Steveawiggins

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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 ( 4659 )

  • Fight for Mom

    Fight

    The spring holidays come think and fast.  Depending on when you start spring we’ve got Valentine’s Day followed a month later by St. Pat’s.  On it’s roving... Read more

    Posted on 08 May 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • For Sale for Free

    Sale Free

    It’s one of the signs of spring.  Although it may be more appropriate for winter when we’re holed up inside for much of the time, the library book sale often... Read more

    Posted on 07 May 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Highest Education

    Highest Education

    The average church-goer is often impressed with the idea of seminary.  The thought that someone could devote three years of their lives to theological minutiae... Read more

    Posted on 06 May 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Boone to Some

    Boone Some

    Folk heroes sometimes put us in compromising positions.  We appreciate their importance for where we are and yet we recognize that where we are came at a... Read more

    Posted on 05 May 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Shadows of Childhood

    Shadows Childhood

    Childhood, it seems to me, is where we define ourselves. In the days when life expectancy wasn’t terribly long and people generally lived only long enough to... Read more

    Posted on 04 May 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Shopping Screed

    Shopping Screed

    Capitalism is insidious.  Those of us with modest incomes—and I’m quite aware that many, many people are poor—are constantly being bombarded with new schemes... Read more

    Posted on 03 May 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Teaching Tradition

    Teaching Tradition

    There’s a dilemma. Many thinking religious conservatives end up arguing against “secular” education and yet wish to make themselves out as rational, and... Read more

    Posted on 02 May 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Wicker Lessons

    Wicker Lessons

    Beltane creeps up unnoticed.  Not an official holiday in these parts, it is, hopefully, a sign of slightly warmer weather than we’ve been having in April. ... Read more

    Posted on 01 May 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Ode to Books

    Books

    There are fewer things more personal. Each one has a story and it reveals quite a lot about you. Really, it’s a brave thing, putting your books out on a shelf... Read more

    Posted on 30 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Words and Belief

    Words Belief

    Why do we care so little for the poor?   Part of the answer is surely the misguided idea of meritocracy—if you merit good you will be successful.  This kind of... Read more

    Posted on 29 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • The Network

    Network

    Although it’s not NBC, the New Books Network has quite a reach with academics. That’s why I was glad they accepted my pitch for an interview about Nightmares... Read more

    Posted on 28 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Wasting Waste

    Wasting Waste

    So I’m thinking about toilet paper.  Just two years ago it was a scarce commodity.  If you could find a four-pack you were blessed.  Supply-chains aren’t the... Read more

    Posted on 27 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Smaller Wolves

    Smaller Wolves

    It was in Maine. In 1987. I can’t remember how Paul and I found this place to camp. I don’t remember making reservations, but we drove along in his 1968 VW... Read more

    Posted on 26 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Places and Books

    Places Books

    I recently had the opportunity to travel to a new town and spend the night there.  This is a rarity in the days of pandemic and I’d forgotten the magic of wakin... Read more

    Posted on 25 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Solomon’s Rats

    Solomon’s Rats

    Some ideas keep coming back.  Since you can’t copyright an idea, retelling a story is always an option.  In fact, some writers suggest they’ve written nothing... Read more

    Posted on 24 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Normal Paranormal

    Normal Paranormal

    One of my favorite televisions shows of all time is The X-Files. I didn’t watch it when it originally aired, but eventually got a hankering to see it on DVD. Read more

    Posted on 23 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Love Your Mother

    Love Your Mother

    It’s not exactly a birthday, for we don’t know when exactly she was born.  We choose April 22 to think of our mother—the mother of us all. Read more

    Posted on 22 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Soft Wired

    Soft Wired

    A museum of discarded electronics.  I’ve been thinking that might be a good use for all the tech we’ve had to buy over the years that quickly becomes... Read more

    Posted on 21 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Beauty of Ruins

    Beauty Ruins

    One of the things I most miss about living in Scotland is the relative dearth of stone ruins in my home country.  In no way to diminish the culture of American... Read more

    Posted on 20 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
  • Continuing Ed

    Continuing

    I recently took a course.  It was an adult enrichment class, offered through a local community college.  It wasn’t for credit and it had only a modest fee. Read more

    Posted on 19 April 2022 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY