June 20th, 2008 at 9:41 am » Comments (4)

The Pahlavi term for the Glory of God, "Farrah" (originally the Avestan "Khvarenah"), is sometimes translated in Arabic-Persian as nūr ("light"): Fundamental to the concept of khvarenah are its connections with ...more »

June 19th, 2008 at 11:41 pm » Comments (0)

I was raised a trinitarian of sorts. I was taught that the Prophets of God are like perfect mirrors, where God is like the sun. The sunlight, though not God, ...more »

June 18th, 2008 at 5:03 pm » Comments (4)

There was once a town in Iraq called Babel. The name means "Gate of God" (Bab-El), and among Jews and Christians elicits all sorts of images of human arrogance and ...more »

June 16th, 2008 at 9:40 pm » Comments (0)

I admit to having been baffled by Nietzsche's references to the doctrine of "eternal return" in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. What did he mean when he asked how believing in such ...more »

June 15th, 2008 at 9:09 pm » Comments (0)

I recently heard a radio program that touched upon the Muslim Ummah (the community or nation of Islam). I don't recall whether it was an NPR, PRI, or BBC program. ...more »

June 13th, 2008 at 8:23 pm » Comments (12)

I kept silent about my apostasy for eight years. I had learned early on that my parents could not handle even discussing the possibility that I might lose my faith, ...more »

June 12th, 2008 at 6:39 pm » Comments (2)

When our son gets home, the first thing he does is run next door. He and the boy next door play on the same t-ball team, and spend a lot ...more »

June 12th, 2008 at 12:31 am » Comments (0)

"Look—", started Mehrzad, freeing a hand to point forward into the water. "Yeah ...", Peter replied, keeping both hands on the net. They saw flashes of blood-orange in the murky water before ...more »

June 10th, 2008 at 8:14 pm » Comments (0)

Angling is a special kind of hunt. It is, like most forms of fishing, a form of trapping. Angling is unique, though, for a couple of reasons. First, the trap ...more »

June 10th, 2008 at 6:18 pm » Comments (0)

Mehrzad approached Peter at recess with the eternal question, "Did you catch something?" Peter replied with a slanted nod. Mehrzad continued,"I think I might need some fertilizer for my garden. Do you ...more »