Fragmented Notions

Fragmented Notions
Copyright © 2007 Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University

"Serendipitous Creativity" from Gordon Kaufman

"I suggested that what we today should regard as God is the ongoing creativity in the universe - the bringing (or coming) into being of what is genuinely new, something transformative;(…)

"In some respects and some degrees this creativity is apparently happening continuously, in and through the processes or activities or events around us and within us(…) is a profound mystery to us humans(…) But on the whole, as we look back on the long and often painful developments that slowly brought human life and our complex human worlds into being, we cannot but regard this creativity as serendipitous(…)

"I want to stress that this serendipitous creativity - God! - to which we should be responsive is not the private possession of any of the many particular religious faiths or systems(…)

"This profound mystery of creativity is manifest in and through the overall human bio-historical evolution and development everywhere on the planet; and it continues to show itself throughout the entire human project, no matter what may be the particular religious and or cultural beliefs."

Gordon Kaufman, Mennonite Life, December 2005 vol. 60 no. 4

Welcome

In this my personal Christian blog, I hope to be discursive and now and then critical. What I write here is tentative and tensive. I post thoughts, feelings, and observations somewhat randomly and often in immediate response to current events and posts on other blogs.


Thursday, June 25, 2009

Supreme Court Ruling on School Search

If we disregard the rights of children, we teach them not to regard the rights of other human beings as we undermine our own humanity. However, qualifying factors determine the protection of any right. None is absolute.

On the other hand, the strip search of this young woman clearly violated her human rights because the violation of her privacy outweighed any danger to her or other students. The search was out of proportion of any harm the victim might have caused or might cause. The problem was the lack of prudence school officials exhibited. They acted against the victim without forethought and proportion.

These school officials acted in an unprofessional, unreasonable, and thoughtless way. However, financial penalties might not be fair because of the climate of control that dominates our thinking about school. In some ways, our schools are little prisons, not civilized communities. We make our school administrators wardens rather than educators.

Criticism of Justice Thomas might be in order, but the man is intelligent and thoughtful. He is not the caricature his critics often make him out to be. I dislike him and have, I confess, little respect for him or his views, but the attacks on him seem excessive.
"Who Will Rid Me of This Troublesome Doctor?": Bill O’Reilly, King Henry II, and George Tiller | Media/Culture | ReligionDispatches

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Photographer Jodi Cobb's Biography, Photos, Pictures, Wallpapers - National Geographic

Photographer Jodi Cobb's Biography, Photos, Pictures, Wallpapers - National Geographic

Simon Critchley Commentary on "How to Make It in the Afterlife"

"After he had been condemned to death on the trumped up charges of corrupting the youth of Athens and failing to revere the local gods, Socrates began to ruminate on the afterlife before an audience of his judges.

"He said that death is one of two possibilities. Either it is a long dreamless sleep and really rather pleasant, or it is a passage to another place, namely Hades, and there we’ll be able to hang out with Homer, Hesiod and rest of the Greek heroes, which sounds great. Socrates’ point is that we do not know whether death is the end or some sort of continuation. He concludes by saying only God knows the answer to this question. Of course, this makes it a little tricky if you don’t, like me, have the good fortune to believe in God."
Simon Critchley,Philosopher, The New York Times 6/24/09



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Simon Critchley

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Visa Check Card - Aquarium Commercial With The Moody Blues

Morgan Freeman Voice. Other credits on the site.

One of my friends liked The Moody Blues. She liked "Question".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEMuAnFH_lM&feature=related

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