May 27, 2024
A guy in Seaside, California received a letter from city officials telling him that he had to keep his boat hidden behind a fence, instead of keeping it in view in his driveway.
So he did; then he hired an artist to paint a realistic mural of the boat on his fence.
May 19, 2024
A few years ago, I reminded readers that Mary Magdalene wasn’t a prostitute, although she’s been portrayed that way for centuries.
Today, I’m writing to retrieve the reputation of St. Paul.
Paul argued for the equality and education of women. For various historical reasons, including incorrect translations, and because he was fighting against cultural norms, his words were twisted into making it sound as though he thought that women couldn’t be leaders in the church (this, despite his numerous commendations of women who were Church leaders), and that women should be subservient to their husbands.
If your religious denomination persists in quoting St. Paul in order to bolster its claims that women are lesser citizens in faith and in life, do yourself a favor and read What Paul Really Said About Women, by John Temple Bristow.
It was recommended to me by a pastor’s wife, and it made me feel much better about St. Paul. I actually feel bad for him, wondering if he’s sitting in Heaven being sad that all his hard work was misquoted in order to uphold attitudes that were the complete opposite of what he taught.
So, grit your teeth, open your mind, and read the book. Then start quoting him correctly to all the people who are using him as an excuse to keep women down.
May 17, 2024
I was recently reading 61 Hours, a Jack Reacher book written in 2010. The arch-villain feels like he’s reached the pinnacle of success, because he bought a used Boeing. He has Arrived. “Boy, have times changed,” I thought.
Since then, I’ve read a couple of other books—recent ones— that mention Boeings as an indication of fine living.
Now, though, when I see news stories about planes in difficulty, I immediately think, “Boeing.” And, sadly, I’ve been right.
They got complacent, they flew too high, and now they’re coming down. But, unlike Icarus, they’re taking other people down with them—literally.
I hope that they can pull themselves up; but in the meantime, I hope nobody else goes down with them.
