The Pokey Finger of God

meditations on religion and culture

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Fellowship: Mysteries of Venus and Hermes

January 4th, 2012 · No Comments · fellowship

The educational organization (the Fellowship) described in the previous post would necessarily be included within the context of an organization that modeled its principles. This outer, or sister, organization would be the Temple, providing a regular calendar of celebratory events, workshops, meditation settings, and frequent opportunities to commune with the spirits of community and place. [...]

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Is There a Place for Augustine?

November 16th, 2011 · 2 Comments · christianity

If you were to create a new religion from scratch and could pick and choose any doctrines or theologies you felt appropriate, which stance is better: “I’m the only one who can help you” or “I’m okay, you’re okay”?

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Fellowship: Fundamental Idea and Principles

November 1st, 2011 · No Comments · fellowship

I would like to start something big and ambitious, something that just might save the world. Before I go into detail about what I’m visualizing as the full fruition of the idea, I will first share the fundamental reasons for even considering going down this path.
The Principles
Between my personal explorations and the work I did [...]

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Evolution and Faith

August 25th, 2011 · No Comments · christianity, culture, media

Normally, this is a topic I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. I also don’t get into arguments with people who claim the world is flat, doomed to end, or cursed by demons. It’s simply not worth the bother: folks don’t come to these conclusions through logic, so logic isn’t going to dislodge them.
Evolution, like [...]

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Religion and Deity

June 21st, 2011 · No Comments · culture, metaphysics

I posted a link to my Facebook page, with a snarky heading and comment, and this drew some attention. Particularly, it drew me into a brief discussion with my friend, Litch. The link in question was to an essay about what Atheists get wrong about religion.
I said: “This essay clearly breaks out the fundamental [...]

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Personal Spiritual Sovereignty

March 24th, 2011 · No Comments · Janus in Nicea, christianity, history

Among many other great cultural losses that occurred after Christianity was made the exclusive mode of religious expression allowed in the Empire, was the idea of personal spiritual sovereignty. There was once a great diversity of theology and practice. People were not exclusive to any one church any more than people today are exclusive to [...]

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Nomenclature

August 30th, 2010 · No Comments · Uncategorized, christianity, culture, history

There has been some discussion of late about President Obama’s claim of being Christian. Besides the ones who obliviously presume that he must be Muslim, or parse out of unrelated texts the notion that a presumed birthright to Islam is obligatory, there are others who question whether his Christianity is ‘real’. However, many problems arise [...]

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People and History

July 27th, 2008 · 3 Comments · culture, history

Two famous biographies are here summarized to make a point about a significant problem in the art of archaeology. The question is whether one can even determine if the character of some ancient story actually lived when all you have are the written records that tell the story.
My first subject has defined an entire school [...]

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Jah Calling

July 26th, 2008 · No Comments · christianity, history

At the root of Judaism is a written history of people to whom Yah has spoken. These people, we are told, had direct, immediate, and personal knowledge of God. They spoke with him. He answered. His words became the driving force for their actions.
This is exactly the sort of individual congress with the divine that [...]

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Equilibrium

June 4th, 2008 · 1 Comment · metaphysics, ritual

I have been dwelling further on Venus, the planet specifically, in its passage from Morning Star to Evening Star. I sense a deep pattern here, and placing myself within it may be the best way to quickly understand it.
On Sunday, June 8th, Venus-Solar conjunction will occur. There are three significant points to make about this [...]

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