Sharp IronSharp IronMy hope is that Sharp Iron can be a friendly enough place that you would feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics. I am very interested in spirituality and how that affects every aspect of our lives. Articles
Patsy?s Razor: Remember, It?s Only a Model
2008-06-06 21:17:00 When I was a young boy my father used to take me to the Smithsonian at least a couple of times a year. We always avoided the art museums and spent most our time roaming the science halls. I remember a large model of an atom hanging from one of the ceilings, just like ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Theology , God , Faith
Let?s Show the Devil a Little Sympathy
2008-06-03 23:39:00 In Sympathy for the Devil, Mick Jagger sings the refrain; “Pleased to meet you, Hope you guess my name.” There is nothing too mysterious about the thrust of the lyrics, as the Devil taunts us into guessing who he really is. No doubt he is not our friend, but is certainly our Enemy. The ... More About: Religion , Christianity , God , Faith , Satan
Know, You Don?t
2008-06-01 04:40:00 I just know that it’s going to rain. And it does. Or, just as likely, it doesn’t. I know just what kind of person she is. Actually, I really don’t. I never win anything, so why would I win this time. But then I do. I know exactly what you are thinking. Of course, I am wrong. So then, ... More About: Religion , God , Faith , Spirituality
Why Choose If You Can Combine
2008-05-28 22:00:00 The Brits must think this election is funny. So do I. I couldn’t help it, this picture made me laugh. Follow the link to some more English humor, made at our nation’s expense. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopic s/uselection2008/2042446/US-election-2008 -humour-Hillary-Clinton-and-Barack-Obama. html More About: Humor , Election , Barak Obama , Choose
Simple Solutions
2008-05-27 23:38:00 New York, 1952 “Hello friends, I’m your Vitameatavegamin girl. Are you tired, run - down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answer to all your problems is in this little bottle. VITAMEATAVEGAMIN. Vitameatavegamin contains Vitamins, Meat, Vegetables, and Minerals. Yes, with Vitameatavegamin, you can spoon your way to health. All you do is take a great big ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Jesus , God , Faith
Christian Persecution
2008-05-25 18:56:00 While preaching the gospel, James Ireland was grabbed by the collar and given the choice of either ceasing what he was doing or be thrown into prison. He chose the latter and spent 5 months confined to an uncivilized cell, where (under the encouragement of government officials) angry religious bigots built fires of noxious fumes ... More About: Christian , Persecution
Set Your Watches for Medieval Time
2008-05-23 15:52:00 Well, it’s happened again. Another group of religious fundamentalists have zealously declared that the mysteries of science are explained by the words of Holy Scripture. I thank God that these folks have not been allowed to push their religious beliefs into our nation classrooms and laboratories (yet), relying as they are upon faulty science to ... More About: Religion , Islam , Fundamentalism , Culture , Watches
A National Disservice
2008-05-22 22:37:00 I did a very un-Christian-like thing in Wal Mart the other day. I left my loaded cart standing in the middle of the check out aisle, telling a young employee “It’s all yours dude. Have fun with it.” Oh, and the cart had two gallons of ice cream in it. Good thing I don’t ... More About: National
A Change in Appetite
2008-05-18 21:19:00 Today in church, a woman read aloud Psalm 131: O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high;I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that ... More About: Religion , Christianity , God , Faith , Spirituality
Tag Nabbit!
2008-05-15 18:19:00 On Wednesday I was TAGGED by Ric Booth (aka ric booth). Sheesh! The four requirements for this meme are: Write the title to your memoir using 6 words “Hot Feet: Pan to Pan Adventures “ (unlike Ric’s entry I did stick to the rules, something new for me) Post it on your blog Link to the person that tagged you Tag five ... More About: Spirituality
What The Hell Did He Say?
2008-05-10 01:03:00 Throughout these discussions a persistent question has been raised; how can anyone be blind to the obvious scriptural supports for the doctrine of Hell? It has even been pointed out that Jesus himself talks very clearly of a definite place called Hell. Since both the scriptures and the Messiah are Jewish, it may help if ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Theology , God , Spirituality
Born to be Bad?
2008-05-04 07:14:00 OK, I’ve got a question about babies. Are they innocent? Let’s first take a look at a mini-’Cliff Notes’ version of a popular interpretation of sin: Adam disobeyed God , committing the first sin (Eve was there, too, but apparently the buck stopped with Adam). The result of his disobedience was that every generation to follow Adam, every ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Bible
Well? it?s a Mystery.
2008-04-29 07:15:00 George Carlin pokes fun at the priests and nuns of his youth, who whenever they were asked a tough theological question would respond with; “Well…it’s a mystery”. Like Carlin, I left the Roman Catholic church as a young man, not out of any disagreement or dissatisfaction - just disinterest. Maybe the church didn’t have all ... More About: Mystery
Remove Fat and Insert Tool
2008-04-23 23:06:00 In my younger days I was a bit of a motor head. I wasn’t into big American muscle but instead my tastes ran towards small European cars that handled well. (This was the seventies and the only Japanese cars that fit this bill were the Datsun 510 and Z cars). My preference was for German ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Fundamentalism , God , Faith
The Company You Keep
2008-04-20 22:20:00 I think that I have reached somewhat of a milestone on my faith journey. Last week, Rev. Anita Cadonau-Huseby, a very nice lesbian lady ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) , publicly included me among some bloggers who were “able to navigate beyond the hot topic (homosexuality) and onto the essentials ” ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Culture , God , Faith
What If You Were Born in Kabul?
