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5月31日 The life of a webmasterBeen reading about feminist theological ethics in preparation for writing an article.
Now about to go outside and paint a window...  5月30日 My SpaceI finally did the dirty deed... However, having done so I have no plans to remove my Live Space blog - Having taken the plunge into the world of My Space, I still think this one here is a far nicer, simpler and friendlier portal to use!
Tell people about your MySpace
Changes - Books and moviesYesterday I woke up inspired to make some minor changes to the site... and these are now 'live'. Basically, I wanted to change the interviews and reviews sections, to make them more comprehensive (and better designed) than they were. So what I have done is to join these two sections together, but also separate them into 'movies' (films) and books (aka 'library'). You can see the new pages (if you have not already done so), by visiting the links below:
Another reason why I wanted to change things up a bit, was because I am currently in the process of arranging more interviews with authors for the site, but realised there are also many film makers working in the religion/morality genre who might also want to discuss their work. What got me particularly thinking about this, was the story Stigmata 2 in development. I thought it would be interesting to discuss a project like this with the writers/director, and get their views on this subject for the site. So I also made these changes to reflect, what I hope, will allow the site to grow and develop across a wide range of medias. Do you like the way the site is set out, what do you think of the changes we have made? Discuss this blog entry in our forum. 5月29日 Fiddling aroundI woke up this morning with the bright idea to make some changes to the site... So I am currently up to my armpits in CSS/HTML code, and half-revised pages.
Oh, and the sewer backed up again today!
Hope you enjoyed your day off yesterday (if you got one)...  5月25日 Nothing jobsFor quite a while now I have been thinking about the idea of 'nothing jobs'. What I mean by this are those things people do, which they treat as the most important thing in the world, but are really just hyped up 'careers' of little or no real importance. Now I particularly have in mind here the world of celebrity, and especially those people whose only 'thing' in life is that they are famous.
I (once again) got thinking about this today as I was looking at the ITV-F1 website, thinking about the 'rich and famous' who will be in attendance at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. In my mind modeling, singing, acting - 'celebrities' - are essentially 'nothing jobs'. If a famous singer or actor or model was to die, yes it would be sad, but nothing would really change in the world. I also think that if the world were to end and we had to save a few people who could re-start humankind elsewhere in the universe, who would you choose to take? Would you want to take someone who was a prima dona pain-in-the-arse demanding actor, singer, or model... or someone much 'more useful'?
A provocative (and undeveloped) thesis, but maybe something to reflect on over this weekend of glamour in Monaco?
Discuss this blog entry in our forum 5月24日 Another day, another updateToday I added an updated version of the page John K Roth: A Theodicy of Protest to the site. This highly unusual and controversial look at the matter of evil and suffering, concludes that the evidence suggests that God is not interested in doing something about this 'problem', and even that God might not be all-good (benevolent). I must admit to finding some of Roth's observations provocative, and no more so than when one thinks of all the so-called miracles God is said to have performed in the Bible (such as parting the Red Sea), yet God did not want to prevent airplanes from crashing into the World Trade Centre towers on 11th September, 2001. One canot help but think (if God exists), that maybe God has very little interest in preventing such attrocities from occuring... maybe!?
Discuss this blog entry in our forum 5月23日 You learn something new every day!'Introduced in 1963, the Filet-O-Fish was developed by [McDonald's] franchisee Lou Groen in Ohio, in response to declining sales every Friday. The local neighbourhood was dominated by Roman Catholics who practiced abstinence from meat on Fridays.' (http://www.makeupyourownmind.co.uk/questions/how-do-you-operate/facts-and-figures/ [Bracket mine])
How long...Sometimes I wonder how long this website will be around (don't panic - it's not going offline any time soon). I mean, I have a tremendous passion and drive to make this the best Religious Studies website 'out there', but how long should one keep working on a project before moving on to do other things?
