God Is Not 3 Guys

Sophia & Jesus mixed, January 23 Many scripture scholars have noted parallels between the Jesus portrayed in the Fourth Gospel and Sophia in the Books of Wisdom, Proverbs, Baruch, and Sirach.   “Sophia” in Greek means wisdom and is grammatically feminine. So much do the two figures—male and female—resemble each other that verses about them are interchangeable, as the following list demonstrates. I challenge readers to discern of each line whether it refers to the Divine Feminine in Wisdom Literature or the Divine Masculine in the Fourth Gospel. Translations are from the NAB and the Inclusive Bible. I changed words that gave away the gender. Decide whether the original line was talking about Sophia or Jesus. Answers—next week. . . . was present to God from the beginning. . . . comes from God; . . .  dwells with God forever. I came that they might have life. The one who finds me finds life. All who hold H__  fast will live, and those who forsake H__ will

For anybody who still shares Romney's contempt for people at the bottom who do not pay income tax (they pay plenty of other taxes), Need to Know on PBS Friday night explained the practical results of our tax code—its unequal treatment of rich, middle class, and poor.     You can learn about deductions, about the Earned Income Credit, about the practical effects for people representing various income levels. I love the 1 percenter, who says, I think it’s perfectly reasonable that the wealthy, who, I believe, in the end benefit the most from having a society that works for everybody, should be contributing more. . . . I absolutely think I should pay more in taxes. Why should we have these differential rates between earnings from income and earnings from capital? It’s the hardworking individual who goes out to get money for their labor that we really ought to be rewarding. Isn’t that the person that we really feel is contributing the most to society?  . . . Why is it

I get a little hot when I hear, "Guns don't kill; people kill," so I wrote about it. My opinion piece published today gives evidence to show that the presence of firearms alone spurs gun violence.   We live in a uniquely gun-loving culture and bear the consequences of living in the most armed nation in the world. Eugene Beniek's comment to my editorial explains the reason for Americans' lack of common sense about guns—they’re flooded by propaganda from the National Rifle Association.   Beniek quotes The Nation : And though the NRA has been roundly mocked for its public relations effort this week, officials are watching what is sure to be a flood of new cash. Here’s why: For every gun or package of ammunition sold at participating stores, a dollar is donated to the NRA. The NRA’s corporate fundraising division has several special retail partnerships called “Add-A-Buck,” “NRA Round-Up,” and “Shooting for the Future.” In some cases, these deals allow for c

It is altogether fitting and proper to begin the new year with a post on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. His ideas were recently featured on the public radio program On Being , which explores scintillating ideas in religion, science, ethics, and culture through interviews by Krista Tippett. The thoughts of people influenced by Teilhard de Chardin reminded me of his deep effect on me when I read him decades ago. At the time I was trying to be an atheist but still intensely connected to my Catholic upbringing. Host Krista Tippett gives this summary of Teilhard de Chardin: A world-renowned paleontologist, he helped verify fossil evidence of human evolution. A Jesuit priest and philosopher, he penned forbidden ideas that seemed mystical at the time but are now coming true — that humanity would develop capacities for collective, global intelligence; that a meaningful vision of the earth and the universe would have to include, as he put it, "the interior as well as the exterior of th