Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4578 )

• Dystopian Dreams

  

  One of the most terrible stories in the Bible is the slaying of the firstborn of Egypt. Of course, depending on your point of view, this was either a necessary... Read more

  Posted on 14 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• True Possession

  

  Demons are among the earliest of supernatural creatures. Although sources can be spotty, they appear in the first advanced civilization known, that of the... Read more

  Posted on 13 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Arduino Anything?

  

  Before my daughter enrolled in college I’d never heard of an Arduino. Since her high school robotics team leadership has now passed into more able hands, I... Read more

  Posted on 12 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• No Cult

  

  The image of hundreds of lifeless bodies in the jungles of Guyana foregrounded by a metal tub of poisoned Flavor Aid is a difficult one to forget. Read more

  Posted on 11 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Down the Garden Trail

  

  According to NBC, a new “Christian” alternative to Boy Scouts USA is being launched in (over)reaction to the vote to allow gay teens to “join” the organization. Read more

  Posted on 10 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Instant Education

  

  Among the “non-essentials” upon which I spend my earnings, books hold the top spot, if not in value, certainly in quantity. Reading is more than a pass-time—it... Read more

  Posted on 09 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• To the Flag

  

  In the great witch hunt that began (or perhaps simply continued) with the Neo-con upsurge in which big business climbed into bed with theological... Read more

  Posted on 08 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Proselytization and Cheese

  

  One of the universals of many childhood lives is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. If I were the financial sort, I would consider investing in it. Read more

  Posted on 07 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Goddess

  

  Merlin Stone was a sculptor and an artist. I met her only once, a few years back when I was still recognized as an “authority” on ancient goddesses. Read more

  Posted on 06 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Chronic Religion

  

  The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes a surprisingly large number of articles that touch on religion. I write “surprisingly” somewhat ironically here,... Read more

  Posted on 05 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Have a Blessed Day

  

  “Last stop: New York Port Authority. Have a blessed day.” This secular blessing is sometimes appreciated after the harrowing commute to Manhattan, but I often... Read more

  Posted on 03 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Disorganized Religion

  

  In an Advice column in last week’s Chronicle of Higher Education, subtly pseudonymed Madalyn Dawkins contributed a piece entitled “Dodging the God Squad. Read more

  Posted on 02 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Which Way to Eden?

  

  We don’t have television service, and I haven’t watched TV regularly for about two decades. Over the years, however, we’ve collected the DVDs of the shows we... Read more

  Posted on 01 September 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Playing Civil

  

  In a piece written for the Los Angeles Times, Joseph Margulies warns of the potential dangers of civil religion. I first learned about civil religion in... Read more

  Posted on 31 August 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Ivory Doghouse

  

  Some months ago I wrote a post about a book I had not yet read. In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: The Truth about College, by Professor X both entertains and... Read more

  Posted on 30 August 2013 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Personal Dogma

  

  Dogma is a movie that many seminarians discover at some point in their theological education. Smart, funny, and irreverently reverent, the film follows the... Read more

  Posted on 29 August 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Back to the Future

  

  When I leave work, I’m in a rush. It would seem that Third Avenue and Eighth Avenue shouldn’t be that far apart, but you can’t see from one to the other. Read more

  Posted on 27 August 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Gold Digging

  

  To relieve the mangled up snarl of sadness, fear, and loneliness where my internal organs used to be after dropping my daughter off at college, I’ve been... Read more

  Posted on 26 August 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Amish Paradise

  

  Once upon a time, intelligence could be found on cable networks such as Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet. Like higher education, however, these ventures soo... Read more

  Posted on 25 August 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Hemlock and Crucifixion

  

  Rhetoric is dying a slow, painful death. In this world where literalism reigns, the use of words to elicit an illicit truth deeper than the factual is no... Read more

  Posted on 24 August 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY