http://smragan.com/2010/08/ As a general rule, I found the Mardi Gras events to be a continual crescendo of size and diminuendo of intensity. “Extension is the complement of soul,” I believe is the relevant apothegm (if you keep on saying it to yourself enough over a period of years you will feel how much truth is in […]
Category Archives: Religion
Mardi Gras Overall.
26-Feb-09Mardi Gras Out of Context – 3.
26-Feb-09http://blumberger.net/411-2/ In the French Quarter, I saw a man standing at an intersection with a sign saying, GOD IS NOT FAIR. A man came up to him and asked him if he was with the Jesus people a few steps from him. And I thought to myself, “That is a great theological question. That is precisely […]
Paul Barnes, Liszt, Music, and God.
19-Feb-09It’s curious and wonderful how certain doors open into further corridors. Paul Barnes, the transcriber of Philip Glass’s Orphee, turns out to be a kindred soul in his own right. One of his passions is the religious music of Franz Liszt, which has been sadly neglected (especially by the Church, which stands in desperate need […]
The Conservative Side of the Church.
05-Feb-09I was speaking with my mother about the most recent Church problems, when she referred to Benedict XVI as “your pope,” i.e. my pope, a pope of the more conservative Catholics, and the younger Catholics. And there is no doubt that I was happy on the day Benedict was elected. I watched the news […]
Sexuality and Church Teaching.
06-Jan-09American bishops just met in conference recently and issued a document calling on Catholics to live upright, Christian lives in accordance with the teaching of the Church. The document mentioned in particular the great disparity between the precepts of Catholicism and the actual practice of Catholics. The issues mentioned were the familiar ones: abortion, […]
Reginaldus and Bill Maher.
01-Jan-09For those who haven’t seen it or want a refresher, here’s the clip of Reginald Foster and Bill Maher. It amazes me how Maher struck the major emotional chord of Reginaldus’ life: a man who dedicated his life to the Church, then fell in love with God, and has had to try (with only partial success) […]
Christmas Commiserations.
26-Dec-08I know that many people go to Church on days like this, so I figured I’d scribble a tad on the Mass. The homily in the mass serves an important function for Catholics (especially Catholic men who are masters at this): it trains you to completely shut down as someone else is speaking. […]
Abortion III – The Character of Abortion
20-Nov-08In my two previous essays on abortion, I discussed abortion and the vote, and abortion and the Catholic hierarchy. In both of them I took for granted that abortion is a sin and that it should not occur. I will not backtrack from that position. But many people feel much less certain about the […]
Religulous.
19-Nov-08It’s not immediately obvious that the main message of the movie Religulous – that religion is ridiculous and we have no room for it anymore in the world – would appeal to any person (like myself) who describes himself as religious. Religious people have seen atheists set up paper tigers and rip them apart before. […]
In my first piece on abortion I discussed how a person who opposed abortion could also vote for pro-choice politicians. In this piece I would like to draw attention specifically to the tactical choices of the Catholic hierarchy. The thing that always strikes me when I hear priests in the pulpit talking […]