Several times in the prophets, the relationship between Israel with God is described analogously as that of a piece of clay being shaped and molded by a potter. Often, such as in Jeremiah, this is used almost as a theodicy. “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at... Read more
Several times in the prophets, the relationship between Israel with God is described analogously as that of a piece of clay being shaped and molded by a potter. Often, such as in Jeremiah, this is used almost as a theodicy. “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at... Read more
I apologize that I haven’t offered the most exhaustive research on this topic. In the wake of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigning from office, there have been side debates started that ponder whether the State should legally prohibit prostitution. Naturally, Saint Thomas Aquinas’s controversial opinion that prostitution should be legal has been argued as a Catholic position. From my own reading, this opinion, like his opinion on ensoulment, does not appear to enjoy support from the Church today. Lest anyone... Read more
There have been a lot of calls recently for a fence along the Mexican border to discourage illegal immigration. But at least one Arizona community wants to go further: Faced with high-levels of crime and illegal immigration, authorities in Yuma are reaching back to a technique as old as a medieval castle to dig out a “security channel” on a crime-ridden stretch of the border and fill it with water.”The moats that I’ve seen circled the castle and allowed you... Read more
From Jerry Z. Muller, Professor of History at the Catholic University of America: Us and Them: The Enduring Power of Ethnic Nationalism. Muller argues that ethnic nationalism is hugely powerful in any multiethnic society, that it is not going away anytime soon, and that ethnic disaggregation or partition is often the least bad answer. Sociologist Robert Putnam has studied places like Los Angeles closely, and the future is not terribly promising. In sum, more “diversity” may well mean less trust... Read more
Rick Santorum has written an op-ed in which be calls upon John McCain to become more aligned with the priorities of so-called “social conservatives”. He basically argues that there are three legs on the Republican stool– economic issues, national security, and social conservatism– and that McCain needs to round out his appeal by embracing the third leg with the same fervor as he does the first two. What gets missing in this equation is that the values of the first two... Read more
Rick Santorum has written an op-ed in which be calls upon John McCain to become more aligned with the priorities of so-called “social conservatives”. He basically argues that there are three legs on the Republican stool– economic issues, national security, and social conservatism– and that McCain needs to round out his appeal by embracing the third leg with the same fervor as he does the first two. What gets missing in this equation is that the values of the first two... Read more
Given the level of interest here at Vox Nova regarding Rev. John Hagee’s controversial endorsement of Senator John McCain, I thought I would republish a post of mine from Southern Appeal and RedState here at Vox Nova, which y’all can read below the fold. (more…) Read more
via CNN The Chaldean Catholic Archbishop who was kidnapped in Northern Iraq February 29 has been found dead. The whole story is so horrible. The Catholic community gained a new saint with this Archbishop’s refusal to leave even though his life had been threatened. May Archbishop Rahho pray for Iraq. Read more
In anticipation of a post I’m going to write in the future on local government, I would like to solicit readers’ opinions. The particular question today is on public schools. If your children attend public schools, I’m interested in why you chose to do it. If you considered homeschooling or private schools, feel free to include reasons why you in the end rejected those. While I have great respect for those who chose homeschooling or private schools, I’m pursuing other... Read more
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