Category Archives: Religion

Girolamo Savonarola and the bonfire of the vanities

Posted on May 13, 2016 by odeboyz

The Franciscan monk Girolamo Savonarola was the antithesis of Pope Alexander VI. Savonarola was an ascetic monk who preached against wealth and conspicuous consumption. Pope Alexander devoted his life to power, wealth and the pleasures of the flesh. As Savonarola’s … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Religion | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Anchorites: The Search for Perfection

Posted on April 29, 2016 by odeboyz

St. Benedict’s Rules (530 AD) were the first to be widely adopted by monasteries . These governed every aspect of a monk’s life. Intensely religious people, both men and women, wanted a purer religious experience without distractions. These people wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Posted on February 29, 2016 by odeboyz

I’ll show you life, life in a single moment A moment of pain, of memory gone, night and day fading Embracing you, clinging, moulding your soul into the Passion. Mind and body focused, oozing happy expectation. Life in a single … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Religious fanaticism and the normality of ISIS (aka Daesh)

Posted on February 19, 2016 by odeboyz

Religious fanaticism takes many forms sharing one thing: malevolence. War, theatrical brutality and a desire for religious conformity are part and parcel of religious fanaticism. ISIS is simply another example of the gruesome reality of intolerant certainty attempting to enforce … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Religion, War | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

British Military Interventions 2001-15

Posted on December 11, 2015 by odeboyz

Beginning in 2001, the UK has been in continuous war and the current (2015) military commitment in Iraq and Syria is open-ended. The principal characteristics of the four major conflicts has been that they aren’t against countries. The 9/11 attacks … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Religion, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Philosophy meets religion

Posted on November 24, 2015 by odeboyz

Because there are many religions is it the case that there must be at least one god? (Chris)

Posted in Philosophy, Religion | Tagged | 1 Comment

The British Government’s response to the Jewish refugee crisis 1933-9

Posted on November 13, 2015 by odeboyz

British governments are not moral beacons when dealing with refugee crises. The current (2015) British government’s toxic position on Syria closely resembles the Jewish refugee crisis of 1933-9. Nazi efforts to make Germany ‘Jew free’ accelerated throughout those years. Despite … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mathematics meets Religion

Posted on September 22, 2015 by odeboyz

God can’t make 2 + 2 = 5 (Chris)

Posted in Philosophy, Religion | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Capital Punishment: British Style

Posted on September 15, 2015 by odeboyz

              “And the executioner’s face is always well hidden.” (Bob Dylan A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall) (Chris)

Posted in Politics, Religion, Technology, War | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Price of Virtue: Bailing out Slave-owners 1833

Posted on July 24, 2015 by odeboyz

Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833. Key to abolition was the willingness of the British government to compensate slave-owners for their property. The government budgeted £20 million, supervised by the Slavery Compensation Commission. This huge amount of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Politics, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments