Tag: religion

A long, in-depth interview with…moi! (Trigger warning: includes questions about religion and politics)

Recently Everitt Foster over the blog A Natural Reaction asked me to answer some questions for an online interview, one of a series he’s been conducting with authors who have been early adopters of the new social media platform Gab, a would-be Twitter rival. (My handle over there is ewillett.) You can read the interview …

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Pondering perfection in an imperfect post

Here’s a rather metaphysical question for you: why do we strive for perfection? Cold logic tells us that perfection is impossible. As a writer, I know perfectly (sorry) well that I will never in my life write something perfect. In fact, I know logically that it’s impossible to even define what a perfect piece of …

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Christmas and me

I like Christmas. I like the traditional songs, the lights, the trees, the food, the presents, the getting together with friends and family, all of that stuff. I like A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Christmas Carol (Muppet, Mickey Mouse, George C. Scott or Alistair Sim versions, or all …

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My favorite author thinks I’m stupid: the perils of Internet pontification

The great thing about the Internet is the way you can find out way more information than you ever used to about your favorite authors, actors, singers, etc. Or not. Because here’s the thing: most people don’t agree with you. Oh, don’t feel bad, they don’t agree with me, either. Sure, you can find people …

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And we’re off! 2011 and beyond…

So…Happy New Year! If you’re going to build readership on a blog, you have to post regularly. Everyone knows that. I know it; you know it. And periodically I’ve attempted it, never with any great success. But you know what? Hope springs eternal, and with the start of a new year, I’ve got another chance …

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What I’ve Just Read: By Schism Rent Asunder

By Schism Rent Asunder is the second book in David Weber’s new series that began with Off Armageddon Reef. Before I read it someone warned me that they thought it didn’t really work as a stand-alone novel: it’s very much a bridge between what happened in the first book and what’s going to happen in …

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A new review of Lost in Translation…

…has popped up at the blog Bibliophagic. Brazilian blogger Adiel Mittman gives it four stars out of five (and says it reminded him of Asimov’s Foundation series!) but he does have some thoughtful caveats. A few highlights: This book is a good read. The author’s idea of translators is an interesting one…If translating between human …

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Jesus was on to something (well, duh!)

According to the Mayo Clinic, forgiveness is good for your health: Holding a grudge appears to affect the cardiovascular and nervous systems. In one study, people who focused on a personal grudge had elevated blood pressure and heart rates, as well as increased muscle tension and feelings of being less in control. When asked to …

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Jesus was on to something (well, duh!)

According to the Mayo Clinic, forgiveness is good for your health: Holding a grudge appears to affect the cardiovascular and nervous systems. In one study, people who focused on a personal grudge had elevated blood pressure and heart rates, as well as increased muscle tension and feelings of being less in control. When asked to …

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Sermons from my father

When I posted my eulogy for my father, James Lee Willett, for Father’s Day, I neglected to provide one important link: many of Dad’s sermons are online as MP3 files. You can download them here. My previous post reminded me!

The Quraneyeens

The Big Pharaoh, an Egyptian blogger, writes about the arrest and imprisonment of members of a group I’d never heard of before: The Quraneyeens. Here’s his explanation of what they believe: They’re Muslims who believe in the Quran, and only the Quran. In traditional Sunni Islam, religious jurispudence and law are mainly derived from two …

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Isaac Newton: man of science…

…man of faith. In one manuscript from the early 1700s, Newton used the cryptic Book of Daniel to calculate the date for the Apocalypse, reaching the conclusion that the world would end no earlier than 2060.“It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner,” Newton wrote. However, he added, “This I …

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