A new video link: I need to warn you about Catholicism…
Long-term Christian commitment cannot be achieved by dopamine alone. We all make that mistake in the beginning.
A new video link: Woke Jesus Cleanses the Temple (note: biting satire)
I was watching a YouTube Christian talking about how so many American Christians have abandoned their faith since the year 2000. The commentator went on to explain this phenomenon by quoting a decontextualized Bible verse about the Great Apostasy. So that’s it, then? One excised Bible verse is able to explain a contemporary issue that is exceedingly complex?
Well, okay. Then let me offer my own super-simple explanation. And I won’t need to use the Bible. Maybe so many former Christians in America have left the Christian faith because American churches have become so vapid. How about that?
A friend suggested that I start my own “non-denominational church” on Neocities. She said to make sure it has a virtual collection plate (credit cards accepted). She also reminded me that since it would be a religious organization, all revenue would be tax-free.
“I confess that I sometimes allow myself to be deceived. When things are going well professionally, when election results go the way I hoped, when I seem to be getting along with everyone I know—I can be disarmed into thinking that I am at peace with the world. Then, like a thunderclap, I’m jolted back to the truth of the matter: the world is not my friend.” —Casey Chalk
A new essay: My Final Thoughts on Mere Christianity. Maybe.
“Thus, the task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees.” —Arthur Schopenhauer
In the writings of St John of the Cross, a “consolation” refers to a spiritual experience characterized by feelings of divine presence, peace, and joy. They are short in duration and are seen as divine gifts that nourish the soul on its journey toward union with God. However, St John also emphasizes that true spiritual growth involves enduring times of spiritual dryness or desolation that test and purify the soul. Therefore, consolations are understood as temporary experiences that should not be pursued for their own sake, since doing so could actually distract from the deeper, more genuine ascent of the soul toward divine union. Instead, the true focus should be on loving and trusting God beyond all feelings and experiences.
As a former charismatic Christian, the teachings of St John of the Cross were a much-needed revelation for me. It took me years to finally understand what St John was talking about—years to see that he was trying to instruct people precisely like me. As with all truths relating to the actions of God, once we understand them, they liberate us.
I remain a Catholic, not because Catholicism is easy or entertaining or exciting or fun or trendy. It’s none of those things. I remain a Catholic because it’s complete. For me, the Catholic Faith is a shelter from the storms of “church-ianity”.
“It was Catholic theology that solved my Protestant problems… I had people come into my office all the time. I realized that I was just merely a consultant for people. You know, that’s what Protestant pastors truly are. It’s read the Bible yourself. Come up with your own interpretation. Here’s what I think it [means], but if you find it to be something different, then there you go. And it’s nerve-wracking when you are a pastor and you do feel like you need to take care of people and want to take care of people, but often times people come in for counseling sessions. They merely want you to agree to what they’ve already determined they found in the Bible, and so then you’re really more of an outside consultant at best.” —Sam Nunnally
LINUX STUFF: Mint developers now say that Wayland is at feature-parity with X11. Wayland is currently supported “experimentally” on Mint. In the next release (due Christmas 2026), Wayland will be officially supported. So I look forward to trying out Wayland the easy way later this year.
Right now, I’m locked into my X11 setup, because I’ve got it “perfected” for my workflow, and because my setup is “minimalized” (the way I like it). Heck, I’d probably be happy to live in just the terminal if I knew how to pull that off. Maybe if I decide to make a writerdeck someday I can try that.
I continue to be puzzled by the videos of people who visit college sidewalks and quads to push some religious or political message. Oh, I’m not puzzled about why folks would want to do that. I’m puzzled by the outraged harpy students who confront them, claiming only to be “offended” by the visitors' ideas, as if being offended were an argument. And often those same outraged students will go on to demand that the offending visitors must leave the campus immediately, as if mere students are entitled to make that demand.
I mean, whatever happened to the notion that a college is supposed to be a place that encourages an exchange of ideas? Whatever happened to the notion that a college is supposed to be a place where ideas are debated? Whatever happened to the notion that a college is supposed to be a place where students are challenged to think critically, and not emotionally? When did colleges become “safe spaces” where fragile students are supposed to be sheltered from ideas they don’t agree with? Good grief.
Sure, I could comment each day on the stuff being said and done by leftists. But in order to do that, I’d have to tune into what they’re saying and doing on a regular basis. I’d have to actually parse their words. Think of it: I’d have to digest all that dreck in a steady-diet kind of way. I know very well that doing that would warp me. Honestly, I just couldn’t endure it. It would be like playing a bubblegum-pop song in an endless loop with the volume turned up to eleven.
There’s this prayer you’ve probably never heard of. It’s called the “Jesus Prayer”. It goes like this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It has its roots in the early monastic practices of the East, thus the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern-Rite Catholics still use it, often as a meditation with prayer beads. Some Roman-Rite Catholics use the prayer too. For Catholics, such a prayer is called an aspiration—a brief prayer serving as a way to keep our thoughts centered on God.
The Jesus Prayer is easy to memorize. And it’s quick, so we can pray it any time. It’s a great way for us to pause and raise our thoughts to God, even if just for a moment. And, let’s face it, petitioning our Lord Jesus Christ for his mercy is always a relevant prayer. Always.
It’s harder to be a Catholic than it is to be a “Non-Denominational Christian”. More is required of committed Catholics. Catholicism is a more profound and robust version of Christianity. So if you do church-hop into the Catholic Church, I hope you understand this: As a committed Catholic, you will be challenged. But following Christ is supposed to be a challenge, right? Didn’t Jesus say something about that? Okay, so let’s just admit that being a committed Catholic is not for the half-hearted, the casual observer, the emotion-addicts, or the entertainment-seekers. There are other churches for those folks.