Author Archives: PaulVK

The Atlantic

Because of the absence of religious values and the presence of sensuality and brutality, the book of Esther has posed a problem for interpreters throughout its history. For the first seven centuries of the Christian church, not one commentary was … Continue reading →

SF Gate from 20 things from Dave Ramseys 20 things Rich People Do Every Day Eat less junk food Plan, can focus on goals Exercise Listen to audio books maintain a to-do list make their kids read volunteer make happy birthday … Continue reading →

MSU Today Neal ran computer modeling of different fictional neighborhoods and, after millions of trials, consistently found the same thing: The more integrated a neighborhood is, the less socially cohesive it becomes, and vice versa. –

http://epiphenom.fieldofscience.com/2013/11/atheists-get-sweaty-when-daring-god.html A team from the University of Finland got 16 atheists and 13 religious people to read aloud statements like “I dare God to make someone murder my parents cruelly” and “I dare God to make me die of cancer”. … Continue reading →

From Deeper Story A lot of struggling with trying to figure out prayer in the comments section on this piece. One commentor noted Jesus’ teaching about prayer: “ask and it will be given…” Tough stuff. Always tough stuff.

Japan Times The American Occupation of 1945-51 ended Shinto’s status as a state religion and attempted to banish its influence from Japan’s public sphere, notably its emphasis on a pure racial identity linked to the Emperor. The core element of … Continue reading →