A Great Find by One of My Students

This hilarious little YouTube film was sent to me by one of my Bible as Literature students. I swear the creators of this stole my lecture notes, because this is almost verbatim what I say about Genesis chapter 19.

A Christmas Thought

I saw this on the internet and it gave me a bit of pause:


Just a Christmas thought...

This Video is Pretty Funny

Jack Black as Jesus...need I say more?

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I am a Doctoral Student

Well, I had my cadre of interviews today. I spoke with the dean of graduate studies, my mentor and a few others. I have been "officially recommended for enrollment" in the program!!!

I will be studying, through the great works of western civilization, the relationship between God and Man. I hope to investigate how the western relationship between these two beings has molded modern American religious landscapes. I will get to go to weird churches, get to read great books and explore BIG ideas!

I should be getting my official enrollment packet soon and I will start my studies as soon as 2009 is here. The only thing now is to save a little coin to purchase the $1000 book set Great Books of the Western World.

So hooray for me! Hooray for reading! Hooray for school!

Second Temple Wall Found

According to the Jerusalem Post, the remnants of the southern wall of Jerusalem that was built by the Hasmonean kings during the time of the Second Temple was uncovered on Mount Zion by the Israeli Antiquities Authority.

The wall is over 2,100 years old and was destroyed during the Great Revolt against Rome in 66 CE. Hopefully, according the archeologists on the scene, they will be uncovering the first temple wall soon. Below is a picture of what the Second Temple would have looked like. Read more about the wall HERE.

Shocking Revelation: Jesus was a Jew

A new artifact might very well show that the three-day resurrection was a common Jewish story during the time before Jesus was born. While this might not seem shocking, it would show that Christian theology is not as unique as most Christians would like to think...I will keep up on this for you, but in the meantime read the entire article HERE.

Muslims now outnumber Catholics

The Vatican has announced that Muslims are more numerous than Catholics. Islam is practiced by 19.2% of the world's population while Catholicism is practiced by 17.4%.

Read more HERE.

Holy Week Picture Extravaganza (The Finale)

Holy Week Picture Extravaganza (Vol. III)

Holy Week Picture Extravaganza (Vol. II)

Does this atrocity really need a subtitle?

Pic of the Day

HAVE A GREAT HOLY WEEK AND EASTER!
Enjoy the ham...(Sinner).

Are you a sinner?

Well, after 1500 years of the good old Seven Deadly Sins, the Pope and his minions have unleashed some additions for the digital age. Chris Hanson has new fodder for "To Catch a Predator" - He is now on a mission from God.

The sins old sins are as follows:

• Pride
• Envy
• Gluttony
  
• Lust
• Anger
• Greed
• Sloth
  

The new sins, according to Mgr Girotti, are as follows:

• genetic modification (watch out supporters of stem cell research
• human experimentations (so are we going to trust a medical degree from a Catholic university?)
  
• polluting the environment (a win for Ed Begley Jr.)
• social injustice (George W?)
• causing poverty (again, George W?)
• financial gluttony (watch out McMansions)
• taking drugs (damnit!)
  

Read more HERE.

In Regards to Yesterday's Post

As if yesterday's story about the rise of the Devil wasn't enough - now the Jesus statue in Rio de Janeiro is giving a new meaning to the phrase "May God strike me with lightning if ..."

Looks like the Devil is on the Rise!

A Polish priest is devising a European center focused on training exorcists, with the blessing of the local Archbishop and with tacit approval from Benedict. There is a current movement (started during John Paul's tenure) to reinvent and reinvigorate exorcism into the Catholic Church. The Devil is growing in power because of our neglectful ways, according to Father Amorth. Read the entire story HERE.

For those who do not remember, Pope John Paul II was a fair-weather exorcist as well. I remember reading a story in college about his immediate exorcism of a girl after an audience in St. Peter's Square. In fact, he performed said exorcism on September 11, 2000. You can read that story HERE. Notice that Father Amorth shows up in this article too!

Father Amorth

Believe it or not, it is still very interesting news.

Read Father Amorth's article further detailing his take on exorcism in Astrology Weekly HERE.

G.I. Joe Can Kick Ass, But Can He Resurrect?

If you are like me, you are searching for an action figure to trump all other action figures. Well, look no further, Fishermen Inc. has answered with their collection of Jesus action figures. You can get a surfing Savior, cliffhanging Christ, or (probably most apropos) a homeless Hosanna. I am personally fond of the rodeo and biker figurines.
While I in no way endorse purchasing such grossly irreligious paraphernalia (I point you to the ambiguously pacifistic Jesus below), you still should check out the website. Click HERE to go there.
Yes, that is an M-16 slung around his should, and yes, those are fingerless shooting gloves. By the way, Jesus needs some more up-to-date pixelated desert camo. When did he last fight? Desert Storm?

First Temple Seal is found in Jerusalem

In the Biblical book of Nehemiah, there is talk of the first keepers of the temple, the Temech family. This family was sent into exile during the Babylonian occupation.

This archeological find is extremely exciting in the Biblical studies world. It is a direct connection between Biblical scripture and archeological proof. Below is a picture of the seal. The link to the story can be found HERE.

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

If you haven't heard of this PR-meets-scientific-protesting phenomenon, then I suggest reading about it here. The "church" was designed in response to the Intelligent Design battle in public schools. The symbolism is permeating modern religious catalogs and magazines. There are even cars with visible FSM symbols like the one below:

Interfaith Dialogue Between Vatican and Muslim Scholars

Last year, 100+ Muslim scholars sent an open letter to the Pope seeking interfaith discussions. The Pope responded this year accepting the invitation for a meeting. You can see the scholars' open letter here and the Pope's response here. There is also an interesting Catholic News Service (the Vatican's PR wing) article that sums up the topic here. This is exciting news as we move into yet another realm of interfaith dialogue. Here's to hopin' something comes out of this...

Religion and the Law