On Homer (Part 3): Connecting the Iliad and the Odyssey
In his book Why Homer Matters, Adam Nicolson pointed out how people seem to generally fall into two camps: those who like the Iliad, and those who like the Odyssey.…
TOOL and Religion
Before everything shut down, I got a chance to see Tool live in concert. One of the things that surprised me was that Maynard really wasn't the star of the…
The Question of Consciousness
After studying religion for a while, I have discovered that one useful way of categorizing different varieties of religion is how they answer the question of consciousness. I am not…
What is a “Hero?”
"The man's a war-hero." Is he though? We hear men -- and sometimes women -- called "heroes" today. From soldiers to single moms, even the nobody working the nine-to-five grind…
On the Origins of Truth-Telling
In Holy Nihilism, I posited that the origins of truth-telling as a value originated in the piratical militarism of steppe-based warrior cults: The origins of true testimonialism appear to lie…
Christian Pacifism in History
Contra the scripture itself, many Christians seem convinced that their faith is not pacifistic -- that it is a "warrior's religion." These people (correctly) point out that the current ecumenical direction…
Meditations on the Theological Significance of Crowns in Musical Contemplation of Heaven
And it came to pass that on my journey homeward from labors in the city, I became trapped by fellow travelers moving likewise in a slow and crowded manner. This…
Ansuz and Anwei
A friend and an expert in the field of ancient linguistics (PIE) gives some insight on the more precise meaning of the rune "Ansuz," as understood by the Proto-Indo-European speaking…
Tolkien and Lewis’ Curious “Paganism”
Any manner of theology can now be smuggled into people's minds under cover of romance without their knowing it. - C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters, 1939 Reader and commenter "My New…
Errant Thoughts on the Lord of the Rings
I would like to make the case that J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series is one of the most masterful works of religious rhetoric composed in the last century. As…