Category Archives: religion

St. Augustine was a real guy

Saint Augustine by Garry Wills My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’m glad I read this book because I gained insight into the world of late antiquity. Augustine’s personality and the events of his life come alive. He became a … Continue reading

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are you christmas-negligent?

Wow, They are getting all up in Best-Buy’s shit at standforchristmas.com. Employees always have been polite, friendly, and helpful. Too bad the corporate decision to ignore our Christian heritage & holidays,instead demonstrate their willingness to recognize a Muslim holiday tells … Continue reading

Posted in religion | 6 Comments

the Connemara refugees of Minnesota

from Wikipedia: Graceville, Minnesota, was originally granted to Archbishop John Ireland of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Wishing to settle the Minnesota prairie with Catholic Irish-Americans, he actively promoted settlement in Graceville and the surrounding region. The town was named for Bishop … Continue reading

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Bernard Malumud and Phillip Roth

Indignation by Philip Roth My rating: 4 of 5 stars In Indignation, the character starts out in what could be a Bernard Malamud short story, a son of an over-protective Jewish butcher going to a local college. To escape, he … Continue reading

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Moses, God, and Passover

I listened to Speaking of Faith on Palm Sunday. It was a rebroadcast of a talk with Jewish scholar Avivah Zornberg. She illuminated the Exodus story beautifully. Well, she illuminated way more than that. For instance, I never really understood … Continue reading

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Proof EA is converting children to believe in evolution

The anti-spore web site is good for a laugh. Listen to this poor misguided girl talk about evolution after playing Spore. It really makes me sad… I hope that somehow I can prevent more damage from being done. You would … Continue reading

Posted in religion | 6 Comments

Catholics Go Bananas

One of my readers, you know who you are, will be shitting in his pants when he sees this: Fatwa over cracker “Cook, who was raised Catholic, said he decided to bring the Eucharist home after a church leader tried … Continue reading

Posted in religion | 5 Comments

A tempting shortcut.

Revelation from the New York Times: Left-brain injuries don’t necessarily lead to blissful enlightenment; That is from a fascinating article about Jill Taylor, a woman who had a stroke that blew away her ego. and left her, after a long … Continue reading

Posted in health, meditation, religion, science | 8 Comments

high hygge

I had a religious experience over the weekend at our friends’ house. I was sitting in a big comfy chair by a wood stove drinking wine and eating home made pizza and I had a very clear vision of the … Continue reading

Posted in General, religion | 1 Comment

Osama as youth organizer

MPR’s midmorning has a talk with Ebrahim Patel, author of “Acts of Faith”. The radio interview mentions that Osama Bin Laden’s real strength is as a youth organizer / storytelling workshop organizer. His organization tells kids a story of their … Continue reading

Posted in General, religion | 5 Comments

Azzam the American

This New Yorker article about Adam Gadahn, a modern day Lord Haw Haw, is a must-read. I love the fact that there is a researcher devoted to the psychology of “home-growns”. Lost young men joining extremist groups. When I read … Continue reading

Posted in General, parenting, politics, religion | 10 Comments

Meditation center finds new home

What if someone told you that this was the new home of a Buddhist Meditation Center: Well, it is a fact. The Common Ground Meditation center is moving into a hamburger joint. There is reported to be a great deal … Continue reading

Posted in General, meditation, religion | 6 Comments

Dry Vs Wet

Driving home from a wonderful wedding in Wisconsin, we stopped at the Necedah Shrine. The shrine was the site of some apparitions by one Mrs. Mary Ann Van Hoof in the 1950s and has been a pilgrimage destination. In the … Continue reading

Posted in General, parenting, religion, water | 1 Comment

I’ve recieved my calling

I believe my calling is to start a competitive meditation league. The trouble with meditation practice is that I have no way to chart my progress and compare my achievements against others. With new biofeedback tools it is possible to … Continue reading

Posted in General, meditation, religion | 6 Comments

Scopes revisited

I see from Afongen, who keeps track of such things, that The Taliban have secured a foothold in Minnesota. Yeah, that is a pretty extreme statement. If religious conservatives have created such a climate of fear where a kids book … Continue reading

Posted in General, Minnesota, homeschool, religion, science | 5 Comments

Historical Actors

I am going to write a bunch of my random thoughts about suicide bombers to see if I can relate it to my own experience. In about 1990, I thought of myself as an actor in history, meaning that historical … Continue reading

Posted in General, meditation, politics, religion | 42 Comments

More Merton

I finished up Zen and the Birds of Appetite today while sitting in the van waiting for Carol to get out of her MRI appointment. Except she never got out. The hospital transported her themselves to her chemo appointment. So … Continue reading

Posted in General, meditation, religion | 3 Comments

Meditation alters brain structure

Some neurologists did a study of the brain activity of buddhist monks who have done 10,000 – 50,000 hours of meditation. The monks’ brain activity was compared with that of students new to meditation. It is part of the current … Continue reading

Posted in General, health, meditation, religion, science | 3 Comments