The truth will make you odd.
—Flannery O’Connor
«— Surgeons Remove Two Fetuses From Infant
—» Morning Coffee
Morning Coffee: 404 – Page not found
Ever get used to a morning cup of coffee, and then try to stop cold turkey? Not very pleasant.
«— Irenaeus on Softness of Heart
—» Headache
Surgeons Remove Two Fetuses From Infant – Yahoo! News:
Surgeons operated on a 2-month-old Pakistani girl Tuesday to remove two fetuses that had grown inside her while she was still in her mother’s womb, a doctor said.
This is amazing, to say the least.
«— Triple-X Marks the Spot
—» Surgeons Remove Two Fetuses From Infant
In researching freedom of will and determinism in the fathers, I came upon this quote from St. Irenaeus (2nd c.):
How, then, shall he be a God, who has not as yet been made a man? Or how can he be perfect who was but lately created? How, again, can he be immortal, who in his mortal nature did not obey his Maker? For it must be that thou, at the outset, shouldest hold the rank of a man, and then afterwards partake of the glory of God. For thou dost not make God, but God thee. If, then, thou art God’s workmanship, await the hand of thy Maker which creates everything in due time; in due time as far as thou art concerned, whose creation is being carried out. Offer to Him thy heart in a soft and tractable state, and preserve the form in which the Creator has fashioned thee, having moisture in thyself, lest, by becoming hardened, thou lose the impressions of His fingers. But by preserving the framework thou shalt ascend to that which is perfect, for the moist clay which is in thee is hidden [there] by the workmanship of God. His hand fashioned thy substance; He will cover thee over [too] within and without with pure gold and silver, and He will adorn thee to such a degree, that even “the King Himself shall have pleasure in thy beauty.” But if thou, being obstinately hardened, dost reject the operation of His skill, and show thyself ungrateful towards Him, because thou wert created a [mere] man, by becoming thus ungrateful to God, thou hast at once lost both His workmanship and life. For creation is an attribute of the goodness of God but to be created is that of human nature. If then, thou shalt deliver up to Him what is thine, that is, faith towards Him and subjection, thou shalt receive His handiwork, and shall be a perfect work of God.
Treatise against heresies IV:39.2
«— XXX: First Impressions
—» Irenaeus on Softness of Heart
Like many fans of Chicago, I have awaited a new album from them for fifteen years. Now that my initial excitement over brand new material has abated somewhat, let’s take an extended look at the new album.
Color my world very happy. Even after twelve listens, I really like this album a lot. Chicago XXX is the thirtieth album from one of the oldest rock acts still playing on the concert circuit. (The XXX is Roman numerals for thirty, of course. You pervert.)
Read the rest of “Triple-X Marks the Spot”
«— OCA Chancellor Relieved of Duties
—» Triple-X Marks the Spot
I’m already late for sleep, but I simply could not let the great day pass without publishing my first impressions of Chicago XXX. I’m ecstatic with this release. It is the first album of all-new material in fifteen years: Twenty1 was release just before I graduated from high school! But that’s not why I’m ecstatic. This is Chicago at their best. I’m accustomed to disappointment, and so part of me was ready for a disappointment. I have some quibbles, sure — I am a fan, after all! On the whole, though, music like this is why I fell in love with Chicago so many years ago.
«— Her Church
—» XXX: First Impressions
Administrative Committee meets -OCA – Orthodox Church in America News:
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman announced that as the Primate of the Church, he has retained the law firm of Proskauer Rose LLP to undertake an internal investigation of allegations relating to the finances of the Church.
…
Metropolitan Herman also announced that he will authorize any additional engagements with the accounting firm as requested by the attorneys conducting the internal investigation.
He also announced that Protopresbyter Robert S.Kondratick has been relieved of his service as Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America.
Also related: Article in Wall Street Journal
Hat tip: Father Joseph Huneycutt
«— Creation Revisited
—» OCA Chancellor Relieved of Duties
Clifton has an excerpt from C. S. Lewis that is quite apropos.
Christians think that God Himself has taught us how to speak of Him. …a child who has been taught to pray to a Mother in Heaven would have a religious life radically different from that of a Christian child….
It is fascinating that it is written, in the 1960s, in a theoretical tone.
The “Hail, Mary” (Ave Maria) combines Luke 1:28 and 42 with an ancient Christian prayer; hearing it ripped and rewritten as a prayer to “the goddess” creeped me out.
Hat tip: Paradosis
«— Brown scorns copy claim
—» Her Church
The series of short posts I wrote on creation last year I have compiled into a single article: “On the Dogma of Creation”.
All I have attempted to do here is show that it is possible to be modern, reasonable people and still be traditional, Orthodox Christians. The dilemma between being Orthodox and being educated, reasonable people is false.
