I can’t stop thinking about a recent article I read in The New York Times, titled “Nuns Weigh Response to Scathing Vatican Rebuke” [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/us/us-nuns-weigh-response-to-scathing-vatican-critique.html?pagewanted=all]. Maybe you have been reading for the past year or so about the growing estrangement and tension between the Vatican and women religious, particularly American nuns. Here is the quote from…… Continue reading The Role of Questioning in Faith
This Vast Similitude
I have been in San Diego all week, and at the top of my lists of sights has been watching the sun set over the ocean. In fact, I have been pretty enchanted and entranced by the ocean all week–and I say this as a staunch mountain girl: make no mistake, I would choose the…… Continue reading This Vast Similitude
Forgiveness, Part Two
Joe Paterno statue, like others, symbol of idolizing false godsLiving in Pennsylvania, it is impossible to escape the terrible, tragic Joe Paterno story that is unfolding day by day: What did he know? When did he know it? What should we think about him now? I’m an athlete and I love sports news, so I…… Continue reading Forgiveness, Part Two
The Happiness of Lent?
I just read this very interesting editorial in The New York Times, titled “Don’t Indulge. Be Happy.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/opinion/sunday/dont-indulge-be-happy.html?smid=pl-shareThe authors point out that making more money and buying more stuff doesn’t actually make us happier [once we are at a certain level of comfort, of course–the authors identify this as $75,000.] What does make us happier…… Continue reading The Happiness of Lent?
R.I.P., TomKat!
A woman cannot live on theology alone–at least not while on the elliptical machine at the gym, or on hour eleven of an international flight. In those situations, only “People” magazine [or another of its ilk] will do. This is, in no small part, why–like it or not–I tend to stay current on celebrity “news”…… Continue reading R.I.P., TomKat!
Forgiveness for Sandusky?
In one of my favorite courses–“The Seven Deadly Sins”–we spend some time at the end of the course talking about issues of forgiveness, including questions like: Do Christians always have to forgive? What is the relationship between forgiving and forgetting? Do we retain a memory of sin–both sins we committed and sins done to us–in heaven, or is…… Continue reading Forgiveness for Sandusky?
"Body Truth"
One of the (very!) few drawbacks of having all my airplane reading material on my iPad is that I have to sit twiddling my thumbs during take-off and landing–very frustrating. So, for my flight to Colorado on Tuesday, I decided to buy an “O” magazine for the trip: if you haven’t read it before, it’s…… Continue reading "Body Truth"
The Last Day–in More Ways than One
Today is the last day–in more ways than one. It is my last full day in Istanbul: tomorrow, I fly to Frankfurt for a few days with a dear friend in Germany before heading home to my beloved dog and husband. What that also means, however, is that this is the last day of my…… Continue reading The Last Day–in More Ways than One
More Mosques!
Today’s post is going to be short again: I had a really long day today with lots of walking around–it was another sunny day, which I loved, and which I feel I should celebrate by being outside as much as possible. So, I walked to the Theodosian Walls–one of the most impressive and arresting reminders…… Continue reading More Mosques!
A Turkish Miscellany
Random thoughts and reflections: Cats. Cats abound in Istanbul, while there are very few dogs. Part of the reason for this, I am sure, is the fact that the Prophet Muhammad had a few things to say about both: cats, he felt, were proper companions for a household; dogs, he felt, were not. [Don’t ask…… Continue reading A Turkish Miscellany
Happy Lutheran 