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Musings
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Does evolution belong in the classroom? Using religion to lower the cost of education
I found this cute political cartoon on esquire for the an article about education budget cuts, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Jesus. The author (Stephen Marche) claimed, in essence, that we spend more on the fantasy teachers of Hogwarts than we do for real teachers for our actual ...
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The Existence of Jesus Christ, Harry Potter and other ‘Historical’ Saviors
Recently in an online discussion of the historical Jesus and my book Jesus Potter Harry Christ, Hans Andréa from Harry Potter for Seekers responded to a question about Jesus' existence with an insightful commentary. Since I agree with Hans' conclusions regarding how and to what extent Jesus Christ existed or ...
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Judgment Day 2011: Is Jesus coming to end the world on May 21st?
The Taiwanese prophecy about Doomsday 2011 being on May 11th has gone unfulfilled; however it's now May 12th and today I've witnessed a freak small tornado and now an ominous thunder and lightning storm. It certainly feels like a foreboding or foreshadowing of evil things to come. So I thought I'd take ...
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10 hours until the end of the world: Taiwan earthquake and tornado May 11 2011
I posted earlier about Master Wang's prediction that a 14.0 earthquake is going to hit Taiwan, causing a giant Tsunami and ripping the country in half (although a 14.0 earthquake in Taiwan would probably flatten cities around the world). The event is prophesied for around 10:45am, which means in about 10 hours ...
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Atheism is the new gay: stereotyping, prejudice and rage against the ungodly
When I first heard about Richard Dawkins’ “out” campaign I thought it was a joke. Dawkins and others secular leaders are encouraging atheists to “reveal” themselves and “come out” to their families and neighbors. “Atheism is the new gay” I thought, without fully understanding all that this implied. More recently I ...
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I’m in Love with Judas: Lady Gaga’s New Blasphemous (?) Song Lyrics and Video about Christianity
In her new song and music video "I'm in Love with Judas" Lady Gaga says, "Jesus is my virtue, Judas is the demon I cling to." Basically this is a song about how girls always lust after the bad boy on a motorbike in a leather jacket rather than the ...
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Does the Devil Exist? A Review of “The Rite” (2011)
As a theology student/ex-Christian I'm practically required to watch movies about exorcisms, God, Satan, and Christianity. And usually they suck. So it was refreshing to watch "The Rite" (2011) and be entertained. The Rite is a brilliantly complex movie, with stunning special effects, moments of panic and macabre, and ...
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Harry Potter and Osama-Obama: Myth and Reality in the War on Terror
I wasn't going to blog about Osama bin Laden's death. Not only because I'm not very political, and I don't actually care much if Osama is alive or dead, but also because (due to an innate distrust of the American government) I can't help feeling that this is a new ...
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Stairway to heaven: cosmetologist becomes Taoist master after climbing sword ladder
Taoism is one of the religions I appreciate. From the Lao Tzu's tao-te-ching we get pearls of wisdom like "Those who know do not speak, those who speak, do not know" and "Even a 1,000 mile journey starts with a single step" - what's not to like? So I was a bit ...
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Year of Tiger almost exterminates the Chinese Race: Taiwan’s low birth rate, wedding customs, and unlucky bastards
There are many reasons that Taiwan has one of the world's lowest fertility rates. Women are getting married later - at about 30 rather than the earlier average of 20~24 in 1984. Many women, put off by their husband's traditional Asian values and expectations, are in no rush to add ...
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Earthquake and tsunami scheduled to rip Taiwan in half 5/11/2011 says fortune teller: Armageddon in 2011?
Given the escalating series of natural disasters devastating various portions of the world in ever greater frequency and gravity, as well as Japan's recent earthquake and tsunami disaster, it would be no surprise to me if something similar happened here in Taiwan. In fact for weeks I've been asking my ...