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Category Archives: Christianity
Cher Channels Ambrose Bierce
Cher, a pop singer who I loved for her 1990s music video featuring the animated characters Beavis and Butt-Head, has a new talent. Her April 14th statement channels the spirit of the 19th-century American writer Ambrose Bierce. His book The … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Judaism, Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged Beavis and Butt-Head, Cher, Hypocrisy, Illegal migrants, Immigration, Immigration policy, NIMBY, Open borders
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Do WMDs Make Religion Too Risky?
On his blog, philosopher Eric Kaplan posed a serious question (paraphrased here): If our weapons can destroy all life on earth, can we still afford to believe in a God who plays favorites? People sometimes claim that God is “… … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, Psychology
Tagged Aggression, Atheism, Belief in God, Kin Selection, Philosophy of Religion, Religion, Sapolsky, Steven Weinberg, Theism, War
3 Comments
We Are What We Are
We are what we are. The only question is what we choose to do about it. When I worked on Capitol Hill, I knew a political writer who was a nasty, hateful person. Then he became a Christian. And — … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Human Relations, Judaism, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazim, DNA, Evolution, Globalism, Group behavior, Hillel, In-Group, Kin Selection, Moment Magazine, Nationalism, Open borders, Out-Group, Proxy variable, Yoram Hazony
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Visit a Foreign Country
“The past is a foreign country,” advised British novelist L.P. Hartley. And it’s true: Most of us have quite enough trouble keeping up with the present. We’re too busy to think much about the past. Of course, there are different … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Human Relations, Judaism, Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged Classic radio, Common good, Courage, Heroism, Lone Ranger, Morality, Patriotism, Rule of law, Self-reliance, Westerns, Wisdom
2 Comments
Give Thanks for Thankfulness
On the American holiday of Thanksgiving, we give thanks for a lot of things. In developed countries, we’ve got food. We’ve got shelter. Even the poorest among us have access to resources and luxuries that were unimaginable only a hundred … Continue reading
Is the Bible Worth Reading?
Is the Bible worth reading? I think it is, but you can find intelligent, moral people on both sides of that question. American novelist Mark Twain, best known for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, had a low opinion of the … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism
Tagged Bible, Biblical literacy, Binding of Isaac, Cultural literacy, Genesis 22, Mark Twain, Moral dilemma, Moral reasoning
2 Comments
Get Help from Your Automatic Pilot
We spend a lot of our lives on automatic pilot. We act out of habit, without thinking about what we’re doing. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If we had to think our way through everything we did, we couldn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Human Relations, Judaism, Psychology, Society
Tagged Bible Study, Habit, Learning, Observance, Practice, Prayer, Religion, Skill, Virtue
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Are People Basically Good?
“People are neither basically good nor basically bad. They are basically free.” Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Judaism, Philosophy
Tagged Conscience, Dennis Prager, Empathy, Ernest Hemingway, Human Nature, Jonathan Haidt, Morality, Religion, Virtue
4 Comments
Do We Need Religion to be Good People?
“Does being religious make someone a good person?” Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy
Tagged Christianity, Divine Law, Faith, Halacha, Judaism, Matthew Arnold, Morality, Prayer, Religion, Social harmony
5 Comments
The Thousand-Year View 