Skeptical Faith

Google Image I try to watch a limited amount of TV, but when I do, I try to avoid commercials. In my opinion, they often show the worst of society: rampant consumerism, stark individualism and pervasive self-absorption. “Lighten up,” you might say. “Some of them are funny. And they are trying to sell things, and to do that, they have to appeal to our sense of the need for stuff. ‘I want that,’ is what they’re aiming for.” That may be, but neither the widespread use of humor nor an explanation of their goals cancels the fact that they fly in the face of moderation, a sense of the common good and humility. Strut, Shout and Gesture Humility, in fact, may be the most counter-cultural of values today. Watch the typical NFL football game and you’ll see that after many plays, players strut, shout and gesture their “greatness,” as if making a tackle is equivalent to finding the cure for cancer. Apart from football, TV “celebrities” are shown with fans fawning over them, as if making a mo...

Google Image The bizarre storm that spawned December tornadoes and raged across the upper Midwest recently followed an equally freakish series of December tornadoes that 10 days before cut a devastating, 250-mile path through northeast Arkansas, southeast Missouri, northwest Tennessee and western Kentucky, killing at least 70 persons. All this followed last August’s disastrous derecho across the Corn Belt, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calls “the most costly thunderstorm disaster in U.S. history,” estimating damage at $7.5 billion, higher than many hurricanes. The middle of the country is hardly alone in experiencing unheard-of weather events. They’re happening around the world. Scientists lack enough evidence, from what I’ve read, to attribute the storms and tornadoes to global warming, but it’s the prime suspect. No doubt exists among scientists about what’s happening at the earth’s poles.   Steady, Ongoing Warming “The Arctic experienced its se...

Google Image I don’t know how old I was, but I recall that when I learned the earth was round and continually spinning  I wondered why we aren’t thrown off, or at least fall off. If that were today, I would “Google” it, and find articles such as the one I found on todaysdate.com by Kenneth Wegorowski that compares the earth’s rotation to that of a merry-go-round to explain why the spinning doesn’t throw us off.   “In one day the earth rotates one time,” he writes. “In one day the merry-go-round rotates 22,736 times. The earth spins at rate of .0007 RPM. The merry-go-round spins at rate of 15.8 RPM.” So the earth is spinning way too slow to throw us off.   Pinned to the Planet As to why we don’t fall off, I have answered that for myself. Gravity keeps us and our atmosphere pinned to the planet.   When I was back in elementary school, where I undoubtedly learned that the earth was round and spinning, I was unable to “Google” anything. The technology didn’...

Google Image "A Theory of Human Motivation" is apparently a classic in the field of psychology. It was written by Abraham Maslow in 1943 in the journal Psychological Review and has been widely quoted in books and articles. It is quoted in a book I just finished called, “Wild Happy: Dreams, Crises and Acceptance in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea” by Ryan Casseau. Maslow’s article describes a hierarchy of human needs that includes, from the bottom up, physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. His theory is much more complex than this brief description but basically attempts to prioritize basic human needs. Although dated, his theory has validity today, in my view. Author Ryan Casseau uses the theory in his description of his experience years ago in Papua New Guinea where, as a young scientist, he was collecting samples of native plants for possible use in medicines. Relationship with People But Casseau’s story is not so much about the plan...

Google Image If you regularly look at the videos in Facebook’s “Watch” category, you get the impression that the country has turned into a giant boxing ring with no rules. Watching videos is far from the kind of data gathering needed to know the true state of the nation, or the world. But news reports of increasing violence on airplanes, at restaurants, sporting events (often fueled by alcohol consumption), in supermarkets, families, school boards, political campaigns and religious communities make you wonder how many of us have become off-kilter. It’s true that violence is nothing new, nor is it confined to the U.S. But it does appear to be a trend, one that should concern people searching for God. Despite the impression given by some Old Testament writers (such as Ezekiel, whom I’m currently reading), the Judeo-Christian God is definitively non-violent. That becomes more apparent in the New Testament. Called Children of God “Blessed are the peacemakers,” says Jesus in Matthew’s...