rhetoric of religion

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"Who Shall I Say Is Calling?"

Submitted by Jim Aune on October 7, 2010 - 11:45am

And who by fire, who by water,
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial,

Religious Ritual Against Entropy

rhetoric of religion

Submitted by Jim Aune on September 19, 2010 - 2:46pm

A lovely essay by David Gelernter.

"All Vows"

rhetoric of religion

Submitted by Jim Aune on September 16, 2010 - 8:09pm

Yom Kippur, which ends the Days of Awe, or High Holidays for Jews, starts tomorrow night at sundown. Probably the most haunting song in all of Judaism is "Kol Nidrei" (All Vows) begins the service. Here's a really clear explanation of the background (and mysteries) of the prayer. It's useful to remember that this is the single prayer in Judaism most exploited by Jew-haters.

L'Shanah Tovah, Y'all

rhetoric of religion

Submitted by Jim Aune on September 10, 2010 - 4:30pm

Michael Bloomberg's Eloquence

rhetoric of religion

Submitted by Jim Aune on August 4, 2010 - 2:01pm

Text and video link here.

Shonda. . . .

rhetoric of religion

Submitted by Jim Aune on July 30, 2010 - 8:20pm

The cynicism of the ADL and other American Likudniks knows no bounds.

Obama's Eulogy

Submitted by Jim Aune on April 25, 2010 - 4:31pm

One should not, of course, like Republicans, make politics out of sad events, but as I read the President's religious appeals here, I am inclined to invoke Amos 5 (the Authorized Version):

7Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Bach, Mozart, Vaughan Williams, and the Holy Ghost Hoky Poky?

rhetoric of religion

Submitted by Jim Aune on April 23, 2010 - 4:36pm

Christian Legal Society v. Martinez

Submitted by Jim Aune on April 19, 2010 - 8:45am

The Supremes hear oral arguments in the UC-Hastings Law School case today, involving the right of a "Christian" group on campus to exclude GLBT folk, in violation of the University's anti-discrimination policy. Useful (if slanted) background here. I don't see how Hastings can win this case, either on the merits or on the numbers of justices. Do I wish CLS would dry up and blow away? Yes.

Abortion and Moral Responsibility

rhetoric of religion

Submitted by Jim Aune on April 7, 2010 - 3:47pm

I am teaching my church-state course/religious communication again this spring. I always end the course (prior to student group presentations) with about a week and a half on the abortion issue, focusing mainly on the legal issues involved. As I was starting to lay out competing religious views on abortion today, and eliciting some opinions from my evangelical students, I think I finally understood something. Evangelicals/Roman Catholics (in contrast to Jews or many mainline Protestants) believe that every pregnancy is somehow the Will of God.