Category Archive For "Religion"
Saudi Arabia to Permit Churches
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad has agreed to allow Christians to build churches in Saudi Arabia. If this is accurate, it is a remarkable breakthrough. Muhammad said that no religions other than Islam should be permitted on the Arabian peninsula. There will be strong resistance from Islamic leaders to any suggestion Christians should be allowed to …
Gaza Could Be A Paradise
If Hamas would spend money on infrastructure instead of destruction, and if Hamas wanted to live in peace with its neighbours, Gaza could be a paradise. As long as hating Jews is more important to Hamas than building a stable nation, Gaza will be a sad, failed, non state.
Threatening People on Facebook is Fine
Reporting being threatened, on the other hand, is not acceptable. Black conservative women Diamond and Silk were recently banned from Facebook because their support for President Trump made them a danger to the community. Yes, really. Even though they are polite, funny, clever as heck, and have never threatened anyone. But when Jamie Glaznov, editor …
Syria: A Christian Response
Part of a long and thoughtful article by Sohrab Ahmari, writing at Commentary Magazine. ” … the troubling outcome of the Iraq project doesn’t automatically vindicate the reflexive Christian opposition to today’s escalation in Syria. Christian supporters and critics of Trump’s move must apply public moral reasoning informed by the faith’s rich tradition of thinking about …
Love isn’t Love, and “Gay Marriage” Isn’t Marriage
A couple of days ago I posted an article essentially saying that same sex relationships may be as loving and worthy of respect as heterosexual relationships, but they are a different thing, with different meaning to society, so it is wrong to get the government to force everyone to pretend they are the same. Of …
Last Thoughts on Redefining Marriage
I have gay family members, and have had gay friends all my life; people who are dear to me, whose feelings I value, and whose opinions I respect. I have been to gay bars, events and festivals with gay friends, been propositioned by men more times than I can remember, and am happy to greet …
Redefining Marriage – Semantics and Stalinism
Societies are successful when their policies and practices align with reality. Success for a society means the ongoing ability to provide resources and safety to ensure that children can grow to maturity, and in turn, have children of their own. Once this basic necessity is ensured, success can also be measured by life-span, low infant …
Atheism is Irrational
I have some friends who are atheists. They seem like normal intelligent people most of the time, so it baffles me that they can accept so bizarre and irrational a belief system. Of course, most of them would be thoroughly confused by that statement. “We’re not saying we believe in anything,” they might say. “We …
Basics of Biblical Interpretation
First, the Bible is not a single book. It did not land with a thump one evening on St Peter’s doorstep, complete with leather zipper cover and thumb-tabs. It is a collection of books written in different languages and different cultures over a period of 3,000 years. It includes a variety of types of literature; …
Easter, Ishtar and Eostarum
Every time there is a major Christian festival, someone pops up with the claim that of course, this was really a pagan festival that Christians appropriated. And then the rest of the herd pass on whatever silly graphic has been created this time around to make the same claim. Every single one of these claims …
Pope Francis. Enough is Enough.
Many of the media criticisms of Pope Francis have been unfounded, unfair, or simply silly. But this much more thoughtful article by Adam Shaw, an actual practicing Catholic, points out a history of mediocrity and confusing comments that are doing real harm. No question Jorge/Pope Francis is a great pastor and a caring man. But …
Death Penalty for Gays and Lesbians? That’s Not Extreme!
Or so says this imam. I know we are all fed up with hearing about this. But watch this, and think, seriously, whether the attitudes on display here are compatible with Western values and liberal democracy. And I promise this will be the last thing I post on this. Until the next atrocity … https://youtu.be/JeC2OLv_Fhw …
Iran Builds Military Base in Iraq
Iran is building a military base in the Kurdish heartland of Northern Iraq, apparently specifically to target the Kurds, who are leading the fight against ISIS. If this marks a new level of understanding betweeen Iraq and Iran, then it amounts to the creation of a Shi’ite arc extending from Hezbollah in Lebanon, through Syria …
Science is a Creation of the Christian West
People seem not to realise that religious belief was essential to the development of science. 1. The belief that the world is real, objective, and largely independent of our perceptions, and not simply illusion (maya in Sanskrit). That is, that there is something real and enduring there to investigate. 2. The belief that the world …
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