A man so in love with the world
Maurice Sendak died on 8 May 2012. Thanks to Arni at I Think I Believe for bringing this to my attention “To those who consider themselves on the safe side of belief, [Simone Weil] teaches the uncomfortable truth that the unbelief of many atheists is closer to a true love of God and a true [...]
Death is interesting: retail edition
The deadest mall in America: Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois. Nice video tours here. Image source: Wikimedia Commons Disclaimer This post doesn’t quite fit with the religion-n-science emphasis of psnt.net, but I’ve decided to put it up because dead malls are a seasonally-appropriate metaphor for this week’s theme — end times — and because [...]
The end of the world is coming. We object
Anonymous, Day of the Last Judgment, late 19th century. From what I can remember of the Islam classes I took, the Last Judgment is a very big deal for Muslims, just as it is for Christians. In this jaunty scene, Mohammed sits on the camel in the upper right. Per tradition, his face is blanked [...]
More on the 9/11 cross
Photo by Mario Tama As we all know, American Atheists have filed a lawsuit against those who plan to display a cross-shaped piece of wreckage at the 9/11 memorial. This is an artifact that brought comfort to many Americans, most particularly New Yorkers and those who were involved in the cleanup of Lower Manhattan. And [...]
The end of faith? Bring it
And he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Anonymous, Jesus and the Rich Man, 11th century. Image source: Index of Armenian Art By all appearances, the end is near. That’s what the scientists are telling us, anyway. It seems that a group of specialists in the (really cool) field of nonlinear dynamics have [...]
At the risk of pointing out the obvious, we are dust
Last weekend’s tsunami washes over Sendai I will try to make this brief. Today, five things: 1. This is hell. I don’t watch TV news. And I have been busy. So I had not, until this afternoon, watched any of the footage of Japan’s earthquake-tsunami-nuclear-meltdown crisis. It is heartbreaking. The above video came from this [...]
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Advent II: Karl Barth and the nativity’s troubling ambiguity
Georges de La Tour, The Newborn Christ, 1645-48. Source: Wikimedia Commons Every time I read Karl Barth I end up feeling like a moron. He utterly convinces me of the thinness of my theology and the poverty of my understanding of Christ. So, predictably, I don’t read too much of him. But for my church [...]
