Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
It is reassuring to see that Trump is not totally opposed to all of Obama’s policies and that he is toeing the line of previous administrations in maintaining a strong supportive relationship with “strong leaders who keep the region safe for American business and military interests.” The butchering of a single journalist by Saudi Arabian … Continue reading “At last — consistency of policy between Obama and Trump”
I posted on Facebook a link to an article that challenged my own “liberal” spirit of wanting to believe that racists and other bigots were fundamentally fearful and that a sure cure was to be found in strategically administered education and information. I had long believed that one reason people were sometimes fearful was that … Continue reading “Trumpism: No, it’s not the economy that’s to blame”
But they didn’t laugh at this part. I guess sometimes irony is just too painful to bear . . . . Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death, and destruction. They do not respect their neighbors or borders, or the sovereign rights of nations. Instead, Iran’s leaders plunder the nation’s resources to enrich themselves and to spread … Continue reading “Here is the part of Trump’s UN speech they should have laughed loudest at”
When I read . . . . The thing about Donald Trump is that he was never one of the Cool Guys. He was the schmuck over there across the room who was feeling up women and picking our pockets while we looked the other way. He ran a campaign that said, you know the … Continue reading “Trump and Another (Australian) Baby Boomer Drop Kick”
The idea that Trump might be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has been bandied about (even if forged). I like the idea. It’s one time my eyes have not rolled to the back of my head over some new thing associated with the dangerous idiot. Awarding it to Trump would, I believe, bestow some much … Continue reading “Trump Should Get the Nobel Peace Prize”
At least one of the videos was later described as “fake” by a Dutch news outlet. Sanders said that didn’t matter. “Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real,” Sanders told reporters. “[Trump’s] goal is to promote strong border security and strong national security.”Sanders continued, criticizing reporters for pressing her on whether Trump should verify … Continue reading “How Ehrman’s Gospel “Truth” Gives a Pass to Trump’s “Truth” of Fake Videos”
The Bible’s ethics are not for our time. They represent an age when policies like those of Trump’s “extreme vetting if immigrants” were whitewashed as inspirationally loving. Take the “beautiful” and “touching” story of Ruth . . . . The story of the Syrophoenician/Canaanite woman is akin to that of Ruth, which many scholars see as … Continue reading “Jesus Loves Trump, (a man after his own heart)”
The French smoke because Americans don’t. Or at least that’s what they used to tell us, only partly joking. But nobody would injure himself just to spite someone else, would he? Seems unlikely. But if you skim the web looking for reasons why people smoke, beyond the typical reason (they enjoy it), you’ll find a surprising … Continue reading “They Love Trump Because You Hate Him”
Cult deprogramming might sound extreme so first a wise word I wish I had taken on board some time ago: Bear in mind the difference between an actual cult and a cult following. There’s a big difference between Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Jim Jones, and Charlie Manson, and David Koresh, Shoko Asahara. It was … Continue reading “6 Tips for Deprogramming Trump followers (and Clinton’s? and Others….)”
The dust having only just settled on Barack Obama and Donald Trump are both wrong about Islam what do I wake up to read this morning . . . ? One wouldn’t call them bedfellows, strange or otherwise, but President Obama and Donald Trump are both inadvertently helping the Islamic State through rhetoric that is either too … Continue reading “Once more: “Obama and Trump both inadvertently helping the Islamic State through rhetoric””
Donald Trump is certain that “Islam hates us,” as he said in an interview with CNN host Anderson Cooper and repeated in Miami’s debate. “There’s tremendous hatred.” President Obama is certain that “Islam is a religion that preaches peace.” Both men are equally wrong. Islam neither hates nor preaches — its followers do. Islam is … Continue reading “Barack Obama and Donald Trump are both wrong about Islam”
Edited with explanatory note on Jesus not struggling with his sacrificial vocation — Dec 2, 2011, 08:10 am This post concludes the series outlining Huizenga‘s thesis that Matthew created his Jesus as an antitype of Isaac. The earlier posts are: Isaac Bound: template for Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew — this examines the Jewish … Continue reading “Jesus with Isaac in Gethsemane: And How Historical Inquiry Trumps Christian Exegesis”
The concluding paragraph of the first chapter of Mandell’s and Freedman’s The Relationship Between Herodotus’ History and Primary History is worth framing. The principle it addresses would, if applied to New Testament studies, relegate to the scrap heap a good deal of scholarship investigating oral sources behind this or that detail in the Gospels. Since … Continue reading “When literary analysis trumps historical analysis”
Continuing from Why Josiah’s Reforms “Must Have Happened” – part 2 The Deuteronomistic History (DH) is a modern theoretical construct holding that behind the present forms of the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings (the Former Prophets in the Hebrew canon) there was a single literary work. In the late 19th century, … Continue reading “Why Josiah’s Reforms “Must Have Happened” – part 3 (conclusion)”