NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES / VINNY TODD TOLMAN
Vinny died of an overdose. What he saw after he died was quite amazing!
PHILOSOPHY / BOETHIUS
So who is Boethius anyway? And why did I name myself after him?
Well, read this article from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy to find out!
"Anicius Severinus Manlius Boethius was born into the Roman aristocracy c. 475–7 C.E.—about the same time as the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed (August 476). Boethius lived most of his life under the rule of Theoderic, an Ostrogoth educated at Constantinople, who was happy to let the old families keep up their traditions in Rome, while he wielded power in Ravenna. Boethius’s privileged social position ensured that he was taught Greek thoroughly and, though it is unlikely that he travelled to Athens or Alexandria, the sites of the two remaining (Platonic) philosophical schools, he was certainly acquainted with a good deal of the work which had been going on there. He was able to spend most of his life in learned leisure, pursuing his vast project of translating and commenting philosophical texts. The Roman aristocracy was, by his day, thoroughly Christianized, and Boethius also became involved in some of the ecclesiastical disputes of his time, centring mainly around a schism between the Latin and the Greek Churches which was resolved shortly before his death.
"Boethius’s final years are well known to anyone who has read his most popular work, the Consolation of Philosophy. He agreed to become Theoderic’s ‘Master of Offices’, one of the most senior officials, but he quickly fell out with many others at court, probably because he attacked their corruption. Accused of treason and of engaging in magic, he was imprisoned and (probably in 526) executed, but not before he had the chance to write his literary masterpiece."
Read the full article here: Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
CHRISTIANITY / HOLY SPIRIT
A very interesting blog post from Marianne Widmalm from back in April 17, 2019:
"For those of us who are Christians there is something that has been lost since around the 2nd-3rd century after Jesus walked the earth. In Hebrew, the Holy Spirit is a feminine entity. Scholars are aware of it, but most ordinary Christians are not.
"Jesus spoke Hebrew and Aramaic, which are closely related to each other. In both languages the Spirit is feminine. The reason you cannot see the Spirit’s femininity in the New Testament is because all the earliest manuscripts we have are Greek where the gender of the Spirit is neuter. The Old Testament on the other hand was originally written in Hebrew, with minor parts in Aramaic. But, where the feminine pronouns are present, they are left out of translations.
"When Christianity transitioned from consisting of mostly Hebrew-speaking Israelites to Greek-speaking gentiles, the gender of the Spirit was gradually lost. Once the 4th century creeds were written the Holy Spirit became part of an all-masculine Trinity and the spiritual implications the feminine Spirit had also disappeared. But, if Jesus addressed the Spirit as feminine, it is worth considering if this was theologically important."
Read the full essay here: The Importance of Hebrew with regards to the Holy Spirit in Christianity
MUSIC / ROCK AND ROLL / 1970'S
One of the greatest rock songs of all time:
CURRENT EVENTS / CONSPIRACY THEORIES
This just in from Dr. Naomi Wolfe:
"There is no way to avoid this moment. The formal letter of apology. From me. To Conservatives and to those who “put America first” everywhere.
"It’s tempting to sweep this confrontation with my own gullibility under the rug — to “move on” without every acknowledging that I was duped, and that as a result I made mistakes in judgement, and that these mistakes, multiplied by the tens of thousands and millions on the part of people just like me, hurt millions of other people like you all, in existential ways.
"But that erasure of personal and public history would be wrong.
"I owe you a full-throated apology.
"I believed a farrago of lies. And, as a result of these lies, and my credulity — and the credulity of people similarly situated to me - many conservatives’ reputations are being tarnished, on false bases."
Read the full apology here: Dear Conservatives, I Apologize
CURRENT EVENTS / RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR
This is a podcast from Jack Carr's "Danger Close".
In this podcast, Peter Zeihan discusses what sort of battles and wars we can expect to see next.
"Today’s guest is an expert on geopolitics with unique insights into global conflicts.
"Peter Zeihan is a geopolitical strategist, renowned author, speaker, and consultant. His work includes analyses of global politics, demographics, and geography to better understand economic, cultural, political, and military developments to predict future trends. His firm Zeihan on Geopolitics provides custom analytical products to an array of clients including energy companies, financial institutions, agricultural interests, and the U.S. military.
"Zeihan is the New York Times bestselling author: The Accidental Superpower, The Absent Superpower, Disunited Nations, and The End of the World Is Just the Beginning.
"Find out more at Zeihan.com
"You can also follow Peter on Twitter @PeterZeihan
Listen to the podcast here: Peter Zeihan Returns: China, Ukraine and What Comes Next
CHRISTIANITY / PERSECUTION
From the Catholic Herald, Feb. 16, 2023:
“Allahu Akbar!” shouted a terrorist in Spain recently as he wounded a priest and killed a sacristan in broad daylight. God is great, certainly, but what made the deranged man think that God will reward acts of murder?
"Such a question is all too often asked in Nigeria where persecution of priests and other Christians has now become so commonplace that when incidents like this happen, local media barely raise an eyebrow. Amid reports of widespread murders, mutilations, kidnappings and killings, politicians, bishops and media commentators have repeatedly warned of genocide, and yet Western politicians, civil leaders and activists all too often respond with indifference.
"More Christians are killed in Nigeria than everywhere else combined. Fresh data from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)’s latest report Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians Oppressed for their Faith 2020-22 confirms this. "
Read the full article here: Why are more Christians killed in Nigeria than everywhere else combined?