Unexpected Hope and Love

Even in the midst of the terrible, good can spring. There is hope.

September 22, 2007 - Purse snatcher (Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis)

Make sure to read the caption under the picture.

Vincent Black Lightning - Does it get any better?

The bike is awesome. The song is awesomer. Richard Thompson makes it all sublime. He's right when he says, "in my opinion, there's nothing in this world Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl."

The Banality of Evil

I didn't live through World War II, but I have learned quite a lot about it since then. The juxtaposition of the relaxed normality of the people in these photos and the horrible events they facilitated (and that were happening right then in close proximity to where these photos were taken) should remind us that this kind of intolerable violence can happen even when everything on the surface seems calm and normal. Without going into personal political or social beliefs, I'll just provide a link to the interactive photo album below and hope it will give you an opportunity to think.

Interactive Auschwitz Photo Album

Ending Slavery

It seems to many like this might be a subject to have been discussed 150 years ago, but (according to the Not For Sale Campaign site) there are 27 million people in slavery today in 2007. This is pretty depressing stuff, but the reason I bring it up here is to highlight things that can be done to reverse this awful fact.

So what can you and I do? Well, I don't know. The site listed above indicates that we can donate money, read books, and create art to raise awareness. All of this is wonderful stuff. But assuming that we're both very aware and willing to talk to others about it, I want to know what we can actively do right now to ease suffering and end slavery for at least a few people (if not a whole lot more).

My commitment is to keep learning what we can do and bring that information to this blog. What I would ask from anyone reading is to let me know what you know about this subject and what you find out can be done to help make a real difference.

BBS - The Parable of the Wicked Tenants (continued)

So, back in July, we started discussing the Parable of the Wicked Tenants but we didn't get very far and that's my fault. Maybe we can get further this time around...

In the version I've read, Jesus tells the parable and then asks the Pharisees and chief priests around him what will happen to the tenants when the owner of the vineyard comes back (after the tenants have killed his son). They respond that they will meet a "wretched end" and the owner will put someone responsible in their place.

Jesus then points out (and they realize) that He is talking about them and the awful way they've managed His church. It seems that the owner is God, the tenants (at least at that moment) were the leaders of the church, and the vineyard they were supposed tend is the church.

So what does this parable mean to us? If we take the perspective mentioned above, then it is interesting to me that the ultimate state of the vineyard isn't called into question. Does that change your perspective on what's going on in this parable?

Bathe in the abyss of silence.

It's Monty Python Day!

Yes, like nearly every other geek in the English-speaking world, I can recite large portions of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. When I realized that today is Monty Python Day at Doune Castle, I had to post about it.

My favorite quote, from the scene when God is speaking to Arthur (which is the rendering of Him in the header for this blog), is this:

God: "Arthur, King of the Britons, your Knights of the Round Table shall have a task to make them an example in these dark times."
Arthur: "Good idea, oh Lord!"
God (in booming voice): "'Course it's a good idea!!!"

Not laughing? Well, check out this clip (which also includes the Knights of the Round Table song (best 2 minutes in the history of cinematic comedy):

Simple Question #015a: Does Culture Trump Morality?

I think we can agree that there are cultural differences between almost any identifiable groups of people. That's a really good thing. Even if I don't happen to like the same things you do, you should have the freedom to express your individuality within your unique culture.

But when someone takes cases like Michael Vick's (where he was found guilty of dog fighting by his own admission) and tries to provide some meaningful perspective by saying that he was involved in something that was part of his culture, I see no value in that. Culture is irrelevant. That doesn't make his actions even slightly more acceptable or understandable. It is our responsibility to stand up against those things in our culture that are disgusting so they cannot survive. I would say training dogs to tear each other apart and then violently killing the losing animals, even if part of someone's "culture", is absolutely reprehensible.

What do you think?