You don’t have to agree with science, but it is not a buffet where the layman can take what he wants and leave the rest. Moreover, I would certainly never propose that the science of any generation is necessary to their salvation — whether it be the first century, the fourth, the sixteenth, the nineteenth or the twentieth. You may choose to reject modern science and believe instead in the four elements — earth, wind, fire, and water. (Personally, I think you would be silly to do that, but you are free to do so without fearing for your salvation.)
It is when you dogmatically proclaim your disapproval to be determinative and binding for all Orthodox Christians that you and I will come to rhetorical blows. Your false dichotomy, believed by too many of the loudest voices in the Church, is costing children their souls.
I won’t have it.
The original series will be left intact, of course.
«— Cuddling ticket tossed
—» Creation Revisited
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Da Vinci author scorns copy claim
The writers of Holy Blood, Holy Grail are suing Dan Brown for plagiarism:
They say Mr Brown copied ideas in their book The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail.
“I have been shocked at their reaction. Furthermore I do not really understand it,” Mr Brown said in a statement.
Both books explore a theory that Jesus did not die on the cross but survived and had children with Mary Magdalene, and that their descendents survive.
I think this case only has merit because the original book is fiction to begin with.
«— Monday of Phyletism
—» Brown scorns copy claim
Newlywed gets cuddling ticket tossed – Boston.com
Here’s a tip for couples on a romantic drive to Oregon’s Coastal Mountain range: feel free to cuddle up close in the car. And for that privilege, thank newlywed Faith Miller, who likes to snuggle up next to her husband when the two head out for a drive.
«— Feminism Has Jumped the Shark
—» Cuddling ticket tossed
neepeople – Journeyman James – Sunday of Pseudo-Unity?:
I think the AOA Bishops — all of them — should go to Mtr. Herman of the OCA and humbly say in unison: “What do we need to do to bring our dioceses into the OCA and begin closing this uncanonical hole in America?”
I heartily agree; the time for division has come to a close. The origin of our division in the Bolshevik Revolution has been amended on several fronts. Orthodox Christians in America need a single jurisdiction — a local Church — not a dozen archdioceses and exarchates administered from across the sea.
«— Jesus Decoded
—» Monday of Phyletism
So that’s where feminism jumped the shark, in my opinion. It embraces the feminine only in its most exaggerated form. And it embraces feminism only in such a form. For instance, feminism tells me I can be anything I want. So I want to be a college professor. Great. And a wife and mother. Wait a minute. We fought to emancipate you from the slavery of motherhood, and now you’re going back? You’re on your own, June Cleaver.
«— New Navy Uniforms Finally Approved by CNO
—» Feminism Has Jumped the Shark
Catholic Bishops Present Jesus Decoded
Like the shepherds they are, these bishops are concerned over even one person who might believe Dan Brown’s joke:
Reporters have asked whether even a bestselling novel can seriously damage a Church of one billion believers. No, in the long run, it cannot. But that is not the point. The pastoral concern of the Church is for each and every person. If only one person were to come away with a distorted impression of Jesus Christ or His Church, our concern is for that person as if he or she were the whole world.
«— Male activists want to opt-out of unplanned pregnancies
—» Jesus Decoded
CNO Approves New Navy Uniforms
“These are good uniforms, designed to support the modern Sailor,†said Mullen. “Durability, safety, ease of wear and cleaning were all factors that weighed heavily on my mind, as did, quite frankly, the survey data and the opinions of wear testers. This wasn’t a popularity contest by any stretch, but we would have been foolish not to consider the opinions of the men and women who will wear these uniforms.â€
The BDU-style working uniform, designed to replace seven different styles of current working uniforms, is made of a near maintenance-free permanent press 50/50 nylon and cotton blend. Worn with a blue cotton t-shirt, it will include an eight-point cover, a black web belt with closed buckle, and black smooth leather boots, with black suede no-shine boots for optional wear while assigned to non-shipboard commands.
“When I walk down the piers, I see a Sailors standing watch as a pier sentry in January and it’s 30 degrees and freezing rain,†Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SS/AW) Terry Scott said. “You have to ask yourself, does the uniform that we currently issue protect us, and the answer is no.â€
The scuttlebutt is that this probably still won’t make it to seabags before the fall of 2007 (FY08).
«— Online Survey for OCA Website
—» New Navy Uniforms Finally Approved by CNO
CNN.com – Male activists want say in unplanned pregnancy – Mar 8, 2006:
“Roe says a woman can choose to have intimacy and still have control over subsequent consequences,” [Mel Feit, director of the National Center for Men,] said. “No one has ever asked a federal court if that means men should have some similar say.”
In my world, accepting the consequences of your actions is called “responsibility.” It used to be called “manly” to take responsibility for your actions; now it’s just profoundly inconvenient.
Copyright © 2002–2011 Kevin Robert (Basil) Fritts, all rights reserved.
