Steveawiggins
MY BLOGS
-
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 ( 4577 )
-
Beliefism
A question never adequately resolved revolves around the status of atheism. What exactly is it? Well, I suppose it is many things, actually. Read more
Posted on 13 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Atomic Girls
Ray Bradbury. Ray Harryhausen. Radioactive dinosaur loose in Manhattan. What’s not to like? I was inspired to watch The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms again for a... Read more
Posted on 12 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Ancient History
Every great once in a while somebody in the popular media seems to remember suddenly that the ancient world existed. I suppose that it is the fate of... Read more
Posted on 11 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Alien Bears
“And if there’s life on other planets, I’m sure that he must know, and has been there once already, and died to save their souls. Read more
Posted on 10 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
A Theistic Nation
That’s a dill-pickillial of a peccadillo, if you’ll pardon my Ned Flanderism. I’m referring to the issue of the Supreme Court dealing with public prayer. Again. Read more
Posted on 09 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Vampires Versus Science
In keeping with my current explorations of vampire religiosity, I watched Blade for the first time. I’m aware that the figure of Blade is based on a comic book... Read more
Posted on 08 November 2013 SCIENCE -
Heilige Geist
Poltergeist is one of those movies that evokes mixed emotions. Sure, it was one of the really scary ones when it just came out, and the rumors of a curse after... Read more
Posted on 07 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Voting Vicissitudes
“Remember, remember, the fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and plot. I know of no reason, why the Gunpowder Treason, should ever be forgot. Read more
Posted on 06 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Falls Tree
The autumn trees have been absolutely transcendent the past few days. From my earliest memories fall has been my favorite time of year, and a large determinant... Read more
Posted on 04 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Vampire Science
How is one to take a book that combines science and vampires? That was the thought going through my head as I stood in Borders during the sad process of their... Read more
Posted on 03 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Final Frontier?
Stay away from the dark side. That’s generally good advice. Ironically, new religious movements (NRMs, in the biz) have come up in my conversations quite a bit... Read more
Posted on 02 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Sacred Fear
Last week’s Time magazine ran a story about fear. I’m no stranger to this emotion, so long ago I decided to engage it creatively rather than run away. The... Read more
Posted on 01 November 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Conscientious Ghosts
It’s finally Halloween. In keeping with the spirit of the season, NPR recently ran a story on ghosts. I’ve posted on the topic of ghosts several times since the... Read more
Posted on 31 October 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
World War 1.2
75 years ago today Orson Welles presented a radio drama version of The War of the Worlds. Perhaps it was the looming fear of the Second World War in a society... Read more
Posted on 30 October 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Hungry Again
Vampires are on my mind. The funny thing is this often is the case when I’m unemployed. Feeling lost and alone, I settled down to watch the most depressing... Read more
Posted on 29 October 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Presumption Be Thy Name
I once dashed an email off to a colleague in a hurry. The email concerned, in some way, the Judeo-Christian deity, known in the Hebrew Bible by the... Read more
Posted on 28 October 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Omega Alpha
Perhaps out of a warped—perverse even—sense of self-punishment, I watched The Omega Man. Being unemployed will make you react that way. I have a pretty high... Read more
Posted on 27 October 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Human Resources
I’m thinking about how we blithely accept cruelty and christen it “just business.” It’s legal, and even encouraged. Was a time when you wouldn’t dare trade... Read more
Posted on 26 October 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Thanksgivukkah
A moveable feast is hard to hit. Or something like that. Religious festivals are frequently tied to celestial events—the ancient Jewish holidays are based on a... Read more
Posted on 25 October 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY -
Carrie the Cross
With all the buzz about the new Carrie movie just released, I decided to go back and watch the Brian De Palma version again. I’ve written here before about the... Read more
Posted on 24 October 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
