian Art

Last updated on: February 3, 2015 at 10:08 am By Simcha Fisher

Editors’ Note: This article is part of the Patheos Public Square on Religion and Visual Art. Read other perspectives here. **** Matt Clark, 39, is a teacher, print maker, and freelance illustrator who lives in Florida with his wife and growing family (they are expecting baby #7 in a matter of weeks). This interview is one of a series with religious artists. My questions are in bold. **** You are Anglican, and make secular and overtly religious art; but on your website, you say, “I don’t... Read more

Will no one stop the cycle of violins?

Last updated on: January 29, 2015 at 9:46 pm By Simcha Fisher

The other day, Mendelssohn’s string octet came on the radio, and I was astonished to learn that he wrote it when he was sixteen years old. It’s an extraordinary piece for a composer of any age, but sixteen! I was really enjoying it, zipping down a country road, in and out of sunlight, snow sparkling, chords crashing, sixteenth notes swirling. Then about halfway through the first movement, I remembered something my sister Sarah once confessed about her relationship with violins. She... Read more

Today I am Donna Summer

Last updated on: February 2, 2015 at 12:29 pm By Simcha Fisher

In that I will be on the radio. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, on the radio, to be exact. And yes, I remember when this was, in fact, on the radio. Love Donna Summer. So, Mark Shea asks what will prevent me from joining him on the radio this week? Will it be her car, her huge dog, an epic storm, the onset of labor? If you have your own “Stop Simcha from getting on the air” ideas, let me know by calling in at 1-855-949-1380.... Read more

We are not naming the baby Tuna Fish.

Last updated on: February 2, 2015 at 10:54 am By Simcha Fisher

What will we be naming her, after reviewing the hundreds of suggestions generously and thoughtfully provided by friends and strangers here and there? The baby will be named . . . Something. Definitely something, shortly after she is born. Look, I’m sorry. Probably this is why people don’t throw more parties for me! Weeks ago, I was supposed to pick a winner from among the 100+ name suggestions in the virtual baby shower Rebecca Frech threw for me, and I... Read more

How I feel after participating in a 917-comment thread about vaccines on Facebook

Last updated on: February 1, 2015 at 12:41 am By Simcha Fisher

Oh, dearie dearie dear. Read more

RIP Charles Townes, Brilliant Physicist, Man of Faith

Last updated on: January 29, 2015 at 11:52 am By Simcha Fisher

The idea that faith and reason are inevitably at odds with each other is one of the most persistent and least defensible myths of modern times. Read the rest at the Register. (image shows a statue of Charles Townes on the bench where he got the sudden inspiration that led to the invention of the laser. Photo by Jas&Suz via Wikimedia Commons) Read more