Wishing to be Tense (Spirituality, Religion and Philosophy Entry 3)

Posted on April 27, 2011February 24, 2016 by admin

During a scene in my favorite TV show (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), a British character, in a time of crisis, asks for coffee rather than his usual tea. The friend working with him asks why. Giles responds: “Tea is soothing, I wish to be tense.” When I’m stressed at work or at home (but it’s usually at work), I sometimes say this to myself. It reminds me to stop choosing to be tense, or at least to recognize that’s what I’m doing. As someone who struggled with anxiety in the past, part of me...

Women and the Church (Spirituality, Religion, and Philosophy, Entry 2)

Posted on April 21, 2011February 24, 2016 by admin

Like a lot of Catholic teenagers, I started skipping mass in high school. I’d disappear for an hour on Saturday or Sunday at the appropriate time, but instead of going to church I headed to the park or to work out or to read. I didn’t disagree with the church’s teachings. I just didn’t see the point of mass. Sitting, standing, reciting (usually mumbling) the same words with everyone glancing at their watches. Ironically, now that I’m not a believer, I find great beauty in the ritual. I att...

Abraham’s Willingness to Sacrifice Isaac (Spirituality, Religion, and Philosophy Entry 1)

Posted on April 20, 2011February 24, 2016 by admin

The story of Abraham and Isaac always bothered me. Abraham was ready to kill his son because a being he believed was God told him to. That always seemed wrong to me. If killing is wrong, how does it become okay just because at that particular moment God said it was okay? And how did Abraham know that was God? It would seem like if God is asking you to do something wrong, the first thing you might wonder is if the entity talking to you is really God. We talked about this in my writer’s grou...