If I remember correctly, it was an Anglican, Bishop Ussher, who added up the ages of the patriarchs in the Old Testament to arrive at the astonishingly precise date of Creation: 4004 B.C.—September 21, 4004 B.C. The reading of ancient texts for clues about the calendar has a venerable . . . . Continue Reading »
When Pope Benedict visited the Cistercian monks of Heiligenkreuz last fall, he praised them for their prayer that is “free of any useful purpose.” I’ve never thought of prayer in precisely these terms, but it’s worth reflection. The recent update to the Pew Forum survey on . . . . Continue Reading »
To state the obvious, the USA is losing its common culture and moral values, creating an almost unbridgeable cultural chasm. This, in turn, is disintegrating our social cohesion and leading to the me-me/I-I consciousness of radical individualism.But radical individualism is intended for only one . . . . Continue Reading »
In the latest issue of the Weekly Standard , I review three new academic books on enhancement biotechnology. I found the books a bit underwhelming . . . But reading through them and noting their deficiencies served as the catalyst for the articles I co-authored with Chris Tollefsen for First Things . . . . Continue Reading »
Three years ago, the Supreme Court handed down its atrocious Kelo decision, which allowed local governments to take private land if they believed it could be developed in a way advantageous to the local economy. Steven Malanga reviews the results on Real Clear Markets: Most Americans object to such . . . . Continue Reading »
This is a crucial issue involving the assisted suicide debate. We have already seen in Oregon a woman denied coverage for chemotherapy to extend her life, but told that Medicaid will pay for her assisted suicide. Now, that scenario played out in the UK. The melting down NHS denied a chemotherapy . . . . Continue Reading »
A new article in Live Science predicts that adult stem cells may replace silicone breast implants and other contemporary plastic surgery techniques. But first, a crucial admission you once would never see in a science-oriented journal. From the story:Stem cells are cells that have the ability to . . . . Continue Reading »
“Deep within everyone’s heart, whether he knows it or not, is a yearning for supreme happiness and thus, ultimately, for God. Such a primordial human longing for completion is fulfilled by a monastery where the community gathers several times a day for the praise of God.” So said . . . . Continue Reading »
The Washington Post has a review of The Lolita Effect , a book that focuses on the sexualization of young girls and asks what can be done about it. Based on the review, the book is solid when it comes to showing how this early sexualization hurts young girls and produces other social ills (child . . . . Continue Reading »
I had decidedly mixed feelings about the late George Carlin: I didn’t like him and I thought he was hilarious. The San Francisco Chronicle’s obituary today had excerpts from his routines. This one cracked me up—particularly with my 59th birthday approaching fast:“Older” . . . . Continue Reading »
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