I often find myself mulling this thought - particularly when I think of all the oppportunities there are in the world to do so many other things (NOTE: I have long harboured a dream to work in films, something once again rekindled after reading this interview with Eli Roth today - which also inspired this moment of soul-searching). I also finding myself slipping into this mode of thinking whenever I begin to reflect on how much longer I might have on this planet... That's a thought! I have absolutely no idea how many days I have left here, and at this moment in time I am spending what's left of them hunched over a computer writing about religious and moral issues. And you know, if I was to leave this planet tomorrow (it's always tomorrow isn't it), I would be proud of my legacy in terms of this site. Furthermore, I do not worry about any after life, or what place I might or might not go to when I die - I have absolutely no interest in these questions, for the simple reason that I do not believe we can know for sure what there is (or is not) in any life beyond this one. All I care about is 'after-my-life'... What I am leaving behind for people to remember me by after I am gone, and what positive difference I am making in the world today.
But right now, if I was to 'pop-my-clogs' whilst sitting in this chair, I care about how anyone will access anything to do with this site, as I have not written any passwords down!!! 5月22日 Monaco Grand PrixI must admit that I am getting quite excited by the 2007 Grand Prix season, and no more so than because we finally have a Brit potentially capable of winning not just races, but also the World Championship. It is exciting to see Lewis Hamilton doing so well, and also - he is such a nice guy! Good luck at Monaco Lewis... let's see if you can win in an F1 car too!
With the Brits in mind, I always have a wry smile on my face whenever I see Jenson Button lagging around at the back of the grid... you my friend, are paying the price for your greed and inability to stay true to your contracts! I am soooo glad Williams is wiping the floor with Honda at the moment, as Jenson should have been driving with them this season. I hope he feels gutted!!!
Another pleasing sight is seeing David Coulthard doing well in the Red Bull. They are slowly working their way up the grid, and into the points positions. Coulthard is driving very well the moment, and I just hope that Red Bull give him another season in what is fast becomming a useful car.. Next year we should really see them up there! Contemporary theologiesI just added a review of the excellent book Fortress Introduction to Contemporary Theologies to the site:
5月21日 A quick review of what's newI was going to write something on the matter of immigration today, but do not have time to do so now. That will have to wait for another day! So instead, I will point you in the direction of two articles on the subject of miracles in the Bible:
5月18日 MiraclesSome introductory thoughts on the subject of miracles, have now been added to the site:
Lots of new stuffI have been uploading quite a bit of (FREE) new stuff to the site over the last day or so.
First off, I finally posted the interview I did with John Hick. It has been a real privilage to speak to John about his work, and if you read the interview (all the way to the end), you will see why I say that. Also added to the site is a review of the movie Color of the Cross. Although I was slightly disappointed that this film did not tackle the issue of racism more than it stated it would, this would still be a good film for teacher's to use with their classes in order to discuss this matter. Complimenting this review, is a discussion worksheet on images of Jesus, which can be downloaded and used as part of a class discussion.
I think that's enough for now...  5月17日 On the charge of commercialismBrowsing through the visitor activity for this site always seems to lead me to find something of note. For instance, this morning I was looking at the list of where visitors to this site come from, and found a link to this site http://www.rsrevision.com/contents/links.htm where I read the following 'review':
Firstly, my old site was not called Faithnet - that is simply one part of the URL I own! Also, the fact my site is referred to as 'Faithnet' is exactly the reason why I am changing things. Faithnet is an online Christian community based in the USA. I am nothing to do with them, nor have I ever been. In fact, as the founder of www.faithnet.org registered the Faithnet name, I decided that I should look for a new URL and name for my site so as to avoid confusion... and that leads me onto the charge of 'commercialism'. That Religious Studies Website is not really a commercial venture. Yes, there are things to buy on it - yes, there are adverts on it (as there was on www.faithnet.org.uk) - but if you take a good look at the pages listed in the site map, you will quickly see that almost all of the site's content is provided FREE of charge. So with that in mind, I am not sure how a website which is largely offering FREE content can be considered 'commercial'. I have resisted limiting access to content on this site by making it pay-to-use. Yes, I make a small charge for the provision of lessons, but the only reason I do so is because these are a kind of tutoring/consulting service for students and teachers... You would not expect someone to tutor students or offer teachers a consulting service for free, so why should I provide this small part of my site's content for free either? Working on this site has now become my full time job, and so of course I am seeking ways to be financially compensated for what I do (I too have bills to pay)! However, That Religious Studies Site is not a fundamentally commercial venture - If that was my intention then all the content here would be member-accessible only! I work many many many hours to provide a site which is easy and fun to use, and whose content can be trusted. Sure, there are other sites out there which maybe do not have the same 'commercial' feel as this one does, and it is your right to use them. But spare a thought for the guy at the other end of this blog entry, who sits here hour upon hour each day and night (and it really is day and night), reading and writing content for the site, and also paying for the domain and hosting of it; all so that others can learn about religious and moral issues... I believe that to accuse this site of being 'commercialised' is rather a harsh thing to say in light of the educational aims of it, and the fact that most people stop by here - take what they need from it - without ever putting a dime towards the costs of running it! Discuss this blog entry in our forum 5月16日 DowntimeIf you have a few minutes of downtime today, have a look at this video - It made me laugh!
