peaceful turmoil

The wages of hysterical xenophobia: Greek Orthodox priest beaten and accused of being a terrorist in Florida

2009-11-11T08:56:00.005-05:00

Tampa police: Marine reservist attacked Greek priest he mistook for terrorist By Alexandra Zayas and Demorris A. Lee, Times Staff Writers In Print: Wednesday, November 11,...

Self Portrait

2009-11-10T11:19:00.010-05:00

A recent post of mine included a quick sketch of a good friend of mine which was painfully honest. It doesn't cast him in a negative light at all, but it does include a few traits that some might...

Information systems, ambiguity, diversity, grammar and the Divine

2009-11-08T12:45:00.006-05:00

In any information system, there is a direct relationship between complexity and risk for error. Another way to think of it is that diversity requires ambiguity. Imagine you want to attach meaning...

What can interfaith really look like? What should it look like?

2009-11-06T07:06:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaThere is an episode of South Park you may have seen in which in order to not offend anyone, the Christmas program at the elementary school becomes a totally generic, bland and...

So are atheists getting worse, more numerous, or just more vocal?

2009-11-05T13:13:00.005-05:00

Image via WikipediaYou will forgive me, right? Because you know I am not putting down atheism or atheists as a whole. So I know the title might read to some like an insult, but bear with me a bit...

"Be Now", "Just Be", "Open Up", "Let Go" and Other Western Buddhist Cliches

2009-11-03T08:16:00.004-05:00

It's not that these kinds of cliches are all bad advice, but they aren't teachings. They are just comments intended to guide us to the teaching, which is (the) unfiltered and naked experience...

What is the big appeal about wondering/debating over what does or doesn't "make you" a "Buddhist"?

2009-11-03T07:36:00.005-05:00

Image via WikipediaHave you noticed how often this comes up on blogs or in podcasts, books or magazine articles? Apparently the folks pondering such a thing are hung up on the notion of Buddhist...

Thirty Republican Senators who should get 0% of the vote from women, good fathers, good brothers, good husbands, etc

2009-11-02T10:36:00.001-05:00

"Vile" and "reprehensible" don't quite seem adequate. The following is an excerpt from The Pap Attack... I checked to make sure that the 30 Republican Senators who voted against Jamie Leigh Jones'...

How do you know if God is telling you something?

2009-10-17T08:25:00.000-04:00

Interesting question. One could flip it ("How do you know God ISN'T telling YOU something?"), but that then begs the question "What is the nature of God's communication?" Everyone has an opinion....

The wages of sin, the consequences of karma

2009-10-12T07:14:00.013-04:00

The concepts of sin and karma are very complex and often times complex concepts become reduced to a simplification of a single aspect of their nature, which makes some people uncomfortable with the...

The myth of Democrats waffling on the public option because of 2010/2012

2009-10-11T07:25:00.000-04:00

For weeks pundits have been saying that Democrats from conservative areas have to consider the repercussions for re-election. That is ridiculous. Conservatives who are not open to the public option...

Christian and Buddhist vows of peace and nonviolence

2009-10-10T18:35:00.002-04:00

In case you are interested... A Vow of Nonviolence Recognizing the violence in my own heart, yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God, I vow to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us...

Obama needs to find his resolve and his voice (on the public option in health care reform)

2009-09-06T19:47:00.010-04:00

Posted on my message board on August 20th... Recently an anonymous administration official was baffled as to why the political left saw a public option as essential to real healthcare reform. This...

Sorry for the hiatus

2009-08-20T18:43:00.005-04:00

Feel free to chat amongst yourselves.

Truth with words at the expense of experience

2009-08-13T12:36:00.002-04:00

"The more firmly people believe they can debate their way to truth with words at the expense of experience, the further astray they go; the more people seek truth through experience, the harder it...

Hang-ups to seeking God, Part 3: God isn't a superior hypothesis

2009-08-11T17:54:00.008-04:00

Some assume "God" is an extra layer or texture spread over existence like jam on bread. God isn't an extra or an add-on. Whatever you are aware of is your level of awareness of God. If you are only...

Hang-ups to seeking God, Part 2: God isn't one of the "gods"

2009-08-11T08:13:00.001-04:00

There are some things I would suggest though for the person really seeking God and not just claiming to seek... 1. By using the cliched atheist logic of taking the concept of gods from polytheism...

Hang-ups to seeking God, Part 1: What does it mean to know God?

2009-08-10T23:18:00.001-04:00

Series inspired by past and taken from excerpts of present conversations on the issue... I suggest there is more to what it means to "know God" or to "find salvation" than the construction that is...

Strive to love your neighbors

2009-08-09T09:19:00.001-04:00

"Strive to love your neighbors actively and indefatigably. And the nearer you come to achieving this love, the more convinced you will become of the existence of God and the immortality of your...

The hunch of faith

2009-08-08T08:56:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia"It's very important to understand the difference between religion and faith. Because faith is not about having the right answers. Faith is a feeling. Faith is a hunch, really....

Sarah Palin's view on the Health Care bill: her logic is sound, her heart is in the right place, but her facts are wrong

2009-08-07T22:02:00.005-04:00

Former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin recently gave a statement about the Health Care Reform bill being debated in Congress, and was quoted as saying: "The America I know and love is not one in which...

The idol of no form

2009-08-07T07:43:00.001-04:00

[I tried to post this as a "diary" entry at Street Prophets as a reply to something written by Clark Strand, which is cross-posted from his own blog, but there is some technical issue with my account...

Anger, frenzy, mobs and the politics of hate - how to stop the "game"

2009-08-06T13:12:00.007-04:00

Too many people are treating politics like a game that is above life and death, and even when asked for sane responses won't give them because the calculus of the rules say it's potentially too risky...

Ditch this witness/exploration blog for a self-help blog?

2009-08-05T13:00:00.002-04:00

Funny idea I had earlier: Maybe I should dump my current blog and make one that is an advice column called "Dear Hopelessly Stupid"... I wonder what it would look like...? Hey Stupid: I like to...

What does taking the Lotus Sutra seriously look like?

2009-08-05T08:52:00.003-04:00

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are some excerpts from a discussion on the impact of the message and underlying wisdom of the...