Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4647 )

• 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

  

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  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

• Check Mace

  

  In the medical sciences building of the University of St Andrews stands a glass display case cradling a mace. The mace, a symbol of smiting authority that goes... Read more

  Posted on 14 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Hansel and Regretel

  

  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters was on offer on the trans-Atlantic flight. Since I missed it in theaters, I decided to watch it on my mini-screen inches from m... Read more

  Posted on 13 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Caledonia Dreamin’

  

  “Edinburgh is a mad god’s dream.” So penned poet Hugh MacDiarmid with sentiments that could’ve been composed by H. P. Lovecraft. Read more

  Posted on 12 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Reflections on a Ruined Cathedral

  

  On my final day in St Andrews, the symbol of its ruined cathedral weighs upon my mind. In a world both increasingly secular and religious, it is the latter... Read more

  Posted on 11 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Whose Reality?

  

  It was a groggy, foggy morning when I stepped off the bus in St Andrews. I’d been here before, but it had been over two decades ago, and with my wife, who is... Read more

  Posted on 10 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Burning Faith

  

  1528. February 29. St Andrews, Scotland. 24 year old Patrick Hamilton was burned to death for espousing the teachings of Martin Luther. Read more

  Posted on 09 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Importance of Being Honest

  

  Continuing our quest to be a family out of sync with the modern world, we used part of our free day in Edinburgh to take the Book Lover’s Tour. Read more

  Posted on 08 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Persistence of Memory

  

  I’ve posted before on sacred geography—the idea that a place is holy for some reason or other. That holiness is very personal, and although some locations seem... Read more

  Posted on 07 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Like Virgins

  

  If you are reading this, I have safely arrived in the United Kingdom, courtesy of Virgin Atlantic. Given the lens through which I view everything, I somehow... Read more

  Posted on 06 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Bonnie the Brave

  

  As a preemptive warning to my regular readers (am I’m sure you both know who you are), I am off today for a stint in my old haunt of Scotland. Before you get ou... Read more

  Posted on 04 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Unspoken Reality

  

  In that impressive cultural marvel known as Facebook, a few gems amid the overburden occasionally appear. The post of a friend brought to my awareness a site... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY