Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, distributed a Bible to each committee member at the committee’s first meeting on January 31, and invited them to read through it in 2023. Good. More folks ought to see what’s in the Bible. And not just the stories that they taught … Continue reading The Story of Ehud and Eglon
Religion
Hart Beaver
It was a big deal when Hart Beaver moved to town with his wife and children sometime in the early 60s. He was an Assistant District Attorney in Lebanon County, so he automatically became one of Richland’s most prominent citizens, and he moved into a long-abandoned farm house near the edge of town and proceeded … Continue reading Hart Beaver
In the Name of the Lord
In the Authorized Version of the Bible (popularly known as the King James Version) in Exodus 6:2-3 God introduces himself to Moses: 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my … Continue reading In the Name of the Lord
That Old Time Religion
I think most people who practice a religion derived from the Bible assume that the Bible describes one and only one religion. Oh, they may realize that the so-called Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible or Tanakh) is an older version of the religion, and they may even recognize it as the Jewish religion, so at … Continue reading That Old Time Religion
Herbie
John Herbert, or Herbie as most of us called him, was a white ROTC student who lived on the fifth floor of Mifflin Hall during my second year at Penn State. He was a devout Christian and became good friends with Steve Sattazahn and Allan Maurer, high school classmates of mine who were also residing … Continue reading Herbie
The Biblical Absalom
I’ve been hearing a lot of mentions of William Faulkner in recent months, and as I’ve managed to reach my maturity without reading any of his books, I’ve decided to try to rectify that. Given that even his longest novels are only a fraction of the length of Warren Pease, maybe I’ll have more success. … Continue reading The Biblical Absalom
Not So Outlandish Now, Is It?
As I’ve mentioned previously, one of my favorite writers during my teen years was Robert A. Heinlein. He really knew how to spin a spell-binding tale. In addition to many standalone novels, such as The Puppet Masters, Door Into Summer, Double Star, Between Planets, and Red Planet (to name some of my favorites), and short stories such as “—All You … Continue reading Not So Outlandish Now, Is It?
Reverend Rodgers
Last night I dreamt I saw Reverend Rodgers again. Reverend John Rodgers was the pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Richland, PA, during the mid 60s, and as much as I hated going to church and Sunday school, I really did like Reverend Rodgers and his wife (whose name I no longer recall, alas; … Continue reading Reverend Rodgers
An Atheist’s Guide to the Good Life
PZ Myers wrote a great little piece for the WaPo's On Faith section, An atheist's guide to the good life. Ditch the Sunday church services first thing. Hanging out with friends and neighbors is great, we atheists do it all the time, but guess what? We do it without a boring dude in a dog … Continue reading An Atheist’s Guide to the Good Life