Tag Archives: religion

Why Choose the Episcopal Church

Posted on July 23, 2011 by smellincoffee

Why Choose the Episcopal Church?© 1976, 1984, John M. Krumm184 pages Though I am not religious, lately I have been attending services at the local Episcopal church, delighting in both the music and the company I find there (for I … Continue reading →

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An Altar in the World

Posted on July 15, 2011 by smellincoffee

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith© 2009 Barbara Brown Taylor240 pages Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest who no longer pastors a church; for although she still finds enriching experiences inside the walls of her parish … Continue reading →

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God is Not One

Posted on June 24, 2011 by smellincoffee

God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Rule the World and Why Their Differences Matter © 2010 Stephen Prothero 400 pages Despite the promises of modernity to drive religion out of the human mind, the New York City … Continue reading →

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Ecclesiasticus

Posted on April 26, 2011 by smellincoffee

Ecclesiasticus or The Wisdom of Jesus, Son of SirachFrom The New English Bible, pp. 158 -251© Oxford and Cambridge Universities 1970 Last week I read the Book of Wisdom, a title within the original Jewish and Christian bibles, but one discarded by Protestants. … Continue reading →

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Why Do Catholics Do That?

Posted on April 20, 2011 by smellincoffee

Why Do Catholics Do That? A Guide to the Teachings and Practices of the Catholic Church© 1997 Kevin Orlin Johnson304 pages Continuing in my newfound curiosity about the oldest extant Christian organization, I accidentally read the book that inspired the … Continue reading →

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What Catholics Really Believe

Posted on April 6, 2011 by smellincoffee

What Catholics Really Believe: 52 Answers to Common Misconceptions about the Catholic Faith© 1992 Karl Keating155 pages Last week a friend of mine introduced me to the chat client PalTalk, and since then we’ve been spending our evenings together, usually … Continue reading →

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Confessions

Posted on March 3, 2011 by smellincoffee

ConfessionsAugustine of Hippo, 354 – 430Translation © 1961 R.S. Pine-Coffin346 pages At the age of nineteen a young man encountered the golden voice of Cicero. Inspired by Cicero’s lush oratory, this boy began to pursue the love of wisdom, philosophy; … Continue reading →

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The Evolution of God

Posted on January 9, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Evolution of God© 2009 Robert Wright576 pages Evolutionary psychologist Robert Wright uses the concepts of natural morality and the ‘moral imagination’ to  understand the growth and (arguably) increasing maturity of the three Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. … Continue reading →

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Reading Judas

Posted on May 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

Reading Judas: the Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of  Christianity© 2007 Elaine Pagels and Karen King198 pages, including the author’s own work, the text itself, and commentary on the translation. Jesus Christ was a man who traveled through the land … Continue reading →

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The Bhagavad Gita

Posted on April 13, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Bhagavad Gita: a New Translation© 2000 Our Gita, the Muslims’ Koran, your Bible — it’s always the simple things that catch your breath. ‘Love thy neighbor as yourself.’ – the Mahatma, Gandhi Back in late 2006 I began a … Continue reading →

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