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 ( 4570 )
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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 -
Mission Impossible
You can always tell Jehovah’s Witnesses by their tracts. When I heard a tap, tap, tap on my front door the other day I was handed a flier and a cheery invitatio... Read more
Posted on 26 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Chapter and Verse
Maybe like me you’ve read some arguments based on chapter and verse. I should mention that I mean chapter and verse in the Bible. The typical scenario will go... Read more
Posted on 25 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
The Reboot
It lied to me. My computer. Don’t get me wrong; I know all about trying to save face. I also know my laptop pretty well by now. It was running slow, taking... Read more
Posted on 24 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Spoken Against
“Antilegomena” is a word that appears more often in New Testament studies than it does in those of the Hebrew Bible. Still, it’s an important part of the... Read more
Posted on 23 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
You Call That Working?
A recent post of mine on the United Methodist Church got a lot of response (for me, anyway) on other social media. As I pondered this—I’ve written about the... Read more
Posted on 22 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Devil Or Con?
You can’t believe everything you read. That’s one of the first tenets of critical thinking. This whole process is about how to get to the truth, and in a... Read more
Posted on 21 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Common Tyrants
“Common tyrants, and public oppressors, are not intitled to obedience from their subjects.” The words aren’t mine, nor are they from this century. That, however... Read more
Posted on 20 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Quoth Hardy
There are days when the quote from an author is the best thing to happen to me. You probably know those kinds of days—days when there’s nothing really to stay u... Read more
Posted on 19 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Not Your Parents’ Bible
As someone always interested in origins, I reflect on how I’ve ended up the way I have. I mean, who plans to end up a Bibles editor? In the grand scheme of a... Read more
Posted on 18 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
A Saint Lent
Photo credit: Andreas F. Borchert, WikicommonsLent, among the denominations that observe it, is intended as a time of intense reflection. Read more
Posted on 17 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Culpability Defined
What seems to be lacking in the United States government is any realization that actions have consequences. While in Christchurch, New Zealand at least 49 peopl... Read more
Posted on 16 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
The Rules of Waiting
Tom Petty must’ve been a commuter. On a winter’s morning after switching to Daylight Saving Time, waiting is the indeed the hardest part. For a bus, that is.... Read more
Posted on 15 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
If It Itches
The problem, or rather a problem, of growing up Fundamentalist is taking things literally. I suppose we’re all born naive realists, learning only later that... Read more
Posted on 14 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Checkmate
March has been designated as Women’s History Month. Since history has been written, well, historically by males, women have frequently been excluded. Read more
Posted on 13 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Learn and Let Learn
My wife often works weekends. Generally this involves trips to New Jersey, and since my unconventional schedule means we see each other awake only a brief time... Read more
Posted on 12 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Mostly Clear
“Chiasm” is a literary technique based on the name of the Greek letter chi, shaped like a latinate X. The idea is fairly simple and generally resembles a... Read more
Posted on 11 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Time Saving
As we suffer through another pointless Daylight Saving Time, I’m thinking of rituals that have lost their meaning. Life is full of them. Read more
Posted on 10 March 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
