Analytic Theology

On September 20, 2009 I posted a note Thich Nhat Hanh at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.   Stéphane Dreyfus, whom I mentioned in the note, was kind enough to post a reply.  This note is in response to Dreyfus’ defense of his practice of “Western Buddhism” – an endeavor I believe is deeply flawed from a [...]

The concept of the “drum circle” long has been used in certain primitive tribes and other ad hoc gatherings as a means of facilitating social interaction and calibrating group attunement to a single pulse.  Drumming is rhythmic and percussive.  It is loud.  When people drum together they synchronize their timing.  Time no longer is comprehended [...]

Assignment … Each student shall engage in an ethnic or cultural experience where the student will be in the minority or be exposed to items unfamiliar to his/her every day life. … After attending, write up a summary as to what you expected before you went; what surprised you; what did not; did anything make [...]

The Codex Gigas is a medieval manuscript containing a version of the Bible and various other then-current tracts. It is most notable for its large depiction of the devil: The primary motor cortex is a region of the brain that is controls muscles and executes movements when given a brain command to do so. Different [...]

The Bible has various allusions to water.  In the Old Testament it is the primordial sea out of which God created the earth.  It is what Noah overcame during the great flood.  Jonah survived it after he was belched out of the whale.  In the New Testament Jesus is a fisher of men.  He performed [...]

Sophia Kishkovsky wrote an interesting article in today’s New York Times, “With Orthodoxy’s Revival in Russia, Religious Media Also Rise.”  She states: “After 70 years of state-imposed atheism and 20 years that have run the gamut from glasnost to post-Soviet chaos to a revival of Russian pride, Russians have increasingly embraced their Orthodox roots.” The [...]

On November 9th the Catholic Church celebrated the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.  The Lateran Basilica is the Pope’s cathedral – surprisingly, not St. Peters.  It is odd to have a special mass celebrating the Lateran Basilica.  As the service progressed, it became clear the Basilica was an analogy about Christ (Christ’s body), [...]

The Los Angeles Times recently carried an article by Tracy Wilkinson, “Thou shalt honor thy Mother Earth” (Mar. 14, 2008).  Ms. Wilkinson describes a new pronouncement from the Vatican.  Evidently, the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary has created a new class of sin.  It comprises a class of activities, such as destroying the environment; gene manipulation; drug [...]

A. Statement of the Problem The story of the Tower of Babel at Genesis 11:1-9 is one of the most celebrated fables of the Old Testament. It recounts how the ancient Israelites commenced building a gigantic ziggurat in order to reach unto heaven. Concurrently, they sought a “name,” lest they “be scattered abroad upon the [...]

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  The Prologue to the Gospel of John quite likely is the most enigmatic verse in the Bible.  Because of this, it consistently repays further contemplation.  I previously wrote an essay about it, focusing on the concept of logos.  [...]