Monthly Archives: May 2012

It is a small group of Catholics going to court against the President’s policy of requiring birth control in Catholic health insurance.  The vast majority of Catholic Bishops, Dioceses, colleges and universities and members are not participating. There are 194 dioceses but only about a dozen have chosen to join the lawsuit.  Just a few of the 200 Catholic colleges … Continue reading »

Christians, not Satan, is the reason many leave the faith.  Of course, Satan does not benefit from this because there is no Satan. The author below spent time on a site I, also, look at,  ex-christian.com.  This site is teeming with testimonials from people who have left the faith or are on their way out. The irony is that … Continue reading »

We usually attribute the aversion to saying “no” to politicians who say “yes” to special interests and pass the cost onto the larger majority. But, the aversion to saying “no” is everywhere.  The “tough”, highly paid, CEO’s of corporations have it.  You can see the aversion when business falters and corporations announce layoffs of white collar, middle management,  staff.  … Continue reading »

A lifetime of watching societal change from a social science perspective has made me marvel, sometimes, at overlooked variables. A couple of decades ago crime and “gangs” seemed to be the big villains plaguing this country.  There were congressional hearings nationally and “gang task forces” locally. Social scientists said the increase in crime was due merely to a blip in … Continue reading »

Today, I read an unusual article where a preacher/author had asked Biblical scholars a  general question, “What is the chief political concern of the Bible?” The article reported eleven responses. The text of the responses is included as well as the person and institution with which they are affiliated.  I would have thought there would be one theme in all … Continue reading »

It was stunning to read the attached discussion of about churches and cults. Even though it is written in a dissident publication, it makes a point about both today’s Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention. He quotes other scholars on the difference between a religion and a cult.  A religion has social status, is thought … Continue reading »

There are people who say we should never be disrespectful of anyone’s faith.  But, what if their beliefs seem just plain nuts to you?  What if someone claims Joe Blow is the Messiah? Frankly, I’m disrespectful of ideas that seem nuts to me.  There are a lot of them right around me and I see them … Continue reading »

Powell wrote a fascinating article in Newsweek.  He reviewed the Iraq debacle among other things. While he did not mention religion, I could not help but see the similarities between military decisions like the one in Iraq and how we all try to find answers to questions of faith.  Both require sorting out different kinds of information. In trying to figure … Continue reading »

The web article below discusses a recent Washington, D.C., conference where participants searched for a way to pass on their liberal version of the faith, often called the emergent church, to their children. Today’s young parents were brought up in Sunday schools teaching about sin and that Jesus died because they were so bad.  In its way, … Continue reading »

Barabara G. Walker’s, Man Made God, summarizes a lot of material from other sources.  This helps develop an overview of where Christianity came from. She discusses one of the ancients whose influence continues today, the historian and Bishop, Eusebius.   Some of what he wrote continues to be used as important Christian material.  But, he was also a participant … Continue reading »