Lightly Salted: June 2007

Finding Truth

While struggling with the problem "how do we know truth" in Lutheran seminary, I wrote the following. Like most things Protestant, it is OK as far as it goes, but it doesn't say enough.

What is truth?

What is the truth?

If there is truth, how can I know it?

I cannot.

Jun

You put your Left opinion in and you shake it all about

One of the by products of modern political 'debate' is that the true meaning of words such as 'liberal' and 'conservative' have been lost. They have been overwhelmed by simplistic and uncharitable demonisations of opposing positions, usually perpetuated by protagonists who's positions are indefensible via rational argument.

Jun

Big Love

Most likely you you have already heard of the TV series Big Love which is becoming more popular in the States and will be screened here in Australia. I hadn't seen anything of it until I read Caroline Overington's opinion piece Special connections don't come in multiples in the Weekend Australian. At a time when most people seem unable to hold a lifelong relationship with one other person, I am amazed they would find inspiration in a guy trying to hold three concurrent relationships together.

Jun

Gender-Neutral Fatherhood?

Apparently it is Fathers Day in the United States, even if not here. The Ignatius review has an interesting article on Fatherhood, (Hat tip to Some Have Hats). The article is titled Discovering the Fatherhood of God in a Gender-Neutral Society.

Jun

Pell faces Jail!

My apologies for the sensationalist headline. It was taken from the local rag which lead with the headline "Pell faces Jail for contempt."

Following on from Cardinal Pell's recent contribution to the stem cell-debate and the backlash from certain parlimentarians, the latest move by the Catholic haters is summed up here,

CATHOLIC Cardinal George Pell could face up to 25 years in prison following an extraordinary move by the NSW Greens to have him nvestigated for contempt of Parliament.

Jun

Extroverts Anonymous

Back in Lutheran Seminary we were subjected to a variety of those awful 'personality' inventories. The theory was that knowing us better would assist the seminary staff in shaping a formation program to suit each of us. In practice it became a quickfire way of boxing fairly complex people into simplistic categories without anything so inconvenient as listening to the student and reflecting on what they said.

Jun

Sins of the Sitemeter

A recent post by Jen from Et-tu encouraged me to engage in a kind of examination of conscience regarding my site meter.

There is nothing inherently evil about site meters but it is possible to use them in a way which is more about pride and vanity than anything good.

Bear with me as I think this one through aloud (so to speak). The site meter can be of great help to a blogger.

Jun

The Language of Tolerance

The Christian mainstream seem to have sold out to the idea that Christ was all about us sitting amiably by as people engage in harmful, stupid, and even evil things.

This so-called Christian tolerance rapidly evaporates, however, when a view is expressed which suggests someone, anyone, has done wrong. One paper accused Cardinal Pell of being ‘traditionalist, authoritarian, medieval and probably working with Opus Dei.’

It is assumed that we agree that these things are bad.

Jun

The Jihad of Tolerance

Hands up who is sick and tired of being told to be ‘tolerant’.

The word ‘tolerance’ seems to mean, “allowing anyone else to do whatever they like to me, to other people, and to themselves so long as I am allowed to do the same.”

Christians in particular have sold out to the error that Christianity is a religion of tolerance.

Jun

A Thrill for Washington DC!

Damn Eden, author of The Thrill of the Chaste has a new job! According to her blog she will take up a new role on July 2, as the director of the Cardinal Newman Society's new Love and Responsibility program.

Lightly Salted

A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men. - Roald Dahl -