Modern-Life
Vox de intellectu – the voice of understanding
"There is always an easy solution to every human problem - neat, plausible, and wrong."(H.L. Mencken, Mencken Chrestomathy, p. 443 )
is a brand-new website dedicated to presenting and analyzing news and public policy. Rather than oversimplify for the sake of concision or demagoguery, Vox.com intends to provide more depth of coverage in an accessible way. Ezra Klein, a well-known journalist, leads the effort. The Era of Open Information
The ascendant Era of Open Information might be described as freely available online content from a vast number of sources. Today, unlike fifteen years ago, I can access media that I had been entirely unaware of, or had no access to, or simply could not afford, via an Internet browser and a search engine, including any number of venerable magazines and newspapers, without paying for it. Will this last?
Oregon Scribbler.
The Bible Tells Me So, continued (3)
A reader commented on my second post regarding the Bible and homosexuality:Do I make [GLBT people] feel unloved? Well if you are a sincere Christian, then no, setting out intentionally to make them feel unloved is not an option. As you note, love is a key goal in Jesus teaching, whether one believes that homosexual sex is sinful or not.
This is a loving response. It probably wouldn't need to be mentioned, were there not so many who profess to be Christians who are openly and markedly unloving in their response to that community. Yet the kind of charity the reader goes on to describe is limited. See my response in defense of a more supportive view.Oregon Scribbler.
The Bible Tells Me So, continued
A reader responded to my article The Bible Tells Me So, a short discussion of Matthew Vine's recent video about the Bible and homosexuality, arguing that Vine's interpretation was incorrect, and that Jesus proscribed homosexuality. See my defense of a more loving interpretation.
Oregon Scribbler.
The Bible tells me so
Matthew Vines, a young gay Christian, has made a serious argument that the Bible favors loving relationships for people of all sexual orientations, not just heterosexuals.
Examining race and innocence
Here is a thoughtful article regarding race and innocence, entitled "I'm black, you're white, who's innocent? Race and power in an era of blame", by Shelby Steele. It was published first in the Atlantic Monthly in June of 1988, and it is still relevant.
Is the International Baccelaureate program anti-American?
The International Baccelaureate (IB) program has slowly been catching on in U.S. high schools as a college preparatory alternative to the more typical Advanced Placement (AP) program. Some opponents to its introduction have labeled it 'anti-American'.
Waving the flag for the right reasons
Federal law was changed a few years ago to allow veterans and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag when it was being hoisted or lowered or presented, typically at a ball game. Prior to that, only servicemen were allowed that privilege. Civilians who haven’t served still should remove their hat and hold it or their hand over their heart.
We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane. Kilgore Trout
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
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