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Category Archives: Culture
The Politics of Language
My attention was riveted by a story in The Jerusalem Report of September 10, 2012, because it dealt with a topic that has fascinated me since my childhood (for a reason I will briefly mention momentarily). The story reports on … Continue reading
Judaism and Christianity: Embracing the “Other”?
There cannot be two other religious traditions whose historical relations have been as awful as those between Judaism and Christianity. For centuries Jews suffered discrimination and persecution in countries that defined themselves as Christian, culminating in the unspeakable horrors of … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Culture, Inter-faith Dialogue, Judaism
“Most of the time I am alone with my ritual…”
In the words of “Monty Python and the Flying Circus”—now for something completely different: When I started writing this blog, I had no preconceived idea about the frequency or schedule of its postings. After a while it became clear to … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Inter-faith Dialogue, Islam
Capital Punishment and the Deficit
Reading the New York Times at breakfast is more than a habit. It is a sort of addiction. One experiences withdrawal symptoms in places where the paper is not available (especially when the only alternative is USA Today). At least … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Culture, Europe, Politics, United States
Evangelical Democrats?
As the absurd theater of the Republican primaries continues its itinerary from state to state, it at least serves one useful purpose: It puts to rest the notion that religion no longer matters in American politics. Actually the GOP is … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Politics, Religion, Secularism
Happy Thanksgiving
Due to the upcoming holiday, we will be taking a week off from posting. I wish all my readers and their families a very happy Thanksgiving. We will return to our normal schedule next week!
A Long String of Atrocities
A few days ago I was with a group of people when the topic of the Armenian genocide came up. The immediate reason for the topic to come up was the action of several European legislatures to declare that the … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Culture, Judaism
Christian Scientism
The Texas State Board of Education has been a recurring locale of what is conventionally understood as the battle between science and religion. The agency has the power to decide which textbooks are to be used in Texas public schools. … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Evangelicalism, Secularism, Sociology, United States
The Fading Shadow of the Habsburgs
For centuries the Habsburgs cast a gigantic shadow over a large part of Europe. Their empire ended cataclysmically in 1918. The shadow lingered for some decades after that, slowly fading under the blows of later cataclysms. Perhaps the time has … Continue reading
Why do Godders have so many kids?
Demography has very probably been a factor in religious history all along. The Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (a favorite book of mine) tells us that our word “proletarian” derives from the Latin proles, ”offspring”: A proletarius was … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Religion, Secularism
