In an apparent outburst of simmering tensions, sources deep within the Heavenly Choir are reporting that fighting has broken out between ‘the Angels’ and the newly created ‘Pokemon Guys.’ Asked for comment about the fighting our source (who would only give his name as “Mike”) said: "It is all about favoritism. First the angels were God’s favored, then he created these Pokemon one three day weekend – well what did he think would happen?” Apparently fighting broke out following a heated discussion between Gabriel and one of the new beings. “After what must have been like the thousandth time that this other guy taunted Gabriel with “Pikachu” – I guess he just kind of lost it.” Unconfirmed rumors are circulating that this battle may result in “some being cast out.”
This is me (the angel) trying to beat down the demons (the demon) that are whispering to me that I don't know enough about late medieval Christianity to dare to try to say anything about the significance of books of Hours. I should go back to my comfort zone in the twelfth century and read more commentaries on Scripture. I know how to write about those, but I don't know yet what to say about the books of Hours. Down, you demons of doubt, down!
My comments for a conversation with Fr. Peter Funk, OSB, Prior of the Monastery of the Holy Cross, sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute Abstract : Many traditional Christian beliefs and teachings about spiritual realities have become unpalatable to modern sensibilities. Accounts of angelic visitations, demonic possessions, the stain of original sin, and the threat of eternal torment are today considered untrue or irrelevant by non-believers and even many Christians. Why were such “myths” so central to Christian belief and practice for so many centuries? Is there any value in understanding why ancient, medieval, and contemporary Christians believe in such things? Or does Christianity need to be demythologized in order to survive in a post-enlightenment age? In this conversation, Rachel Fulton Brown and Fr. Peter Funk, OSB, will consider the history of these “myths” and their relevance for contemporary spiritual practices. ***** How many of you believe in angels...
1. When white women (see Marie de France and Eleanor of Aquitaine) invented chivalry and courtly love , white men agreed that it was better for knights to spend their time protecting women rather than raping them, and even agreed to write songs for them rather than expecting them to want to have sex with them without being forced. 2. When white men who were celibate (see the canon lawyers and theologians of the twelfth century and thereafter) argued that marriage was a sacrament valid only if both the man and the woman consented , white men exerted themselves to become good husbands rather than expecting women to live as their slaves. 3. When white women (see Christine de Pizan, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the suffragettes) invented feminism , white men supported them (see John Stuart Mill) and even went so far as to vote (because only men could vote at the time) to let them vote, not to mention hiring them as workers and supporting their education. And before you start telling me a...
There is trouble brewing in Milo’s Finishing School. Factions have formed, debates have been joined, tempers have frayed. Much popcorn has been popped by those watching from the sidelines, but the food fights among the cool kids have gotten quite animated , and the whispering in the DMs has reached fever pitch. Rival cliques have been plotting ways to take over the chat and drive out the thots and the trolls, while the trolls themselves dance gleefully in the margins. None of which, arguably, should come as a surprise given the stated mission of the School: We take the mischievous, the perverted and the delinquent...and turn them into certified internet terrorists, by teaching them the fine arts of trolling, abuse and harassment. Except that, as we have seen , there are Rules by which the students are expected to abide and which the recording admins are expected to enforce. Or are they? Even among the admins, there is a debate. On the one hand, there are those who would argue...
I have had a fair amount of fall-out thanks to the video that I did with my friends about Vox Day’s book on Jordan Peterson . If you have watched the video, you know that I agree with Milo and Vox in their critique of the Good Professor. Like Milo and Vox, I do not see Jordan as on “our” side . Quite the reverse. I became wary of Professor Peterson about this time last year, after spending over a month trying to make sense of what happened in his interview with Cathy Newman. I became increasingly suspicious as I watched his interactions with Ben Shapiro and Dave Rubin on their shows , and I lost all faith in him as an ally when he threw Milo under the bus rather than argue with Bari Weiss about whether Milo was “possibly [a racist].” By the time Professor Peterson made his Kavanaugh tweet, the camel was already on the ground, crippled and unable to rise. I do not think Professor Peterson believes in God by any definition that I would recognize . ( Hint : If you care more a...
Professor Kim READ FIRST: Why Dorothy Kim Hates Me , The Color of the House of the Lord It’s back to class for those of us who teach in medieval studies, and my medievalist colleague Dorothy Kim , Assistant Professor of English at Vassar College ( pictured in 2014 ), wants to make sure you understand the stakes . The medieval western European Christian past is being weaponized by white supremacist/white nationalist/KKK/nazi extremist groups who also frequently happen to be college students. That does sound bad. But, wait, it gets worse! Don’t think western European medieval studies is exceptional.... ISIS/ISIL also weaponizes the idea of the pure medieval Islamic past in their recruiting rhetoric for young male Muslims. If the medieval past (globally) is being weaponized for the aims of extreme, violent supremacist groups, what are you doing, medievalists, in your classrooms? Because you are the authorities teaching medieval subjects in the classroom, you are, in ...
Leaving land behind
ReplyDeleteThe angel rises, wings spread
evolution soars
In primordial seas
the fish is seized by envy
leaps to drag him down
Gabe Poke Slay!
ReplyDeleteDateline: The Celestial Throne
In an apparent outburst of simmering tensions, sources deep within the Heavenly Choir are reporting that fighting has broken out between ‘the Angels’ and the newly created ‘Pokemon Guys.’ Asked for comment about the fighting our source (who would only give his name as “Mike”) said: "It is all about favoritism. First the angels were God’s favored, then he created these Pokemon one three day weekend – well what did he think would happen?” Apparently fighting broke out following a heated discussion between Gabriel and one of the new beings. “After what must have been like the thousandth time that this other guy taunted Gabriel with “Pikachu” – I guess he just kind of lost it.” Unconfirmed rumors are circulating that this battle may result in “some being cast out.”
This is me (the angel) trying to beat down the demons (the demon) that are whispering to me that I don't know enough about late medieval Christianity to dare to try to say anything about the significance of books of Hours. I should go back to my comfort zone in the twelfth century and read more commentaries on Scripture. I know how to write about those, but I don't know yet what to say about the books of Hours. Down, you demons of doubt, down!
ReplyDelete"Before" picture for Piranha Slim-Fast.
ReplyDelete(Now that one should apologize for.)
a haiku:
ReplyDeletetempt dinner with left
raise high the sword with the right
timing is crucial