2008-04-17 05:00:00 A quality that the evangelical church seems to lack is empathy. There is a feeling that we (Christians) are somehow “found” while everyone else is “lost” and all these stubborn people have to do is listen to the truth and convert. Simple enough. Except that we often forget what it was like before we ...
On Being Lost
2008-04-14 16:25:00 Magellan, TomTom, Lowrance; global positioning systems that allow travelers the security of knowing exactly where they are at all times. I wouldn’t own one if you paid me. Not because they don’t work - they work all too well. One of the great pleasures in my life has been ‘exploring’, either by car (so ... More About: Religion , Lost , Theology , Travel , God
Always Lost, Never Lost
2008-04-12 16:25:00 Magellan, TomTom, Lowrance; global positioning systems that allow travelers the security of knowing exactly where they are at all times. I wouldn’t own one if you paid me. Not because they don’t work - they work all too well. One of the great pleasures in my life has been ‘exploring’, either by car (so ... More About: Religion , Lost , Theology , Travel , God
Ministerial Mojo
2008-04-09 21:35:00 One of the reasons I left my beloved old church was a disagreement (one of many) that I had over denominational doctrine. The first time this particular doctrine was revealed to me was at a youth event during which communion was celebrated. I was surprised that my pastor at the time, who I greatly ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Church , Jesus , God
Three Way Tie for Sexiest Man Alive
2008-04-07 22:30:00 (with a beard and found drinking Rogue Dead Guy Ale on the second floor of a bar located in a renovated textile mill in central Maryland.) You can see more of their pictures displayed along side of Ric Booth’s prize winning article on the first annual East Coast Blogger’s Convention More About: Life , Alive , Sexiest Man Alive
Just Knock On The Door
2008-04-04 02:00:00 In the big city there is a cozy pub that caters to the international community. On the door these words are written: “EINGANG” “ENTREE” “ENTRADA” “INGANG” “ENTRATA” ” ????” “?? ” “ENTRANCE” Behind this door you will find a comfortable place, where people are enjoying each other’s company and there is plenty of ... More About: Door , Knock
An Apology to the Woman at the Well
2008-04-02 23:09:00 In an earlier post I talked about how Jesus displayed his propensity for mercy and inclusion when he met the woman at the well in John 4:1-42. At that time I was basing my remarks upon what is the current wisdom among many progressive Christians, that the Jewish culture of the time ... More About: Woman , Apology
Mommy, Do Jews Go To Heaven?
2008-04-01 19:30:00 Nice sign, huh? Spread the Good News. Anyway, we?ve been talking lately about whether or not Christians are in some way special in the eyes of God ? if one must be a Christian in order to be ?saved? from damnation or at least from missing out on heaven. Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish scholar of ... More About: Heaven , Mommy , Jews
Re-Judaizing Jesus
2008-03-29 16:00:00 My daughter, Dorothy, informed me that a couple of weeks ago, Time/ABC World news did a TV special on “Ten Ideas that are Changing the World”, the tenth one being the ‘Re-Judaizing of Jesus .’ They quote a Jewish New Testament scholar, Amy-Jill Levine. I missed this program but coincidently I am now reading her ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Theology , God
The End of Haute Cuisine
2008-03-27 22:15:00 Alain is the chef at La Manière, one of the oldest and most prestigious dining establishments in town. Since the restaurant’s opening day his fare has been lauded as the only authentic continental cuisine being served in the region. People would come from miles around, having made reservations months in advance. In order to reserve a ... More About: Cuisine
10 Fundamental Questions about Christianity
2008-03-21 18:37:00 I just spent some time arguing certain tenets of faith with a self professed Christian Evangelical /Fundamental ist. I found his remarks to be fairly typical of most conservative Christians so I thought they might be worth discussing. I’ve generalized my questions to him in the hope for at least some sort of brevity. ... More About: Christianity , Questions
The Religious Voyeur
2008-03-15 16:18:00 Sam is a voyeur. He’s been one as long as he can remember. This is his story; In high school and college Sam was painfully aware that although he was attracted to pretty women, they were not attracted to him. He was not a member of the ‘in’ crowd. Over ... More About: Religion , Church , God , Gospel , Religious
Now We?ve Got Fourteen Deadly Sins?!
2008-03-12 20:48:00 Just when you think that maybe people are starting to get the point they go out and do THIS: THE seven deadly sins have grown to at least 14 after the Vatican updated its 1400-year-old list of the worst moral failures to reflect the modern world. The new deadly sins that may lead to eternal ... More About: Religion , Christianity , Jesus , God , Spirituality
The Weak and Ugly Jesus
2008-03-09 23:09:00 The most popular post I have ever written is “The Black Jesus ”“. On a daily basis I get over 10 times as many hits for that piece than any other. I have no illusions as to why - it has nothing to do with my writing or my thoughts, it’s just the title ... More About: Ugly
Ask Dr. Leviticus
More articles from this author:2008-03-08 19:24:00 This letter is old news. But, since I’m always a day late and a dollar short, I just now discovered it. (Gary Wills reprints this letter in his book “What Jesus Meant”. ) Google suggests that it first appeared as a response to something that Dr. Laura Schlessinger said about homosexuality on ... More About: Leviticus 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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