Category Archives: Religion

The B-I-B-L-E

I don’t know what church Gary Shillingford’s parents took him to, but it apparently was more Fundamentalist than the Lansdowne Presbyterian Church I went to. The other song he would belt out at a pre-school age, the song I never … Continue reading

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The Blessing Of Death

“The Time Of Your Life,” by James Wood. The New Yorker, 5/20/2019. If you took Miss Cook’s Latin class in high school, you may remember the Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder. (Pliny the Younger, also well-known, was his nephew.) Pliny … Continue reading

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The Perennial Philosophy

  In 1945, Aldous Huxley published his seminal book, The Perennial Philosophy. He pointed out that all religions, all over the world and throughout history, the smallest as well as the major ones of today, share three common beliefs, and … Continue reading

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John Wisdom

“Unwelcome Guests,” by James Wood. The New Yorker, 8/22/2016. There really was an English philosopher named John Wisdom who died fairly recently in 1993. With a name like that, his occupation was set from birth. He even looked like a … Continue reading

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The Dawn Of Modern Philosophy

“What Makes You So Sure?” by Adam Kirsch. The New Yorker, 9/5/2016 (a book review of The Dream Of Enlightenment by Anthony Gottlieb). (This has been sitting in my backup pile for quite a while.  I thought no one would … Continue reading

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My Unitarian Neighbors

It may seem I have been waging a vendetta against the members of the Unitarian Church across the street, but I don’t mean it that way. Speaking to them individually, they seem to be kindly, gentle people. It is their … Continue reading

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Kafka

The meaning of life is that it stops. –Franz Kafka (1883-1924) You never know where a gem of wisdom will turn up. This quote from Franz Kafka came up on The Amazing Race that I was watching on TV, expecting … Continue reading

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Christmas Won

“Christmas Stories,” by Adam Gopnik. The New Yorker (“The Talk Of the Town”) 1/1/2018. I didn’t hear much controversy about Christmas this year, but that could just be me. Usually, people complain about the shorthand “Xmas,” and the custom of … Continue reading

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Philadelphia’s Politically Correct Thanksgiving Day Parade

Several years ago, I wrote about seeing live (almost) Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while my wife was visiting her sister in St. Louis. I say “almost” because the parade started way earlier than I expected, and all I saw was … Continue reading

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Buddhism-2

“American Nirvana,” by Adam Gopnik. The New Yorker, August 7 & 14, 2017. I don’t recommend this article to everyone. Adam Gopnik is a prolific staff writer for The New Yorker, and has a great mind, but a mind often … Continue reading

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