The World Though Einstein-Colored Glasses

Just read Albert Einstein’s The World As I See It. The book, published in German in 1933 and in English a year later, was Einstein’s first publication directed at a general audience. The first half is devoted to science, both to an explanation of Einstein’s work and a record of his thoughts on the [...]

The Roots of Radical Islam

A conventional-wisdom shattering essay from 1995, that is before anyone in America paid attention to Islamism.
Radical Islamists are, to the author, a modern phenomenon born of interaction with Western science and literature.  Like Uranus and Zeus, the west is threatened by the betrayal of its own children.

The Real Story of Thanksgiving

How the pilgrims stopped being communists and embraced the power of private property and markets.
I’ve heard this story before, in Rush Limbaugh’s book. It makes for a great tale, especially since in some ways we look to the pilgrims as models for how our nation should behave. But as I have never heard [...]

Romney in France

Before he was a Governor or a Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney was a young Mormon.
He did what most young Mormons do, and went on a mission; but he was more unusual in where his mission brought him.
Like yours truly, he was 20 and living in France.
Luckily for me, the French have become both more polite [...]

Sin and Guilt-the Ultimate Reader Challenge

If anyone comes up with a satisfactory answer on this one, I’m buying them a pizza and getting them a book deal, for starters.
This question concerns what I see as the biggest problem with Christianity / the biggest obstacle to my faith.
Why should we feel responsible for our sins if God created us to live [...]

God threatens Giuliani

I was watching the Republican Presidential debate on CNN.com; finding it generally amusing, and noting that the frontrunners are who they are for a reason.
Giuliani gets asked a question about a bishop who compared him to Pontius Pilate because of his stance on abortion; just like Pilate at the crucifixion, he has the right personal [...]