Steveawiggins
MY BLOGS
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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 ( 4121 )
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May Care
The thing about the Devil is that evil is no laughing matter. Darren Oldridge had no easy task limiting the dark lord to The Devil: A Very Short Introduction. Read more
Posted on 08 February 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
The Late Vortex
So there was this polar vortex recently, here in the States, that led to a meteorological frenzy. It was worse than the apocalypse itself since it was so... Read more
Posted on 07 February 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
The Desert
Now, I’m fairly certain Athanasius of Alexandria didn’t have access to CreateSpace, or even an Amazon Prime account. He did write the classic Life of Antony... Read more
Posted on 06 February 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Something Blue
I’ve worked for two British publishers. This probably has nothing to do with the fact that I lived in the United Kingdom for over three years, but the two... Read more
Posted on 05 February 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Troubled Trilogy
The quest for the truth is never-ending. New information keeps emerging and our poor brains have evolved to survive the perils of weather and wild animals, not... Read more
Posted on 04 February 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Quiet on the Winter Front
There’s a weird silent time, after a book is published, when you start wondering how it’s doing. Holy Horror was apparently released November 29, and published... Read more
Posted on 03 February 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Ground, Candle, and February
The world’s hairiest prophet?Relying on the prophetic ability of a rodent may seem like a fool’s errand, but to understand Groundhog Day you have to go back to... Read more
Posted on 02 February 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Desert Demons
After reading many popular books, coming to a scholarly tome can be a shock to the system. This is especially the case when said academic volume contains lots o... Read more
Posted on 01 February 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Evolving Intelligence
In the process of unpacking books, it became clear that evolution has been a large part of my life. More sophisticated colleagues might wonder why anyone would... Read more
Posted on 31 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
McChristianity
Christianity isn’t known for its sense of humor. The same can be said of other religions as well, of course. What else should we expect concerning belief system... Read more
Posted on 30 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Epigraphic Ephemera
Photo credit: Napoleon Sarony, via Wikimedia Commons“We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities.” ― Oscar WildeIn certain kinds... Read more
Posted on 29 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Prejudices of the Time
When my daughter was in middle and high school, I made an effort to read every book she was assigned for her English classes. This gave us something to talk... Read more
Posted on 28 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
January 2019
When January starts grinding you down you have to find something to hang onto. See, I even ended a sentence with a preposition. January. Read more
Posted on 27 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Book Life
Like a book, life can be divided into chapters. This is perhaps an instance of art following reality, or perhaps it’s the other way around. The episodic nature... Read more
Posted on 26 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Mastering the Elements
First time home ownership is best left to younger people. And perhaps younger houses. The constant onslaught of things falling apart, or falling off (it has bee... Read more
Posted on 25 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
For the Love of Dog
All I have to do is say “Old Yellar,” and everyone will know the feeling. Everyone of a certain age, I should add, who’s owned a canine. The love of dog. Read more
Posted on 24 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Walls and Calls
With a barely concealed chortle the man’s ebullient voice burbled on my answering machine. For a donation right now, he gushed, Republicans would send bricks... Read more
Posted on 23 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Mastication Meditation
Musing while munching a bowl of Wheaties, a thought came to me. Not only do we owe the practice of eating breakfast cereal to an evangelical strain of... Read more
Posted on 22 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Xenophobia’s Children
There are consequences, it seems, for not paying attention in school. I have no way of knowing, of course, but I suspect most of us are taught that basic... Read more
Posted on 21 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY -
Truth Is Marching On
A funny thing happens to human minds when they’re in a crowd. They begin thinking collectively. We’ve all heard of “mob mentality” and dismiss it as so common... Read more
Posted on 20 January 2019 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY