Category Archives: Theology

Glasto turns religious

Posted on 27/06/2022 by Jon Garvey

The Mail online headline today is “Glasto turns political,” as various “angry stars” protested the US Supreme Court’s decision on abortion. But it actually is better seen as finally coming out fully as a festival of a specific religious cult, that has become the established religion of Britain and the entire West.

Posted in Politics and sociology, Theology | 6 Comments

The constitutional right to kill

Posted on 25/06/2022 by Jon Garvey

I ought to say something about the reversal of Roe v Wade, since the laws and practices regarding abortion have been a conflict in which I’ve been actively involved since, I suppose, 1974.

Posted in Medicine, Politics and sociology, Theology | 3 Comments

Logic on fire

Posted on 19/06/2022 by Jon Garvey

A two-part essay by the excellent Nick Hudson, of PANDA, is available here and here. Nick discusses how the disastrous worldwide COVID response stems, in large part, from epistemic failure.

Posted in Philosophy, Politics and sociology, Theology | Leave a comment

Revisiting Genesis 1 as a tabernacle-building text

Posted on 13/06/2022 by Jon Garvey

Let’s take some time out from geopolitics to give a few new thoughts on my contention (far from unique) that the way to understand the Genesis 1 creation account is as (a) a non-historic place-setter for the rest of Genesis and, indeed the Bible; (b) a phenomenological, rather than a theoretical, account; and (c) a temple-building text.

Posted in Creation, Theology | Leave a comment

And now for the good news…

Posted on 03/06/2022 by Jon Garvey

Here’s quote from the newsletter of my publisher today, which I haven’t seen before: “There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.” John Calvin

Posted in Creation, Theology of nature | Leave a comment

We must do something

Posted on 28/05/2022 by Jon Garvey

An unusually prolonged exchange on a thread at Daily Sceptic, on the claims that we are in the midst of a mass extinction, put me in mind of the sudden decline in greenfinch numbers in the UK over the last few years.

Posted in Creation, Politics and sociology, Science, Theology of nature | Leave a comment

Understanding Putin

Posted on 07/05/2022 by Jon Garvey

An old university friend who also follows The Hump wrote to ask me about the sources I use most on the Ukraine conflict, and shared some of his own with me. Among them is Postil Magazine which carries some weighty and worthwhile articles. One which I highly recommend is this one by Etienne de Floirac, giving a deep insight into the political (and irreducibly religious) basis of Vladimir Putin’s vision for Russia. It confirms what I had suspected since the start of this war, that to see Russia’s role apart from its spiritual aspect is an almost universal error in the West. To what extent that neglect is deliberate, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics and sociology, Theology | 1 Comment

Nothing to see in Canada…

Posted on 03/05/2022 by Jon Garvey

Since the news is hot, I may as well comment on it, knowing in particular that I have some Canadian readers who are unlikely to get it on CBC.

Posted in History, Politics and sociology, Theology | 2 Comments

Powerful ju-ju 2022

Posted on 02/05/2022 by Jon Garvey

The confusion of paganism – especially if not regulated by a highly formulated priestly cult – lay partly in that one was never really sure why anything happened, and so predicting what would happen seemed a fruitless pursuit. Some god might start something going in nature or human experience, only to have it overturned by the caprice of a jilted goddess, or modified by a maledictive curse from some neighbour. The best explanations for the inexplicable became arbitrary stories from magical thinking.

Posted in Politics and sociology, Science, Theology | 2 Comments

The world of stupid

Posted on 20/04/2022 by Jon Garvey

So the Russians offered a safe passage for Azov fighters holed up in the Azovstol Steelworks in Mariupol, including even the foreign fighters who, on Russian estimation at least, are technically mercenaries not covered by the Geneva Convention.

Posted in Politics and sociology, Theology | 1 Comment