Tag Archives: religion

Prey for Miracles

Posted on February 27, 2021 by JMN

… What we saw in Texas is… a doom loop of climate polarization, where climate crises lead, paradoxically, to a politics that’s more desperate for fossil fuels, more dismissive of international or even interstate cooperation. Cooperation is humanity’s superpower, and … Continue reading →

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Reading God’s Mind

Posted on February 16, 2021 by JMN

“Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God!” said the letter, addressed to Kinzinger, the word “disappointment” underlined three times and “God” underlined once, according to the version published by the Times. “You go against your … Continue reading →

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Fewer Miracles, Less Time

Posted on December 8, 2020 by JMN

Beatification occurs when the Pope declares a dead person to be in a state of bliss. It permits public veneration and is the first step towards canonization. Canonization occurs when the Roman Catholic Church officially admits a dead person into … Continue reading →

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John Lewis

Posted on July 31, 2020 by JMN

[When I inserted the photograph of Mr. Lewis included in the NYTimes I triggered the above warning, so I substituted a sketch of mine for the photograph.] Representative John Lewis died on July 17, 2020. These are the last words … Continue reading →

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Irish and Not Proud

Posted on July 20, 2020 by JMN

William James arrived penniless in Albany, NY from County Cavan, Ireland in the late 18th century. Over the next 30 years he created a fortune second only to that of the Astor family. His grandsons, novelist Henry and philosopher William, … Continue reading →

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What Makes a Poem ‘Hard’?

Posted on July 17, 2020 by JMN

“Syntax” is the answer to the fudgy question. It’s hard to reach image and reference through muddy syntax. In narrative and exposition, context comes to the rescue; in poetry often not, because a poet revels in flare-gunning lap dance moon … Continue reading →

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Get Thee to a Nonery

Posted on October 29, 2019 by JMN

Pew’s latest report found that nonbelievers are gaining ground fast. “Nones” — those with no particular religion — now account for more than one-quarter of the American population. There are substantially more nones than Catholics. (Nicholas Kristoff, “We’re Less and … Continue reading →

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Disquieting Skein

Posted on August 8, 2019 by JMN

It has dawned on me in the last few days that the model of government from above visited upon the yielding heads of the governed by an all-powerful executive comports somewhat with what I take to be certain tenets of … Continue reading →

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