The Illuminatrium

  On the Affirmation of Life    The Pro-Life movement grew rapidly because of what we were facing at that moment - R-v-W, (1970s) and the resultant "abortion on demand" movement that followed--but--the landscape we are looking at today is very different, and the conversation now includes so much more territory, so many more related issues, so much additional consideration about what it means (or might mean) to "affirm life," and to care for one another from conception to death.    Some folks want the conversation to address primarily the matter of unborn babies. Some want the conversation to include "end of life issues." Others want the conversation to include how we care for those who after being born have no hope of a happy life, and yet others want to expand the conversation to capital punishment, prison reform, and refugees, along with issues of violence, war and nuclear weapons. As one poster I saw said, "It is a sin to make a nuclear weapon....

  On the importance of JOURNALING I wrote the essence of this entry almost a dozen years ago -- when Nationalist-Christian sentiments were growing fast and strong. It's been around a long time, but it has finally raised its ugly head. Trump did not invent this, it was already here. He simply took advantage of something that had gathered a lot of power through preachers like Jerry Falwell, a gospel of prosperity, and the U.S. "politics of power" to produce regime changes in other countries.  ___________________  Journal Entry:  The Churches of America face real internal challenges which can be seen in the Evangelical capitulation to a populist form of civil religion, an amalgamation of Nationalism and a stripped-down form of Christian religion. This results in the conflation of patriotism and piety - an unsavory mix.  It is rooted in an acceptance of, and preference for, a "modernist philosophy" - began in the Enlightenment - rather than a thoughtful and carefull...

On CREEDS & DOGMA Creeds are central to every culture -- whether spoken or unspoken, published or internalized, -- creeds are the distillation of beliefs -- not "all" the beliefs of a group, but usually the CORE (essential) beliefs. Most of the time we think creeds belong only to the realm of "religion," but that's not true, all cultures have creeds -- even business cultures have creeds. Creeds are based on rock-solid beliefs at the core of a culture -- those beliefs make up the culture's dogma -- one dictionary defines dogma as "...a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true." (https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=dogma) When one doesn't like someone else's "dogma" they cry, "Fundamentalist!" "Exclusionist!" But mightn't anyone who believes something is truly the truth -- beyond any shadow of a doubt -- (incontrovertibly) -- also be labeled a ...

  THE WAY OF JESUS - as posted on FB Page 1 Let me make this easy for the reader. I will state the principles Jesus worked from and the reader can either walk away or dig in deeper. It’s just that fast and easy. No one need wade through a ton of research and jargon before they decide whether they even want to have this conversation. However, if you do want to have this conversation, an open-minded conversation, then I will really do my best to speak clearly and succinctly. I could have titled this treaties as, The Way of Christ, but not everyone regards Jesus as the Christ, but anyone who believes that Jesus of Nazareth is a “real” historical figure in space and time may be able to see and appreciate the points I am trying to make here. _____________________________ THE WAY OF JESUS - page 2 First and foremost, The Way of Jesus, is about “doing the will of his Father.” According to his own words, Jesus' entire focus in life was the surrender to—the performing of—and the...