Skeptical Faith

Google Image One of the most shocking and saddest stories of the pandemic era was reported in a brief story in USA TODAY a few weeks ago. “A COVID-19 patient at a California hospital allegedly struck and killed his roommate with an oxygen tank because he was upset when the victim started to pray,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday. “Jesse Martinez, 37, has been arrested on suspicion of a hate crime murder and elder abuse,” the sheriff's office said in a news release. “The victim, an 82-year-old Hispanic man, was sharing a two-person room with Martinez at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster in northern Los Angeles County. “’The men, who didn't know each other, were both receiving treatment for COVID-19,” according to the department. The victim died the day after the attack. Affected His Mental Health? The story is shocking in that a person could bring himself to kill an elderly man in such a fashion. It’s sad and hard to be too harsh in jud...

Google Image My spouse, Amparo, and I have a grandson, Leo, who is 20 months old. Because of the pandemic, we’ve seen him only once in the past year. He and his parents live over 500 miles away but we would normally drive there two or three times a year and they would visit us once or twice. During these times, I’m sure we share this kind of experience with many people.  Fortunately, Maureen, Leo’s mother and our daughter, makes a point of calling us on Facetime almost every day so we get to share in Leo’s growing up. We’re fortunate that Leo seems to enjoy his “talks” with his Abue (Abuela) and Papa (That’s me). It’s interesting to see again the phases toddlers go through: the first crawl, the first step, the first words. Leo is a wonderfully happy kid. It’s easy to get him to laugh, and on Facetime, he laughs easily when we make faces or play “hide and seek.” Something More "Sophisticated" But it won’t be long until “hide and seek” won’t cut it for entertainment and s...

Google Image Ten years ago, Dr. Kristina Darnauer   and her husband moved to tiny Sterling, KS. so their kids would be raised with “small-town values.” "The values of hard work, the value of community, taking care of your neighbor … this is what we're good at,” Darnauer is quoted as saying in a recent report by National Public Radio (NPR) online. "And here I am saying, ‘Then wear a mask because that protects your precious neighbor.’’’ But Darnauer's medical advice was met with contempt from some of her friends, neighbors and patients as COVID-19 cases rose in her county and other parts of rural Kansas. People who had routinely asked her for medical advice at church and kids' ballgames were suddenly regarding her professional opinion as suspect and offensive. "’It's heartbreaking," Darnauer says. ‘Because we say, this is what we value. And then when we actually had the chance to walk it out, we did it really poorly.’" Divisive Pandemic Poli...

Google Image The Bible may be the best-selling book of all time, but how many people who have bought it, or received it as a gift, have actually read it? I suspect it often collects dust on bookshelves or is hidden safely out of sight. I get it. You could ask the same question about the works of Shakespeare or the poems of Emily Dickinson. Who can understand them, and who has time to try? To many, the Bible appears to be a mishmash of gobbledygook, probably of unreliable authorship, having little-to-no relevance to their lives. I had those ideas as a youth. It wasn’t until I had the good fortune to have a brilliant Scripture scholar, Ignatius Hunt, who spoke and read the Bible’s original languages - as a seminary professor. He woke me up to the Bible’s wisdom, beauty – and despite being thousands of years old – relevance. I’ll always be grateful to him. Sort of a Travelogue In previous blogs, I’ve recommended to people unfamiliar with the Bible to start their Bible reading with t...