Monthly Archives: November 2009

The religion gene

I suppose we can’t have it both ways. This from the NY Times: For atheists, it is not a particularly welcome thought that religion evolved because it conferred essential benefits on early human societies and their successors. If religion is … Continue reading

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Advent readings

I do admire my Orthodox brothers and sisters for their fortitude. On my walk Saturday (11/28) I saw my first Christmas Tree laden SUV. Ouch! It was an affront to my liturgical sensibilities. (smile) Oh my! Another Advent! This year, … Continue reading

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New meaning to an old joke

Here it goes: a rabbi, a minister and a Muslim sheik walk into a restaurant…

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Anne Rice’s return

I’ve re-checked out from the library Anne rice’s Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession for probably the third time. This time I’m actually reading the book. I am not a fan of vampires so I “missed out” on the … Continue reading

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Mohammad in the movies?

How in the world will this play out? (All puns intended) From The Atlantic: Bloggers are aghast at news that a $150 million movie about the life of Islam founder Muhammad is in the works. Islam prohibits visual depictions of … Continue reading

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Stigma and suicide

Perhaps there is just as much stigma associated with suicide today as there was decades ago. Maybe it’s a different kind of stigma, one that “only” embraces a kind of silence and not shame. But maybe the two are still … Continue reading

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Prayer on college campuses

What were they thinking? No, seriously. I wonder what they were thinking to allow this. The suit alleges that one campus, Saddleback College, routinely opened events with prayers and showed a faculty-training video, called God Bless the U.S.A., that included … Continue reading

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The economics of Hell

Well, some may think that Economics is hell. But here’s a twist. Evidence suggests that a society’s belief in Hell affects their economy. Yeah, that’s what I thought! A pair of Harvard researchers recently examined 40 years of data from … Continue reading

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Mary Oliver

I’ve admired Oliver’s poems for years.  The spiritual sensitivity of her poems is palpable. But I only recently (i.e., two days ago!) discovered that she had “formalized” her spiritual sensitivities, if I can say that. I’m not sure which denomination … Continue reading

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Day of the Dead

I’m not a big fan of this, but at least I’m beginning to be able to observe the displays without freaking out! The “lady” – actually there are two of them – is quite tall. As tall as a library … Continue reading

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