Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions

I have watched a few documentaries on cults recently. They intrigue me in that people are drawn to religious leaders as much as they are or even more than to any religious principles. This is one of the major arguments I often get against Christianity. Why isn’t classic Christianity little more than what it began as, a cult? I also am asked, “Why compare religions to one another,” or as one insightful little boy said as he noticed I was reading a book on World Religions, “You can read about them, but don’t join them.” It’s like saying, “You can look, but you can’t buy.” As with all things, I think thoughtful scholarship is the best approach to understanding the power of religion in the lives of people.
Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions analysis scholarly the impact of religions of the world as a textbook written from a Christian Worldview and perspective. James A. Beverely explains 19 different religions ranging from Baha’I to Witchcraft in a respectful way. It is written as informational text with little to no commentary. At times you can hear the Christian slant, but it is no more than a secular slant would be apparent in a regular textbook. This volume is precisely what would be helpful in a class on comparative religions at a Christian School or University. It would also be helpful to anyone that wants to really understand the nuances and influences of religion on sociological issues.
For me, it has helped me sort through the confusion of the offerings of what teachings on Universalism would propose. Clearly, there are distinctive differences of each world religion that many times override their commonalities. I see that Christianity is most certainly no longer a cult because it is mainstream, but it is little more than false without the distinctive of a death and resurrection that actually happened- a choice in the myriad of choices. And it is simply a virtual world that can destroy people if it is not countered with reality, thought, and Scholarship.

Man Power Group?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-u-of-c-mens-groupmay19,0,4707353.story

I was watching Parks and Recreation via HULU, when an interesting episode came on. In it, Lesley Knope, an overly zealous women, decides to invade the "Men's Club", a group of her fellow male coworkers drinking beer outside and hanging out. She thinks they are planning their take over of the world, while they are shooting the breeze, talking about their crummy jobs and family messes.

In the end, she decides to break company protocol by drinking wine and eating cheese from an off limits gift from a contractor. This leads to the underage drinking of the intern. All of this ends up being posted on a FACEBOOK group accidentally. And thats how Lesley ends up in front of a bunch of old white men in business suits acting as an ethics committee.

Lesley in an effort to break the glass ceiling, bumped her head!

The media is saturated with this preponderance of the role of men and women. I was confronted by it in Target as I looked at all of the advertisements where men and women alike were running around angrily. I was faced by it on television with Lesley Knope. And daily as a male in a very female job setting, teaching, I am always wondering how in the world my coworkers organize things more quickly, count papers more quickly, and do everything super fast. Its not that I can't organize or count, its just that I am slower at it!

Marraige is allways a fun place to analyze the battle of the sexes. I rarely fold towels straight, arrange dishes correctly, and I am pretty much impaired when it comes to straightening the house. I live in an apartment, therefore theres no yard, place to wash the cars, or change the oil. Not that I have ever been good at any of those things, but it would be easier to share roles that way.

The problem is, the things that I am very good at, well I don't spend most of my time excercising from those areas. And I am left wondering, is this time in history where the sexes are socially equal in all areas of life, leaving some males adrift.

Obviously. I have it a bit easier because I have to high of an I.Q. and its acceptable for me to have the absent minded professor problems, but what about the jocks? Its easy for me to see what is happening. They are trapped in boring marraiges, jumping from relationship to relationship, or partying hardy!

As usual, I am left with my Biblical Worldview to fallback on. I always think the assumptions of those who haven't read the Bible on the issue or somewhat funny. I have heard that Christian Men are mysiogenistic or control freaks, true I have meet some of them, but they really aren't very proned to actually reading or interpreting the Bible on any of this. They are usually the type that believe that what Daddy said is what the Bible said, and they find proof texts to support their arguments. Proof texts are never very likely to be contextual. To be continued...

Man Power Group

Apparently, they have created a great group for Jon from Jon and Kate Plus 8 to join.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-u-of-c-mens-groupmay19,0,4707353.story

This is an issue that I have thought about a lot lately. Check in later for more thoughts, I have to get going this morning!