5月15日 On the 'crimes of nature' (John Stuart Mill)Just posted this revised article on the site:
A rather interesting and novel approach to challenging the design argument for the existence of God. Some more new thingsI have just added a much updated and revised article on G.W. Leibniz's 'On the Ultimate Origination of Things'. You know, it is only when you take time to read through and review your work, that you find what you originally wrote was not that clearly set out and explained. I hope you find this new page is a better introduction to Leibniz's arguments:
I also thought I would add some worksheets to the site yesterday. These have been designed for teachers who are looking for a resource for the topic of abortion and euthanasia. The idea is that pupils can use these sheets as a basis for thinking about issues related to these subjects. They could be used as part of a class discussion, with group work or even to review learning about these topics. Further sheets will be added in the future, as and when I can.
Worksheets are FREE to download, and can be found by clicking on the paper and pen symbol where they appear on a page. 5月14日 Are you thinking about your faith?I was driving along the other day when I saw a group of people standing outside a building - some with their arms in the air. I soon realised that these people were praying, when I was told that they were standing outside a medical centre where abortions are performed. Now I have never seen anything like this happening in the UK, but it is very common here in the USA. In fact, so important is the matter of abortion for people over here, that the suitability of someone to run for government is often decided by Jo-voter on the basis of whether they are pro-life, or not (and not really their political policies).
Now if people want to pray outside a medical centre, so be it - although I do wonder what they were praying for, and what they would do if they ever had to face the decision of needing an abortion themselves - but this got me thinking... There are many instances in the Bible where God is said to have struck down people for their sinful deeds, and destroyed certain places for the sin going on in it. Sodom and Gomorrah immediately comes to mind, but one can also think of Noah and the flood. Now I have no idea, but I would hazzard a guess that these people outside this centre would take the Bible literally, and would believe that these things recorded in the Bible actually did happen. So why is God not striking down this building today? If such awful God-forsaken things are going in there (i.e. abortions are being performed), why is this building still standing (it is - I went past it today), and why would these people want to stand outside it if they believe God has destroyed 'sinful places' in the past?
So it seems to me that either God is giving people a chance to stop performing abortions in this place (which is not the same patience God showed to certain people in the Bible - 'And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God' - 2 Samuel 6:6-7), or God is not really that interested in what is going on there (or maybe understands that there are some people who simply have no choice but to have an abortion).
Here's one final thing to reflect on... Would all those people standing outside the medical centre be prepared to adopt all the unwanted babies they believe people should be forced to give birth to? I mean, if you feel that strongly about the matter that you are praying outside a medical centre, then surely you would also be prepared to go and adopt some of these unwanted children as well? Now if some of the people standing there were to say they were too young to take on this reponsibility, well isn't this the same reason why some people want to have an abortion in the first place?
Discuss this blog entry in our forum 5月11日 New page and F1I just posted another revised page on the site, this one about the work of the English theologian - philosopher - whatever he is, Don Cupitt. You can find the artile by clicking on the link below:
Another great reason to be alive is that this weekend is the Spanish Grand Prix. Aside from writing about all matters to do with religion and philosophy, my other great passion in life is F1. Now although I live in the USA, I get to watch every F1 race right here on my computer for FREE! Wanna know how I do it... well, maybe I will share that little secret sometime! 5月10日 Best wishesHey, I just wanted to wish all those who are taking RS and Philosophy exams at the moment all the best. It has been a while since I took exams, but basically the plot is still the same... Learn what you need to know, and write about only what you are asked to write about!
Good luck! |
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