Heretical musings on religion and culture from a literary scholar
One of the reasons I've always loved "True Blood" is that - rather than ignoring the obvious religious associations in vampire and supernatural mythology - it plays them up and includes them into the diverse mix of plot and characters. But it's gotten a little ridiculous now, in Season 6, Episode 9. First there was Lilith, the originator of all vampire, whose sacred blood makes vampires impervious to light (just like Fairy blood does). Bill Compton, who can ...
I'm loving DaVinci's Demons - a new TV series about the life of the young Leonardo Da Vinci. From the first episode they managed to throw in a ton of intrigue and character twists. The only thing is, this brash and daring, charming and handsome, half-insane genius almost certainly didn't exist. It's hard to know what DaVinci believed, because he had to be secretive his whole life (hence his language codes and secret notebooks, etc.) This was ...
If you found out that your employee was a child-molester, would you fire them? According to a new Supreme Court ruling, you may not be able to. Here's the story: a woman is working for a church, but she develops narcolepsy (she can't help falling asleep). The church fires her and gets a new employee - but she threatens to sue because she should be protected under the Disabilities Act. But the Supreme Court refused her right ...
A big part of the research I've been doing in the past decade has focused on historical Jesus research: how much of the gospel story is literature, and how much (if any) is based on firm historical fact. For my Master's thesis in comparative literature, I tied in this research with the fictional character of Harry Potter, to demonstrate that Jesus, like Harry, may have been a cumulative adaptation of many previous mythologies. Now that the ...
Danielle Tumminio, the Author of "God and Harry Potter at Yale" has posted an article at Huffingtonpost.com about Harry Potter and Christianity. I'm jealous, because the article is basically a timely tease for her book - and I'd love my own Huffpost article but haven't figured out how to exploit the system for self-promotion. (With the release of Deathly Hallows 2 next week, I think a lot of people will be searching for more info ...
Because I am anti-religious and speak out against the fallacy of Christendom, many people accuse me of being many things that I am not. Generally, Christians usurp everything positive as being under the umbrella of Christianity. So when I say I am "Anti-Christian", they hear, "anti-morality, anti-kindness and goodness, anti-wanting to be a better person, anti-inspiration, anti-joy, anti-love, and anti-hope". And actually, I'm not against any of those. In fact I'm a passionate believer in and ...
Apparently Peru's outgoing president Alan García has decided to leave Peru with a parting gift: a "new" world's tallest statue of Jesus, which is basically a carbon copy of Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue. Although García claims it will "bless Peru and protect Lima" others have been more critical. One prominent architect, Augusto Ortiz de Zevallos, called it an "excessive and authoritarian gesture" lacking in "aesthetic, historic or symbolic" significance. But at a planned 37 metres tall, will it ...
I've come across this fascinating list on The Divining Blog: "25 myths about religions around the world." A list like this, debunking common misconceptions about religions, is much needed - but the list from the Divining Blog mixes some blatantly obvious truths with some much more subtle. It should really be called "25 silly things Christians believe about religion that aren't true." I would go so far, in some cases, as to argue in favor of ...
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 of course, world-class acting (Anthony Hopkins , Colin O'Donoghue , Alice Braga). That said, there are certain pitfalls. The plot revolves around an American seminary student, who joined priest-training ...
I found a great new blog today. Meet Lisa. At 17 she had a full-ride scholarship to university, and she gave it up to join a group of traveling ministry group. Several years later, disillusioned, she's given up Christianity and even started a cult recovery and resource website for others trying to recover from spiritual (or other) abuse at the hands of religious cults and move on with their lives. I understand the power of ...
ABSTRACT: Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost (1667), was originally interpreted as in line with traditional Christian themes; a moral piece of literature with the final conclusion that Satan (and man) must submit to the absolute authority of God. Near the end of the 18th century, William Blake challenged this view, relating Milton’s personification of Satan to Prometheus as a creature of nobility, righteously seeking justice and freedom. Later humanists followed Blake in claiming that Milton, ...
Much of the material on this website concerns my continuing research into Christian traditions and the historical Jesus Christ: who was Jesus, really? Is there any evidence for his existence? What started the Christian movement? Although the debate continues, and it is impossible to "prove" that Jesus never existed, it is fair to say that the vast majority of both Christians and non-believers alike have a picture of Christian beginnings which has no basis in ...
If you're interested in religious mythology, astrological symbolism, or supernatural folklore, grab my book Gods of Myth and Man. You can go buy it on Amazon.
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