Category Archives: Life and Choices

Penn State’s Missing Outrage

“Penn State’s Missing Outrage,” an alternate perspective on “Losing Control…“

November 14, 2011 – 11:35 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Ethics, Life and Choices | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Penn State Sex Scandal: “Losing Control Draws Me Toward All of This”

Joe Paterno has been fired as football coach at Penn State. It happened at about 10 pm yesterday. News reports say he was notified of his dismissal by phone. The situation evokes grief over all that has been lost, astonishment over the absurd disproportionality of it all, and of course outrage over crimes reportedly committed …

November 10, 2011 – 1:02 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (10)

“Private Beliefs”—It’s All In How You Pose the Question

SteveK tipped us to an article that includes: Improbably, gay marriage and religion loom as issues in the Nov. 8 race for a part-time, $12,000-a-year clerk’s job in this town of gently sloping hills on Cayuga Lake. Voters are posed with the question: Where is the line between an elected official’s public duty and private …

November 2, 2011 – 2:49 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices | Tagged , , , , | Comments (17)

Harold Camping: A Failure of Accountability

Harold Camping was wrong with his prediction that the world would end on May 21, he is still wrong about May 21, and now he is also wrong about October 21. The world didn’t end last May, so he revised his calendar and says the end will come this Friday instead. He is so obviously …

October 17, 2011 – 10:08 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices, The Faith | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

“The Invention of Sexual Identity”

What was the nineteenth century’s worst invention? Choosing just one isn’t an easy task, but one that should be near the top of the list is . . . sexual identity. Few modern creations have wreaked as much havoc on individuals and culture as this medical concept. [From The Invention of Sexual Identity » First …

October 9, 2011 – 6:00 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices | Tagged , , | Comments Off

The Dangerous Prayer: Praying While Sinning

Temptation begins with, “I want to …” The second step is, “I shouldn’t …” The third step is “But I really do want to …” The fourth step is what determines the direction of my life, and it’s the great difference between Christianity and every other way of living. Every religion and every secular system …

September 30, 2011 – 9:13 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Bible, Life and Choices, The Faith | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (11)

Freedom of Religion Watch

On my RSS news reader this morning: Professor Says Vanderbilt Suppressing Christian Student Groups Amid Shutdown Threats Priest barred from saying mass In England, Displaying Bible Verses May Be Against the Law Conscience, Coercion, and Healthcare Preventing Another Attack: International Religious Freedom On a related note: Paying for a Church You Don’t Believe In and …

September 27, 2011 – 10:14 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Bible, Life and Choices, Religions, The Faith | Tagged , , , , | Comments (9)

Pro-Choice Determinists

I was just wondering how many determinists—people who believe that human free will is an illusion, because everything is determined by physical law—would describe themselves as “pro-choice.”

September 26, 2011 – 10:13 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices | Tagged , , | Comments (123)

“City With Religious Roots Fines Home Bible Study | Pacific Justice Institute”

Two outrages. First: A city in Southern California is demanding that a small home Bible study group stop meeting unless they obtain a cost-prohibitive permit. The homeowners, Chuck and Stephanie Fromm, were fined $300 for holding the Bible study…. Fromm was told by a hearing officer that regular gatherings of more than three people require …

September 19, 2011 – 4:11 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices, The Faith | Comments (13)

Non-Persons Yesterday and Today

The other day I asked, Can you identify the context of this passage? To have a persona [to be a person] was to have a face before the law—which is to say, to be recognized as one possessing rights and privileges before a court, or as being able to give testimony upon the strength of …

September 14, 2011 – 11:10 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in Life and Choices | Tagged , , | Comments (28)