Did Alabama break all ten Commandments at once?

** As workmen were strapping up the 3-ton granite monument of the Ten Commandments prior to its removal from the grounds of the Alabama Judiciary Building I kept thinking: Be careful - the last guy who broke the Commandments in stone had to go back up the mountain and get another set. Thankfully, the monument moved easily and got carted off in one piece.

Amazing how much passion went into this event. If people care this much about a symbol could they ever care enough about real problems that people are having? We need heartfelt activism on behalf of those among us who are hurting and needy and not on symbols. Let's get real, people.

Anyway, I had a hand in the following article, which I believe places the issue in proper perspective.

An immoveable monument to the Ten Commandments - a spirituality.com commentary

New book excerpts - From Science to God

** Through the magic of C-Pen I'm able to scan the parts of books I'm reading that are interesting to me, digitize them and share them online or by email. It helps me consolidate my sense of a book, as well as have good quotes ready to insert into an article I'm writing, etc. It also hope it helps others see if they want to get the book and read it for themselves.

So, here's my latest, excerpts from a short book by Peter Russell that has some interesting ways to look at consciousness and reality.

About the Author
Peter Russell gained an honors degree in physics and experimental psychology at the University of Cambridge England, and a postgraduate degree in computer science He studied meditation and Eastern philosophy in India, and on his return conducted research into the neurophysiology of meditation at the University of Bristol. As an author and lecturer, he has explored the potentials of human consciousness - integrating Eastern wisdom with the facts of Western science - and shared with audience worldwide his discoveries and insights about the nature of consciousness, global change, and human evolution. FROM SCIENCE TO God.doc

Excerpts from THE NEXT CHRISTENDOM

** I think this is an important analysis of a global trend that will hve implications in every aspect of life in the near future. Phillip Jenkins details a looming clash between "northern" Christianity and the "southern" version which is growing at an incredibly fast pace.
This has implications beyond religion, because it attests to huge blocks of THOUGHT that are headed for conflict. This conflict is already seen in the apocalyptic terrorism of recent years, as characterized by military historian Ralph Peters in Beyond Terror and Paul Berman in Terror and Liberalism.
"Northern" Christianity is tightly associated with "Western" culture - which is in turn associated with modernity, democracy, the primacy of the individual and progress in general. "Southern" Christianity, by contrast, is growing in a reactionary context, with an intense drive to return the world to an earlier, simpler state.
Those in the West are hardly aware of these powerful movements, but Jenkins has laid it all out for peacemakers to see -- and do something about. Attached are my highlights from his book. The next Christendom - excerpts.doc

Still grumpy after all these months

** "
Grumpygirl is still my favorite blogger. Her posts are erratic (her last one as of this date was in June) but every one is a gem. And now that she's posted some pix of herself it's an even greater treat to know this fascinating person. Her wit and humor are outrageous and her command of the language is superb. I wonder how long she works on these pieces - they certainly seem to fall easily out of her keyboard. How I'd love to hear her reading her posts on "This American Life." Not that she needs another medium. I think she has developed the perfect style for blogdom. David Weinberger has said that the Web will force an alteration in Warhol's famous statement that TV enables everyone to be famous for at least 15 minutes - the Web, he says, means that now everyone will be famous to at least 15 people! I don't know what kind of following Grumpygirl has but if she keeps at it she could be a star to many more than 15 people.