The Pokey Finger of God

Over the last few years, there seems to be more public arguments over the place of religion in politics. Lawsuits have been filed to move monuments inscribed with Biblical text from public grounds, and more recently, the phrase “under God” in the pledge has come under attack. The phrase “separation of Church and State” is [...]

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Claiming to be “the Christian Voice in the Nation’s Capital,” the [Apostolic Congress] members vociferously oppose the idea of a Palestinian state. They fear an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza might enable just that, and they object on the grounds that all of Old Testament Israel belongs to the Jews. Until Israel is intact and Solomon’s [...]

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Every year around this time, you can count on more than a few self-righteous individuals to start complaining that the ‘real meaning of Christmas (TM)’ has been subverted in our rush to consumerism, hedonism, gluttony, and general frivolity. Cal Thomas penned just such a rant a few days ago. [My apologies for the link, it [...]

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Q: How can I make the “leap of faith” to accept someone else’s religion? Suspension of disbelief is a handy tool to use when examining religion. This is the same tool used when you watch action movies or Star Trek that allows you to enjoy it without getting all twisted up about the goofy science. [...]

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Dear Seeker — You ask: First of all, why is “god” called various names – I’ve seen “El Shaddai”, “Yaweh”, and “God” multiple times. Are they all referring to the same god, or is there an implication of other gods or parts of God? First of all, the term “god” is an ancient gothic construct [...]

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These ideas eventually led me to the understanding that religion is an internal process utilized to deal with events and activities outside of one’s own control. Said another way, religion is a set of entirely subjective ideas and experiences with little to no objective reality with which to relate it. Whether you get it from your grandmother, or a book, the McChurch in your neighborhood or the Buddhist temple, only the pieces that you internalize actually become a part of your religion.

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I’ve been having an interesting exchange of letters with a cousin I lost touch with twenty years ago. She was Catholic last time I saw her, seems she’s discovered paganism over the last five years. I ended up writing a summary history of Christianity, and realized when I was done that it was the most [...]

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