Humanism and Religion

…or How to Thread a Needle For centuries, the idea of God has been the very heart of religion; it has been said, no god, no religion’ — but humanism thinks of religion as something very different, and far deeper than any belief in god. To humanism, religion is not the attempt to establish right relations with a supernatural being, but rather the up-reaching and aspiring impulse in a human life. It is life striving for its completest fulfillment, and … Read on…

The Knights Templar: Rise and Fall

This is about Jacques deMolay and the Knights Templar, a romantic tale with a certain mystique, but mostly a story of bad luck, of being in the wrong place and wrong time, with the wrong people owing you money. It begins with the First Crusade. The Crusade was a boondoggle, but a successful boondoggle. After killing nearly everyone in the city, Jew, Muslim and Coptic Christian alike, the Crusaders won control of Jerusalem for about 88 years, from 1099 to … Read on…

Cornered

. . . . . . . The way a cat meows when she wants something she’s not getting the way she KEEPS meowing not very loud and not quite in pain not quite asking for help that’s the way I say “I hate you” to God. I don’t believe in God. God doesn’t believe in me. Also, sometimes God beats me to the punch or sneers, “U-huh.” But I still keep it up. Well, no matter what I say, … Read on…