Steveawiggins
MY BLOGS
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Sects and Violence in the Ancient World
http://sawiggins.wordpress.com/
A blog that tries to find intelligent things to say about religion and related subjects.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 4087 )
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No Refuge
A convention in histories of the horror genre is to trace it to Gothic fiction. Gothic fiction itself is traced to The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole. Read more
Posted on 15 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Not-Quite-Normal Religion
I’ve been thinking about categories quite a lot lately. In a world connected by the internet, it seems that traditional categories don’t stretch far enough. Read more
Posted on 14 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Label Maker
Did you ever have one of those label makers? The kind with a rotating wheel that embossed a plastic ribbon with letters that you could stick to things?... Read more
Posted on 13 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
If Onlyists
A special brand of Fundamentalism called King James Onlyism is a particularly odd variety of faith simply because of its required backing and filling. Read more
Posted on 12 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
What’s Wrong with Heroes?
There can be no doubt that under Trump conservative Christians have been flexing their muscles. Few things corrupt so readily as political power, and... Read more
Posted on 11 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Seeing the Future
Nine. That’s the number of people before me in line. It’s not yet 4:30 a.m., and our day began at least an hour ago, but work won’t start for another two. As th... Read more
Posted on 10 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
In the Inn
One of those things that really bothers me is the concept of being forced out of a home. It’s never happened to me personally, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fea... Read more
Posted on 09 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Which Shaman?
It’s a strange kind of vindication when you see someone argue your ideas independently. Even if they understand those ideas in a different way. Read more
Posted on 08 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Punch Bug
There’s no other reason for buying a Volkswagen Beetle than making a statement. We bought ours in 2003, before they got squashed. Read more
Posted on 07 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Science of Compassion
It has been several years now since I’ve been directly (or indirectly) involved in robotics. During my daughter’s high school years I was active in the FIRST... Read more
Posted on 06 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Receiver
Being a writer (I can’t claim to be an author since I don’t make a living at it) is like being a radio receiver. You pick up signals, or so it seems, and it’s... Read more
Posted on 05 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Croce’s Lament
So how much time is there? I mean all together. I suppose there’s no way to know that because we have no idea what came before the Big Bang. Those who invent... Read more
Posted on 04 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Bookmark This
I haven’t forgotten about horror. In fact, this past late winter my list of must see movies has continued to grow. I don’t subject you, my kind readers, to... Read more
Posted on 03 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Winter Travels
Every now and again you read a book that drops you into a world of wonder. That’s how I’d describe Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller. What’s... Read more
Posted on 02 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Double the Magic
Since The Prestige came out over a decade ago I’m not going to worry too much about spoilers below. This post also comes with another caveat: if you watch this... Read more
Posted on 01 April 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Youth Evolving
Picture a picture. A photograph. I’ve got a specific one in mind, but it’s likely one you’ve not seen. Any photograph will work for this lesson, but if it’s... Read more
Posted on 31 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Chilly Fluids
I’m not sure why I did it. Read In Cold Blood. I’d known of Truman Capote’s main claim to fame for years, but an accidental recent mention, a cheap copy in a... Read more
Posted on 30 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Patchwork
I don’t wear clothing with advertisements. Perhaps it’s my Quaker-like sensibilities, or maybe it’s just that I hate being a shill. What has any corporation don... Read more
Posted on 29 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
The Root of All
The other day I was in one of those stores where everything is sold really cheaply. I figure it helps balance out all those times when I’ve been overcharged... Read more
Posted on 28 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Eastern Canon
It’s complicated. The Bible, that is. Tracing its origins as a book can easily occupy a lifetime, but the issue that keeps coming up with Scripture is how,... Read more
Posted on 27 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY