“Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart—and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us it oscillates with the years. And even within the hearts overwhelmed with evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains…an unuprooted small corner of evil.” Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag … [Read more...] about Solzhenitsyn and Two-Face
Christianity
That is the Law; Are We Not Men?
Not to go on all-Fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men?Not to suck up Drink; that is the Law. Are we not Men?Not to eat Flesh or Fish; that is the Law. Are we not Men?Not to claw Bark of Trees; that is the law. Are we not Men?Not to chase other Men; that is the Law. Are we not Men? Hmm. I’d like to say that 4 out of 5 ain’t bad. And yet, I know I stand condemned of violating the Law. Does this make me less than human? This recitation of the Law is in H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. … [Read more...] about That is the Law; Are We Not Men?
Can’t You Read the Sign?
“Signs, Signs, everywhere there’s signs.” Thus saith Tesla. And before that Five Man Electric Band. And before that C.S. Lewis. And before that John.Not to disparage the first two, we’ll start with Lewis. The Silver Chair is book 4 in the Chronicles of Narnia. (Yes, I know saying it is the 4th book is fightin’ words in some circles.) If you haven’t read the Chronicles of Narnia, you really owe it to yourself to do so. They are all very quick reads which can be enjoyed by children as nice … [Read more...] about Can’t You Read the Sign?
Plato, Aristotle, and Jesus
Quiz: Name the five most influential philosophy books in Western Civilization. Go ahead, make your list. Don’t worry if you are not an expert in the history of philosophy. Just name the five most influential philosophy books of which you have heard. There are a lot of viable candidates for that list of five. The number of possible lists is vast. But there is one book that, while it should be on everyone’s list, would show up on very few lists unless mentioned in advance. What is this … [Read more...] about Plato, Aristotle, and Jesus
Here We Come A-caroling
Joyful, all ye nations rise,Join the triumph of the skiesWith th’angelic host proclaim,Christ is born in BethlehemHark! The herald angels sing, And you can join in that singing. Here to help you in that endeavor is Hosanna in Excelsis: Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season, by David and Barbara Leeman. The book is a twist on the Family Devotional. Forty-three hymns, one per day from November 25 through January 6. (The final date is Epiphany. November 25, however, is odd. The authors … [Read more...] about Here We Come A-caroling
Seven Deadly Virtues
"The chaplain had mastered, in a moment of divine intuition, the handy technique of protective rationalization, and he was exhilarated by his discovery. It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely … [Read more...] about Seven Deadly Virtues