Some great thoughts on prayer from Thomas McDonald on God and the Machine, pointing out that prayer is not a monologue: We may be fine with the idea that we initiate a conversation with God and he listens, but does not reply directly (unless we are gifted with a mystical experience). Let’s turn that completely … Read more
And while we’re listening to Vince Vaughn talk about politics, why not look at Katy Perry’s thoughts on religion? At BiblicalWoman.com (Yeah, I read it. What about it?) Candi Finch looks at the beliefs of the California Girl as expressed in a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly. She looks at this quote in particular: My upbringing … Read more
Via Justin Taylor, here’s a dramatic recreation of an apparently actual conversation between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, in which they work out the value of myth and the meaning of truth. Heavy. When I take a walk in the woods, I’m normally just keeping an eye out for concealed places to pee.
Art is a creative work that leaves itself open to interpretation. I’ve never seen the show Breaking Bad, but I’m curious about it (c’mon Amazon Prime, get with the program; I don’t have cable!), because apparently it fits that description. Fare Forward takes a look at Breaking Bad and its moral underpinnings, with guest appearances … Read more
America’s greatest fire-breathing bass player speaks out in support of Tim Tebow: “He’s got a religious passion, as well he should, we’re in America,” the KISS frontman told Radio.com earlier this week. ”He’s proud to be a Christian, what’s wrong with that? And yet, with sports media and pop culture media, they make fun of … Read more
Hey, you know how one of the arguments of atheists, when you say that goodness and morality come from God, is that people can be good people without being religious? Well, this: “I am very conscious that you can’t condemn people of an earlier era by the standards of ours. Just as we don’t look … Read more
Justin Taylor has a round-up of reviews for Zealot, that book about Jesus that’s causing such a stir, written by Reza Aslan. (I’m sorry, I know Aslan. I’ve read about Aslan. And you, sir, are no Aslan.) If you’re looking for pointed criticisms about the book, you’ll find them here, including stuff like this: Aslan … Read more
Recently, there’s been a lot of news coverage of some statements Pope Francis made to reporters. Here’s the part that lit everybody’s fuse: When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to … Read more
As reported by Creative Minority Report here and Red State here and the Anchoress here and Twitchy here, pro-abortion protesters did various silly things at the Texas State Capitol, including chanting “Hail Satan!” All I can muster for this is a very deep, affected eye-roll and sigh. Here goes. Whoa, the sigh was so deep I got … Read more
In The Washington Examiner, Timothy Carney writes, “Gay marriage fight now becomes a religious liberty fight“: Today’s talk of tolerance and acceptance of gay marriage will soon give way to intolerance and rejection of those who hold a traditional view of marriage. The next offensive in this culture war will involve wielding government to force … Read more
I saw the headline, “Why the Church Needs Cranky, Cynical…,” and I thought, “At last! I’m getting the respect I deserve!” But no, it was about some other cynical people. Still, though, it’s good to know that someone values the sentiment. In Why the Church Needs Cranky, Cynical Historians, Justin Taylor quotes Carl Trueman, whom … Read more
After today’s Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, President Obama says churches won’t be affected by it: How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil marriages – changes that. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, golly! That’s a good one. I’ll wait while … Read more
Short answer, “No.” Longer answer, with a sarcastic “um” at the start, “Um, no.” Kim Daniels outlines the repercussions of a Supreme Court ruling that establishes a right to homosexual marriage. She makes it sound pretty catastrophic, and let me tell ya, she’s soft-pedaling it: We don’t yet know how the Supreme Court will rule … Read more
When you have presidents on speed dial and your day job involves standing in front of a stadium full of people as they chant lyrics you wrote 25 years ago back at you, I would imagine it’s hard to stay humble enough to acknowledge that you need a savior. That’s why Bono is such an … Read more
Andrew Klavan and Bill Whittle discuss whether or not a conservative can be an atheist. The answer is a pointed, “Yes, but…” An entirely different, but equally interesting, question would be, “Can an atheist be a conservative?”
David Berlinski–philosopher, mathematician, and atheist–says that, despite the proclamations of many atheists, atheism isn’t necessarily so scientific: (Via Justin Taylor)
Kathryn Jean Lopez on the details of the Catholic church’s fight against Obamacare, and the fights to come: We need to wake up, the brother bishops emphasize, at a time when they have demonstrated an unprecedented unanimity about the critical importance of opposition the federal government’s encroachment on religious liberty. The HHS mandate is, indeed, … Read more
Sarah Hoyt is trying to figure out why the press et al refuse to believe (or at least acknowledge) anything bad about their progressive heroes, despite ample evidence. People want to believe figures of authority are right. Constitutional monarchies give the people a figure head to believe in, while they can jump on and kick … Read more
GetReligion covers the coverage of Duck Dynasty, and highlights an article about the show that actually gets the religion angle right. Included are cool tidbits like this: “Duck Dynasty” first aired in 2012. Phil Robertson said he initially tangled with producers over the portrayal of the family’s faith, insisting the word “Jesus” not be edited … Read more
From Prager University: