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In an edition of Philosophy Now that especially focuses on philosophy and death (Mar/Apr 2012, pp6-9), Oxford University Professor of Philosophy Nick Bostrom likens ageing and death to a tyrannical dragon which demanded that 10,000 men and women be slaughtered each day to feed its immense appetite. The dragon was seemingly invincible with all efforts [...]

Roger Scruton, Why Beauty Matters (2009); BBC Scotland (Click image for video) Conservative English philosopher Roger Scruton has much to say about the importance of beauty and its erosion in modern times that resonates with me. Not that I concur with all he has to say. Scruton’s concept of beauty and the sacred, while it [...]

Charles Colson summarises Glenn Sunshine’s argument that the Christian commitment to education and literacy literally saved learning in the West. As Colson explains: The collapse of the Roman Empire and the barbarian conquest of Europe drove Christianity to the monasteries of western Ireland. Irish abbott St. Columbanus (543-615) traveled across France and Italy, founding monasteries [...]

The outline for this sermon is: Match Fit Test Match Striking the Match Isaac Meets His Match Genesis 24 sermon

This sermon provides an overview of the voluntary offerings, considering the issue of ritual, the coming to God as an “Adam” and as a nephesh, and the significance of comments concerning salt, yeast and fat. Leviticus 1 to 3 Voluntary Offerings

Acts 1:1-11

This study raises questions on four areas of focus from this passage: Focus on Power Focus on Beginnings Focus on Language Focus on Harvest For a large group it may be more practicable to split into smaller groups with each group focusing on say 1-2 areas, then  maybe having a short plenary session to finish [...]

In this sermon we observe how this is the third occasion in Genesis when a patriarch tries to pass off his wife as his sister only to get into hot water. I consider the repeated plot-line and its significance. I point out how this passage anticipates what happens later when Israel invades Canaan; the challenges [...]

Notwithstanding a variety of representations the Buddhist Wheel of Life has a standard structure as indicated by the superimposed numbers A to G: Broadly the structure is as follows: The entire wheel represents all sentient beings trapped in samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death, rebirth, death, rebirth, etc., which is only broken when a [...]

The Buddhist Wheel of Life is an illustration that powerfully illustrates some of the central concepts that underlie Buddhism: The origins of this symbol are said to go back to the earliest phase of Indian Buddhism. However, almost all we know about the Wheel comes from Tibet. There is not a single picture of the [...]