J K Rowling at a Harvard Commencement Address. Quite True. There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you. What is more, I cannot criticise my parents for hoping that I would never experience … Continue reading Wisdom from Gryffindor
Month: April 2015
Compassion or spirituality does not the gospel make [Col 2]
I am tempted to let this text as it stands. The warning here is against thinking that by being mystic or living a greatly disciplined life that we can substitute stoicism for the gospel. Or mysticism. Or scholarship. And we simply cannot. And this is a great error, which we can all fall into. I’m … Continue reading Compassion or spirituality does not the gospel make [Col 2]
An Act of Radical Witness [Luke 6]
No one said we would not have enemies. We are promised enemies. We are told there will be opposition. The Psalmist talks about the fool who does not believe in God, and the rich man who sees nothing but his material wealth, and the troll who mocks the righteous scholar (Ps 19, 53, 119, and … Continue reading An Act of Radical Witness [Luke 6]
Godwin’s miscegenated stupid is by design.
This is peak stupidity crossbred with Godwin's Law, set off, apparently, by people bring home Hindu religious symbols... and then taking them to a Jewish Dorm. Which is apparently a hate crime. Which makes the term hate crime -- the concept, if you will -- so broad as to be without meaning. So Kevin Williamson … Continue reading Godwin’s miscegenated stupid is by design.
Repetition is good…
I know many bloggers do not want to repeat themselves. But I was explicitly taught to memorize, beginning with my old school teacher parents making me recite my times tables (because I was not learning them in "the new math"), followed by working with the Navigators when I was an undergraduate. I believe repeating to … Continue reading Repetition is good…
The elite fall: Christ stays [I Col 1]
My son was asking me about how humans get destroyed yesterday. He's worked out that it is not physical pain: we can withstand that, but thought it was dignity. I thought of Solzhenitsyn, who commented that you need to account yourself dead, and not let them give you hope. For hope will destroy you. Hope … Continue reading The elite fall: Christ stays [I Col 1]
A time for a confessing church: a time to oppose the new Fascists.
The following statement is now accepted. The days when the ministers of the crown were concerned with the opinion of the Bishops of the established church or the moderators of the reformed church is over, instead all things are now seen as political. We may be post-Christian, but what does this mean? We have stopped … Continue reading A time for a confessing church: a time to oppose the new Fascists.
The Nepal situation.
There has been a major Earthquake in Nepal. When these things happen, it is best to use one of the organizations that are there. And at that point, having some friends can be useful. I checked with one of my colleagues (who is Buddhist, and travels to Nepal) and he suggested that one use the … Continue reading The Nepal situation.
The state hates Christ: charity is competition [Luke 6]
New Zealand has a social welfare state. It is fairly generous. Where I live, we have social housing paid for out of the rates (property taxes) and city owned businesses, including the forests I was photographing yesterday. I may grumble about my rates, but that relates more to the ego-driven building of a stadium than … Continue reading The state hates Christ: charity is competition [Luke 6]
On the projection of illogic.
One cannot use reductio ad absurdum as an argument, because the SJW cannot understand that you are being sarcastic. And thus, you get labelled as a Troll: the best illustration here is Theodore Beale (Vox Day) who many disassociate themselves from because the boy is rude and provocative. He does have reasons, including the fact … Continue reading On the projection of illogic.