Tabs are getting full again …
- Who was St Gerard Majella?
- Though this article focuses on Mormons vs non-Mormons, I think it has a lot to say about discussion of “moral” issues across the board between a variety of groups.
- Dentists are making lots of money and working fewer hours. But it’s all due to growth of cosmetic dentistry — and affordable dental care for the poor is actually getting more difficult to find. Rates of untreated cavities in the US are actually going up, Disgusting. (via kottke)
- Set course for that asteroid, Mr Sulu!
- Is your site blocked in China? I’m somehow disappointed that mine isn’t.
- Wish I had $8K for this new collection of Vatican documents about the Knights Templar.
- The Religious Right is disappointed they’re no longer the top dogs on the political agenda. Huzzah. They’re worried (finally) that they’re just seen as an assumed/presumed voting bloc on the GOP side, regardless of how they’re treated. Almost certainly true. Welcome to the consequences of mixing worldly and spiritual interests. (I refuse to use the term “values voters” because, dammit, every thoughtful voter is voting on their values, right, left, and center.) Beyond that — their days may be limited as well, as their population is aging, and younger generations are more critical of religion in general and Christianity in particular, almost directly because of all the right’s political shenanigans and generally “un-Christian” attitudes,
- Baby Zebra!
- How does it feel to die? Not surprisingly, it depends on the cause.
- The NSA has a big advantage — for the moment — in doing wiretaps, given the huge volume of international phone and network traffic that routes through US-based equipment and hubs. That’s beginning to change, both as other location begin to compete and as other countries and companies begin to mistrust such US-based hubs.
- Doctor Who movie? Fantastic!
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Re: the Mormon article.
I think of the drinking wine/not drinking wine divide as something like eating meat/not eating meat. I *will* go out of my way to make sure non-meat eaters have something tasty and creative to eat; I *won’t* ban meat from the table when they’re present. I don’t go out of my way to provide wine, though — I just don’t have a good palate, and I don’t want to embarrass myself.
To me, civilized people may or may not drink wine or eat meat…but they don’t hassle their neighbors about choosing other than they themselves have chosen.
But — I disagree with cutting yourself off from wine, caffeine, etc., for religious reasons. Training yourself to avoid pleasure (rather than vices, which are excesses, not absolutes) trains you to avoid love, compassion, kindness — inherently pleasurable things — and conditions the soul to treat others as harshly as one treats oneself. Bleah. More joy, less “virtue.”
I would bring hostess gift bottles down on those occasions we make it down there — but given that it’s a long drive back up, I’m probably just as well off not having anything to imbibe.
I tend to agree with you. On the other hand, if you consider it a moral flaw, a sin, then is it much different from, say, not approving of shoplifting or child abuse or running stop signs? Is it okay to say, “Well, I don’t do that sort of thing, but it’s okay if someone else does”?