Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters—And How to Talk About It
Having heard Krista Tippett’s Speaking of Faith radio program a few times, I couldn’t resist buying the book when I saw it in the discount bin at Borders. The subtitle to the book, Why Religion Matters—And How to Talk About It, is an issue that’s [...]
I read in a recent piece by David Brooks that, “Over the past seven months, the number of people who say government is doing too many things better left to business has jumped from 40 percent to 48 percent, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.” My first reaction was, “Remember last year when [...]
This was originally posted by the author at The Idealist.
Leo Tolstoy is perhaps the ultimate example of the late-in-life nihilist-turned-idealist. He is best known for his mid-life fiction, most notably War and Peace and Anna Karenina. He was early on somewhat of a determinist and nihilist but late in life began a study of the [...]
I’ve always loved the words to this song, but mostly the verses we don’t seem to sing, or take to heart. They are hopeful verses, filled with introspection and personal responsibility:
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with [...]
I read The Essential Gandhi by Louis Fischer a few months ago. But until a 10-day work trip to Africa and the Middle East, I didn’t have time to write down all the passages I had underlined. They are many. I had a hard time delineating his ideas into categories because they are so (not [...]
This guy is amazing. I will post more extensively in the coming weeks on the journey of Rep. Mark Siljander (ret.), but here is a recent op-ed from Veterans Today. Enjoy.
Here follows the weekly (as promised) lyrics/poem from the Fearless Path, this time from early LDS poet and songwriter, Eliza R. Snow, from one of my favorite hymns:
Truth reflects upon our senses;
Gospel light reveals to some.
If there still should be offenses,
Woe to them by whom they come!
Judge not, that ye be not judged,
Was the counsel [...]
Every other week or so, I will post lyrics to a song or words to a poem that exemplify the ideas of the fearless path. One of the most out-spoken Christian songwriters of the last half of the 20th century was Johnny Cash. His life story is fascinating, demonstrating weaknesses, wild success, failure, loss, and [...]
In Mormon scripture is found the story of a group of four brothers and their friends who decide (after a shocking conversion experience by which they are born again in Christ) to go preach the word among the “idolatrous” and “wicked” Lamanites.
When they make this desire known among their own people, the Nephites, their decision [...]
Below is a letter I wrote to the editor of the Deseret News in Salt Lake City in response to another letter.
Are we a Christian nation? Saying so doesn’t make it so.