Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

guillaumeb

guillaumeb's Journal
guillaumeb's Journal
May 31, 2017

Pacific Christian School Teaches Scions of the Elite in Atheist North Korea

From the article:

"Set on 250 sprawling acres in North Korea’s capital, the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology abides by the cult of the Kim family.
Atop its main building, large red characters praise “General Kim Jong-un,” the country’s provocative young leader. At the front of lecture halls hang smiling portraits of his father and grandfather, who led the nation before him.
Yet the school is different in one striking way. In a country that bans religion, it is run by evangelical Christians."

To read more:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/29/world/asia/north-korea-university-christian-evangelical.html?emc=edit_tnt_20170529&nlid=63450943&tntemail0=y&_r=1&mtrref=undefined

May 30, 2017

I just saw a picture of Trump wearing a giant blue tie.

The tie is well below his belt line. If I were his tailor, I would recommend that he wear a wider tie, not a longer tie. Perhaps a tie that is normal length but one that is at least 2 feet wide at the bottom.

What do you think? Wider, or longer?

May 30, 2017

Norman Rockwell and religious faith:

Given how popular Rockwell is, and given how many of his paintings dealt with religion, what was Rockwell's relationship with belief?

From the article:

"My grandfather has been called a “nonbeliever.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Norman Rockwell didn’t go to church as an adult because of his early church experiences as a boy, but he was always very respectful of and moved by religion. He had his own quiet faith.........

You can begin to get an idea of someone’s faith by reading their personal letters and observing what items they surround themselves with. My grandfather would sometimes sign his notes with “God bless us all.” It is interesting to note that Pop placed two Madonnas in their own special niches in his studio..........

Perhaps we can all take a cue from my grandfather — it is far more important to respect someone else’s faith than to judge and condemn them for it. Goodwill toward one another is the compass he followed.
Blessings,
Abigail "



(Abigail Rockwell, his granddaughter)

To read more:
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2015/10/08/art-entertainment/real-rockwell/norman-rockwell-and-faith.html
May 26, 2017

J. special report: Anti-Semitism at Bay Area schools shows dramatic spike

From the article:

"Schools appear to reflect the national tension; reports of anti-Semitic vandalism and bullying at nondenominational K-12 schools in California have doubled since November compared with the same period the previous year, according to Anti-Defamation League data — a phenomenon that some attribute to the heated tenor of the 2016 presidential campaign."

To read more:

http://www.jweekly.com/2017/05/24/j-special-report-anti-semitism-at-bay-area-schools-shows-dramatic-spike/

May 26, 2017

The uses and abuses of anti-Semitism

From the article:

"Reports of anti-Semitic attacks have risen sharply since Donald Trump's election, yet new legislation at the state and federal levels supposedly aimed at fighting anti-Semitism actually only targets critics of Israel. Zionist organizations have begun to discuss the "new anti-Semitism," which conflates anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel.
A new book from Haymarket Books, On Antisemitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice, a collection of essays from the activist organization Jewish Voice for Peace, comments on these very questions, exploring the ways that anti-Semitism is harmful and real, while also challenging the false charges of anti-Semitism that are used to suppress Palestine solidarity activism and free speech."

To read more:

https://socialistworker.org/2017/05/25/the-uses-and-abuses-of-anti-semitism

May 26, 2017

Vatican stargazers look for divine inspiration

From the article:

"In a forgotten corner of the pope’s sprawling summer estate at Castel Gandolfo in the hills outside Rome, an unusual group of astronomers and cosmologists looks to the heavens for divine inspiration.
Twelve Catholic priests and brothers live, work and pray at the Vatican Observatory as they explore some of the universe’s biggest scientific questions, from the Big Bang theory to the structure of meteorites and stars.
“The observatory exists to show the world that the Catholic Church supports science,” says Brother Guy Consolmagno, an astronomer from Detroit who is also the observatory’s director."

To read more of how religious people can be both scientists and believers:

http://religionnews.com/2017/05/24/vatican-stargazers-look-for-divine-inspiration/

May 24, 2017

Six questions on Ramadan answered

From the article:

&quot The Conversation) The Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, starts Friday (May 27). Here are answers to six questions about the significance of this religious observance..............

What is the significance of Ramadan?
Ramadan is a period of fasting and spiritual growth, and is one of the five “pillars of Islam” (the others being the declaration of faith, daily prayer, alms-giving, and the pilgrimage to Mecca)."

To learn more:

http://religionnews.com/2017/05/23/six-questions-on-ramadan-answered/

May 23, 2017

Diversity trouble at Duke Divinity

From the article:

"Reports of the resignation of Paul Griffiths, a professor of Catholic theology at Duke Divinity School, relate his departure to a disagreement with a dean over diversity training.
But there’s a bigger story behind the story at Duke Divinity.
Many of its black students are troubled by what they called, in an April 19 letter to Duke’s provost, their experience of “continual inequity” at the divinity school. They expressed concerns about grading, internship placements and the treatment of black faculty and staff, among other issues."

To read more:

http://religionnews.com/2017/05/19/diversity-trouble-at-duke-divinity/

May 23, 2017

Franklin Graham Is the Evangelical Id

From the article:

Franklin Graham is a man of contradictions. He’s devoted his life to preventing persecution and helping those who face terrifying violence, yet he sees gay Boy Scouts as a major threat to children. His mission field knows no borders, but he’s proposed a total ban on Muslims entering the United States. He claims to hate politics, yet maintains a prolific, politicized Facebook page. And when he looks at Donald Trump, he sees God at work in the White House, not a president who would fire an FBI director while under investigation, brag about groping women, and give away state secrets over small talk.


To read more of a very interesting article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/franklin-graham/527013/
May 19, 2017

Can Cannabis And Christ Coexist? These Devout Southern Christians Think So

From the article:

The Deep South is the nation’s most religious region and the least open to legalized cannabis for medical or recreational use. To those who say marijuana is a sin, though, devout Christians are using the Bible to argue that it's God’s “perfect medicine” ................

Genesis 1:29, which Decker formed in 2010, is named after a Bible verse that’s oft-repeated by Christians in favor of medical marijuana: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” To Decker, a nondenominational Christian who follows the Bible’s verses in a literal way, it means that cannabis is “meant to be eaten, whether in oil, whether in an edible,” she said..........

But to bring cannabis to the region of the US where states are deeply red and religious and where pot is both a social taboo and a ticket to jail, Decker and others are harnessing their devotion to their faiths to evangelize for it.


To read more:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alysonmartin/cannabis-reform-and-religion-in-the-south?utm_term=.ig6glNVly#.aoDvYwlYV

Profile Information

Member since: Mon Jan 26, 2015, 06:15 PM
Number of posts: 42,641

About guillaumeb

bilingual, bipedal homo sapien
Latest Discussions»guillaumeb's Journal