"The defense of life," declares Princeton University’s Robert P. George, "calls America back to the founding principles of our regime and to reflection on the justifying point and purposes of law and government."That was in last month’s Erasmus Lecture, the annual . . . . Continue Reading »
The book version of The Golden Compass begins with a bang. The movie version with a lecture.The film opens with the camera panning across a sea of computer-generated galaxies, and a narrative voice tells us of the underpinnings of Philip Pullman’s world. We learn that many universes lie . . . . Continue Reading »
It was a powerful speech powerfully delivered. I don’t do political endorsements but am on record as saying that I think Mitt Romney is in many ways well qualified to be president. There is nothing in the speech that prompts a change of mind on that.Note the title “Faith in . . . . Continue Reading »
On Opinion Journal earlier this week, John Fund opines on the Mormon factor in Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. He notes that a survey of 1,269 faculty members by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research just found that 38 percent of social sciences and humanities professors, a . . . . Continue Reading »
Pope Benedict’s letter this past week to the Catholics of China is a development of potentially historic importance. In reading the letter and talking with people who know the situation in China, the most striking thing is Benedict’s insistence that there is one Catholic Church in . . . . Continue Reading »
Prof. Stephanie Coontz recently took to the pages of the New York Times to inform us that we do not need marriage as a legal institution. This is not the first time she has ridden rough-shod over marriage in the Times , and I doubt it will be the last. In this instance, Coontz is nothing short of . . . . Continue Reading »
Pope Benedict XVI released his new encyclical letter, Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope), November 30, just two days before the beginning of Advent. Not surprisingly, the Holy Father’s timing was perfect because Advent, more than any other season of the year, is rooted in the virtue of hope. For Catholics, . . . . Continue Reading »
Sometimes political discussions get so bogged down that people’s views get set in stone. With advocates on both sides of a contentious issue preaching to the choir, the hope of actually persuading anyone diminishes as each side’s talking points become more predictable. But sometimes the . . . . Continue Reading »
More than any other pope, John Paul II was the twentieth century’s greatest papal friend and supporter of the Jewish people. Indeed, John Paul II’s extraordinary relationship with the Jews was an important chapter in the historic legacy of his pontificate, which has had profound . . . . Continue Reading »
The film version of The Golden Compass opens on December 7 and it’s worth remembering that the book, part of Philip Pullman’s series of fantasy novels, was widely discussed when Pullman finished the series back in the fall of 2000. first things published two sharp discussions at the time, both . . . . Continue Reading »