Suffering, reconsidered

Two posts ago we discussed evil, pain and suffering. I suggested that evil may be most properly understood not as a “thing” in itself but as the absence of good; the absence of God. As such God would not have technically created evil, as it is a thing that exists as a consequence of His […]

Evil and pain

I’ve shared how I’ve been wrestling with God for a while, because I’ve realized that deep within me (below my conscious self) I have blamed Him for all that is wrong in the world and specifically all that is wrong with me. Of course that’s so common as to be laughable: swing a stick in […]

Pornography as case study in good and evil

People are not black and white. I’m not referring to race but to the false dichotomy too many of us have when labeling people as “good” or “bad.” We make good decisions sometimes, and we make horrible decisions sometimes. Over the course of time, the sum consequence of a series of decisions will have ramifications […]

Abortion, calmly considered

Let’s be real. Calling people names like “murderer” or “religious nutbag” is not helpful when attempting to convince others of the legitimacy of your opinion. Let’s be clear. I am interested in discussing ethics and morality, not legislation. I am approaching this from my understanding of the Christian perspective, but I think there are important […]

Why should I care? Apathy and exploitation – ending our civil religion, Part III

A good friend called me out for assuming too much, and he was right. One of my worst tendencies is to become passionate about an issue and begin discussing it with others without fully appreciating that they have not been inside my head to follow all the steps I’ve taken to get to where I […]

Tyranny of the “Gospel of Freedom” – ending our civil religion, Part II

What does it mean to worship? The root of the word “worship” is “worth,” so the most basic meaning of worship is to ascribe worth to something. We all think some ideal, some person, or some thing has a kind of ultimate worth, and in a variety of different ways we demonstrate our opinions regarding […]

Death to the idea of “Christian America” – ending our civil religion, Part I

There is a thing in all cultures known as a civil religion, and this does not refer to Christianity or any particular “organized” religion. It is the collective beliefs that a particular culture disseminates, and it typically borrows heavily from organized religions. Defining what, exactly, the breadth of American civil religious belief covers is a […]