In California, the debate about legalizing same-sex marriage is coming to a head with a vote in the November election. An argument to keep marriage between one man and one woman is made in David Blankenhorn’s Op-Ed in the LA Times: Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving, and many of its features vary […]
“Belief in God symbolically evaporated when more than a hundred atheists were ‘de-baptized’ with a blow dryer yesterday,” writes the Columbus Dispatch. The article quotes the ceremonial formula intoned by Frank Zindler: “Do you agree that the magical potency of today’s ceremony is exactly equal to the magical efficacy of ceremonial baptism with dihydrogen oxide, […]
I couldn’t help but notice the court case regarding the wife of Joel Osteen (a well-known pastor). I’m not interested in the case, but I did notice the difficulty in putting a proper jury together. Here’s a line from a prospective juror: “As a Christian, I wouldn’t feel it would be my place to judge them.” […]
Another recent trend: men pampering their bodies. Randy Stinson critiques the trend, calling it the feminization of the American male. This line critiquing Tony Glenville’s Top to Toe made me chuckle: For instance, Glenville advises, “A special occasion calls for special treatment, and taking the time to visit your hairdresser, go for a massage, and […]
I should get used to the fact that contemporary society loves to blur boundaries. Most recently, I’ve been thinking about how a basic distinction like male and female is increasingly challenged. For instance, with the Olympics around the corner, definitions of men and women are debated. The NYTimes writes: Although the verification test has changed […]
Do atheists want to go to church too? NY Magazine writes about an 850 person meeting of the Society for Ethical Culture. There’s a growing conversation about organizing their “religion.” Instead of atheists being just political activitists fighting for separation of church and state… …some atheists are taking seriously the idea that atheism needs to stand […]
Apparently, unchurched Americans prefer going to medieval-style church buildings instead of contemporary buildings, according to a LifeWay Research survey. This includes utilitarian and/or multi-purpose buildings aiming to be seeker-sensitive. I suppose this means that those seeking God tend to go where they think God might be. Go figure! I do notice that when unchurched people […]
You may have heard that the Vatican revised the list of Seven Deadly Sins to emphasize that sin is not just an individual matter but has “social resonance.” The new list is: Drug abuse Morally debatable experimentation Environmental pollution Causing poverty Social inequality and injustice Genetic manipulation Accumulating excessive wealth P.J. O’Rourke’s reaction to these new […]
What do you look for when shopping for a bed? Size? Comfort? Cost? How about protection from bio-chemical attack? Bulletproof plating? Intruder proximity detector? For “the safest rest ever,” try the Quantum Sleeper: (I don’t think this is a shipping product.) I don’t mean to make light of people’s fears, but I am amazed at […]