For Hallowe’en, that is. I had a heck of a time changing the theme and updating some plugins, but all is well now. We’ve got a scary creature set up at the door. The kid’s costume is set. For those that don’t celebrate Hallowe’en, I have my own plans (muah-haahahahaha). It’s been kind of strange and upsetting period with me lately, but things are getting better all the time. I get a kind of wanderlust in the fall, but I…
Sorry that I’ve not written anything in a while. I’m concentrating on sailing through choppy waters in most of the aspects of my daily existence. I’ve lost a dear mentor and friend from University of Massachusetts, and I’m not ready to write about it yet. I’m also still thinking about other deaths… My mom has just moved from intensive care to a rehab hospital after breaking ribs and puncturing her lung. I’m grieved about the escalation of hatred from some…
“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” – William James Recently, I participated in an online discussion in the comments of an article written by a prominent friend/adviser to the late Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson & Jehovah’s Witnesses, by Firpo Carr The Michael Jackson case and the issue of child abuse are both important to me, but I didn’t really know who Firpo Carr was when I made my first comment. I’d…
I was re-reading a dissertation exam question, and I was somewhat surprised to discover that there has been no real transformation in my views on evil in more than a decade. Question: Compare the language of cause, analysis, description, and solution to evil in Augustine, Nietzsche, Schüssler-Fiorenza and one author of your choice (Buber). Identify juxtapositions, similarities, opposition, etc., amongst the authors, and situate your own view. The text of Augustine’s Confessions constructs an aesthetic metaphysics from within a post-Manichaean…
The actual dialogue that we should be having has been eclipsed by the pathologies of the American public. This post is for arguing the pros and cons of the actual bill, ok? Civil dialogue, only, please. Stick to topic and argue the actual bill! Ready Jonathan? Ready Phil? Ready Michael? Anyone else that wants to join in? Here is your forum. Make your case. See if you can be fair and adhere to the rules of civil dialogue. Maybe then…
Recent conversations in the comments have reminded me that I haven’t done my posting of recent news related to Jehovah’s Witnesses. The purpose in doing this is simply to highlight, over time, the kinds of issues that the JW mindset and set of demands can create or intensify in some. It is meant to encourage more compassionate and ethical policies and behaviors within the Watchtower organization and to help former JWs understand some of the clusters of danger that may…