Interesting Stuff That Caught My Eye

Every so often, and it's usually in waiting rooms -- at the doctor, or dentist, or auto repair shop or, like today, when I took Dear Diane to get her hair cut -- I browse around the web on my iPad and uncover interesting stuff that I otherwise would not have known. 

(By the way, before I go on, please add Diane to your prayers. While walking Maddie, the wonderdog, the other evening, Diane fell and broke her arm. She's experiencing a lot of pain and will probably face a long recovery. But with me as the primary caregiver, she'll be well taken care of. I've already learned how to roll her hair on curlers, and have manufactured and rigged a washable sling she can wear in the shower. I'm using the washer and dryer daily, making meals fit to be consumed by undemanding humans, and scanning the ads for deals at the supermarket. Old dogs can learn...)

Anyway, here are just a few of the interesting items I came across during recent waiting room visits:

Dawn Eden Goldstein

Rock historian and critic, Dawn Eden Goldstein, who converted to Evangelical Christianity and later made her way to Catholicism in 2006, thanks partly to her discovery of the works of the great G. K. Chesterton, has written a memoir, Sunday Will Never be the Same: A Rock and Roll Journalist Opens Her Ears to God. It's a book I must read and one I thought some of my tight little band of blog followers might enjoy as well. Here's a link to a story about Ms. Goldstein and her latest book: From Rock Concerts to Catholic Cathedrals.

Theodore Dalrymple, who can always be counted on to address interesting, and sometimes offbeat, topics, penned a column on rights, in this instance, the right to tattoo oneself. To be brutally honest, and here I think I agree with Dalrymple, tattoos are nothing less than "self-mutilation." But if folks want to disguise parts of their bodies using tattoos, I'll say nothing. Just don't expect me to appreciate the artistry. When I was a kid, tattoos were rare and pretty much restricted to sailors, marines, and macho guys like longshoreman. Their application was usually accompanied by a substantial intake of amber liquids. But things have changed. 

Oorah!

A few years ago, while Diane and I were on a Caribbean cruise, I found a comfy seat by the ship's pool and sat back in the sunshine to read one of the books I had taken with me. But the book was boring, so I began to watch the people. I was shocked by how many people -- young, old, male, female -- sported tattoos, and some in the most amazing places. Indeed, whenever I see an otherwise pretty girl who has defaced her body with one or more tattoos, I ask myself, "Why?" Why did she do that to the beautiful body God gave her? Did she think that she (or the tattoo artist) could improve on God's gift? Heavens, girl, if you want to show the world what's important to you this week, get a charm bracelet. Anyway, you can read Dalrymple's column here: Right to Bare Arms.

Beto Making a Point

Our expansive collection of Democrat candidates for president all seem to think little of religious freedom. Beto O'Rourke, he of the now defunct presidential campaign, not long before he began to scour the fast-food want ads, told the world that as president he would deny tax-exempt status to any churches that opposed so-called same-sex marriage. Although a few of the other candidates said they wouldn't go that far, they believed religious organizations that provide public services should not be free to exercise their religious beliefs. You see, this collection of leftists consider the rights specified in the first amendment of the Constitution to be subservient to rights that can be found nowhere in our nation's founding document. Read this article by Lauretta Brown in the National Catholic Register: 2020 Democratic Front-Runners Downplay Religious Freedom.

Holy Eucharist and Joe

Unless you pay no attention to the national news, you must have heard about Joe Biden being refused the Holy Eucharist by Fr. Robert Morey, the pastor of a South Carolina church. The reasons for denying the Eucharist to Mr. Biden all relate to his public acceptance of evils that are and always have been condemned by the Church, specifically, abortion and same-sex "marriage." Three cheers for Fr. Morey. The secular media, of course, was apoplectic about this insult to the former vice president, but it's about time a pastor demonstrate the wisdom and courage to remind Catholic politicians that Church teaching can't be set aside for votes. In the same way, it would be refreshing to see priests and bishops place God's law above their fear of media backlash. Let's hope Fr. Morey inspires others to be as courageous. You can read an informative article by Kristan Hawkins in the National Catholic Register: On Joe Biden and Walking the Christian Walk. I read another article on the same subject in the Catholic Herald: Ignoring Church 

Law on Communion is Sheer Cruelty.

That's enough for now...time for dinner. God's peace.