Over at The Atlantic, there’s an interview with Rabbi Sharon Brous, the senior rabbi at IKAR, a non-denominational synagogue in California. See ‘I’ve Spent My Life Studying These Books That Say Decency Actually Matters.’ Rabbi Brous describes religious belief among progressives in contemporary America, and two of her observations are particularly suited even to Whitewater…
Religion
Holiday, Religion
Easter 2017
by JOHN ADAMS •
From Pope Francis’s Twitter account (@Pontifex) this morning — Happy Easter! May you bring to all the joy and hope of the Risen Christ! pic.twitter.com/SB50xA3Gp5 — Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 16, 2017
America, Authoritarianism, Ethnicity, Law, Liberty, Religion
Against a Registry
by JOHN ADAMS •
Politics, Religion
The Rev. William Barber at the Democratic National Convention
by JOHN ADAMS •
I watched the national conventions of both major parties, although I am a member of neither. Of the many speeches over many days, some were exceptional. The one from the Rev. William Barber, for example, is worth watching, either for the first time or again. The Rev. Barber’s political views, to be sure, sometimes (but…
Animals, Conservation, Environment, Nature, Religion
The Nature Display at St. Peter’s Basilica
by JOHN ADAMS •
Adventure, Food, Religion
Dinner at Hogwarts
by JOHN ADAMS •
Film, Holiday, Religion
Happy Easter: An Easter Weekend in Rome
by JOHN ADAMS •
An Easter Weekend in Rome from Gunther Machu on Vimeo.
Gov. Walker, Government Spending, Politics, Religion, Science/Nature, State Government, Wisconsin
Budget First
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last week, Gov. Walker declined to answer Englishman’s question about whether he, Scott Waker, believed in evolution. Today, in the Journal Sentinel, one learns that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos does believe in evolution. (I’ll bite: I was raised in a liturgical, high-church tradition that taught that the theory of evolution was consistent with faith. I…
Politics, Religion
Presence Rather Than Partisan Answers
by JOHN ADAMS •
Years ago, during a controversy in Whitewater, someone told me a story about an official who, I learned, asked God’s help to relieve that official from a political burden. The official delivered his request, apparently, in blunt, specific terms. I don’t know whether the official received an answer to his prayers, or whether he believed…
Holiday, Religion
Merry Christmas
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Solemn Proclamation of Christmas, Midnight Mass 2011. Broadcast live from St George’s RC Cathedral, Southwark on 24th December 2011. Director of Music: Nick Gale, Soloist: Dominic Keating-Roberts. Text: New ICEL translation 2010.
History, Religion
Happy Easter 2013
by JOHN ADAMS •
A portion of the Urbi et Orbi Message, Easter, 2013: We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than…
Holiday, Religion
Happy Easter
by JOHN ADAMS •
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my…
Foreign Affairs, Religion
The Continuing Global Growth of Christianity
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a distinction between separation of church & state and secularization, although the distinction isn’t always grasped. America and France both have a separation of church from state, but France is the more secular society. Religion is more visible in American civil society, compared with France (if anything, that’s a considerable understatement). There’s much worry…
Politics, Religion
On Schedule: Left Reports on How Right is Upset with Romney’s Mormonism
by JOHN ADAMS •
Too funny. Via Huffington Post.