(ANALYSIS) As a specialist in medieval Christianity, I know that Catholic views on the morality of killing have evolved over time. And while Christianity eventually came to defend the idea of warfare for self-defense and the common good, it has also emphasized the value of forgiveness of enemies.
Read More(OPINION) If you ever get a wild hair to try something really spiritual, try this. Think of the people who’ve done you dirty. We tend to keep a long list somewhere in our heads of people who’ve royally messed us over, bad guys we’d love to see get theirs.
Read More(OPINION) As one who’s prone to be anxious about — well, about nearly everything — I’ve spent a good deal of my life looking for ways to de-stress. So allow me to offer a few reminders about dealing with presidential indictments, global warming, nightmarish customer service, artificial intelligence, road rage, grouchy spouses and troublesome offspring — without imploding.
Read More(OPINION) This isn’t a column about Leslie Van Houten. This is a column about the often competing virtues of justice versus mercy. But the news event that started me thinking (again) about those dueling impulses was the recent announcement that Van Houten, a former member of Charles Manson’s “family,” will soon be paroled from prison.
Read MoreWhile the concept of what forgiveness entails precisely seems to vary by region and people group, a part of the foundation’s research suggests that it can be broadly categorized as “a process in which positive other-oriented affective responses (e.g., compassion or love) supplant the negative affective responses that characterize unforgiveness (e.g., vengeful or avoidant motives, anger and fear) and are associated with stress.”
Read More(REVIEW) Bill Hader’s phenomenal four-season show has concluded its final season on Max. And the show — always one that dealt deeply with ideas of sin and redemption — chose to end in a deeply religious and Christian fashion, which only made its themes and social commentary stronger.
Read More(OPINION) In the movies, the penitent enters a confession booth, kneels and whispers to a priest behind a lattice screen, “Forgive me, father, for I have sinned.” This drama was, for centuries, at the center of Catholic life. But in recent decades, the number of Americans who go to confession has plunged to a shocking degree that church leaders have struggled to explain.
Read More(OPINION) People are going to let you down. Everybody is going to let you down. Your friends will let you down. Christians will let you down. Your parents will let you down. Even your spouse will let you down. But we can reach out, even through our pain, and offer forgiveness and mercy and love.
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