Culture changes religion. Truly, any religion you want to pick has been changed by the culture to which it is brought. Religion changes culture too, but culture and history do surgery on … [Read more...]
Ash Wednesday: Constitutionally Good, Economically Not So Much
One of my favorite poems, whose author is not known, goes like this (Slightly paraphrased): The sacred pearl.. has been bitten, priced, and strung around blasphemous necks; andthe Tree at the … [Read more...]
The Lost Opportunities of Empty Rituals
This post was originally published by The Finger Lakes Times (NY) as part of the weekly series, "Denim Spirit." Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. That is the central motif of … [Read more...]
The Lost Opportunities of Empty Ritual
This post was originally published by The Finger Lakes Times (NY) as part of the weekly series, "Denim Spirit." Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. That is the central … [Read more...]
The Myth of Sinfulness
The myth of sinfulness is a problem. The notion that there is such a thing as “original sin” is rooted in the idea that there was a time when human beings were different than we are now AND that … [Read more...]