Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4578 )

• Gnostic Agnostic

  

  Hidden knowledge is sweet. Belief in it is very old. Kocku von Stuckrad’s Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge offers its own kind of... Read more

  Posted on 03 August 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• God in the Shops

  

  Over the past few weeks, as I’ve been out and about, I’ve been noticing the way that the divine has been utilized by shop-keepers. Read more

  Posted on 02 August 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Firelands

  

  Piper Bayard has been a long-time blogging buddy of mine. She’s kind enough to comment on many of my posts and even kinder to like even more. Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2013 BOOKS

• Wars and Holy Wars

  

  An article by James P. Byrd, promoting his new book Sacred Scripture, Sacred War: The Bible and the American Revolution recently appeared in the Washington Post. Read more

  Posted on 31 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Stone Age Henge

  

  At a hotel during a recent excursion, I saw a National Geographic (I think) special on Gobekli Tepe (this is the fate of those of us kept from a daily sustenanc... Read more

  Posted on 30 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Christian Rocks

  

  Sitting in traffic outside the Lincoln Tunnel, I see that the Violent Femmes are coming to town. The billboard sends my mind spiraling back to college, when... Read more

  Posted on 29 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Tempting Truth

  

  Recently I was discussing the internet with friends. Real ones, I mean, physically in the room with me. One asked if the internet made conspiracy theories more... Read more

  Posted on 28 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Hidden Messages

  

  Symbolic gestures are among the simple pleasures of life. Unobserved, and certainly unappreciated, they comfort only those who perform them most of the time.... Read more

  Posted on 27 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Fly Like an Eagle

  

  Hummingbirds, according to my bird book, have hearts that beat 1260 times a minute. That translates, if my math is to be trusted, to 21 beats per second. Read more

  Posted on 26 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Human, All Too

  

  Back in the days of The Scarlet Letter, and before, an even more egregious double standard afflicted the sexual practices of women and men. Read more

  Posted on 25 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Let It Shine

  

  Stanley Kubrick was not the most prolific of movie makers, yet his efforts often create striking impressions. I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey at a young age, and... Read more

  Posted on 24 July 2013 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Free Freedom

  

  A weary-looking TSA official asked me why I opted out of the full-body scanner at the airport recently. As always, I responded that it is against my religion. Read more

  Posted on 23 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Good Magazine

  

  I saw this magazine in a store recently. The temptation to buy it was compelling, but with international trips and a child about to start college to pay for,... Read more

  Posted on 22 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Weird Tales

  

  Since I first discovered H. P. Lovecraft, I believe that I have read all his published fiction. Most recently a multi-year marathon took me through the S. T.... Read more

  Posted on 21 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• To a Fallen Goddess

  

  One of my favorite places to visit in New Jersey is Grounds for Sculpture. Over the past several years that we’ve domiciled here, we’ve had the opportunity to... Read more

  Posted on 20 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Cultural Religion

  

  The National Museum of Scotland, like many museums in the British Isles, is free to visitors. Such museums are repositories of national pride and provide a sens... Read more

  Posted on 19 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Monument to Madness

  

  Reflections on the implications of my recent trip to the United Kingdom will likely continue to filter into conscious expression over the next few days. Read more

  Posted on 18 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Am I Famous Yet?

  

  Sweat is running down my back and my chest.  The sun beating down on my head feels like a hammer of the gods.  East 42nd Street is clad with a wide, red carpet... Read more

  Posted on 17 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Before Twilight: A History of Vampire Culture

  

  Read more

  Posted on 16 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• To Be, Or

  

  Science is, according to Taner Edis, ambitious. While Science and Nonbelief is somewhat sympathetic to the religiously minded, Edis demonstrates how science... Read more

  Posted on 15 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY