Nowhere is the piecemeal nature of the Bible more evident than in the books detailing the kings of Israel and Judah from the time of David's ascension to the time Babylon sacks Jerusalem and burns the temple. Kings and Chronicles are each broken up into two books, but according to sources, in the Hebrew Bible, … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Kings & Chronicles
Category: Essays
Break the Chains
How far removed are we from segregation in this country? On the day I was born in Atlanta, it was not possible for blacks and whites to eat in the same restaurant. That changed a few months later, so segregation was a reality within my lifetime. People of different races could not marry in most … Continue reading Break the Chains
All Seeing
Conceptions of God are constantly in flux, which is what yields so many different religions. In Lake Woebegone Days, Garrison Keillor humorously describes numerous disputes among church congregations over the interpretation of scripture which lead to factions developing which cause the congregations to split. Baptists and Methodists primarily disagree over the method of baptism, and … Continue reading All Seeing
Voices in Our Heads
Somewhere, out on the plains in Africa, just shortly after humans had learned to talk, a tribe got into some sort of trouble and all seemed bleak. Suddenly a man in the tribe heard the voice of his father, who had died years before, instructing him on what to do. He got everyone's attention and … Continue reading Voices in Our Heads
Conceptions of God
What we think of as God is a personification of the whole of the universe crafted in the image of humanity. That's why the concept of God changes depending upon the observer. This is evident in the pages of the Bible, as the vengeful Yahweh of Genesis morphs into the loving Heavenly Father of the … Continue reading Conceptions of God
Creator or Destroyer
Humans came along, noticed this beautiful world and immediately thought, "How can we best exploit this for our exclusive use?" Many today still hold the attitude that the earth exists for humans only, and all other creatures are either there for our use, or are hinderances to us which must be removed. We clear the … Continue reading Creator or Destroyer
Bad Credit
At one time, charging exorbitant interest on loans was called loan-sharking and was illegal in this country. Now, it's standard business practice among the credit card companies. When I got my first credit card in the early-80s, it was possible for consumers to write off credit card interest on their taxes. One of the enduring … Continue reading Bad Credit
A Form of Autobiography
The common advice to writers just starting out is to write what one knows, and often, this is good advice. What better starting point can an individual have than his or her own experiences and memories? To this end, many writers, such as Hemingway and Jack London have led adventurous lives — Hemingway drove an … Continue reading A Form of Autobiography
Shadow Selves
Can you see the real me? --The Who, Quadrophenia We all have secret sides to our personalities that we keep hidden from those around us — thoughts we never share, opinions we never state, fantasies we never reveal. Each individual carries around multiple perspectives inside his or her mind, a unique vision that no one … Continue reading Shadow Selves
Intelligent Design
Despite the claims of fundamentalists and the "creation science" they've been touting for decades, evolution is a scientifically documented fact that can be observed both in the lab and in nature. Through evolution, animals and plants adapt to their environment and those that can't run the risk of extinction. This is true regardless of whether … Continue reading Intelligent Design