In the space of a generation, sexual behaviour once considered immoral and beyond the pale is now endemic and considered normal. Long gone are the days when the statue of David displayed in Melbourne’s Myers emporium had to be covered with a fig leaf and where nudity in the musical Hair caused moral outrage. The Read more
This memo is a twofer, offering both a lively story theme to pursue and an issue that is now affecting the work of every stylebook and copy editor in the American media. An older campaign by feminists, including those working in the world of liturgy, sought to shun male pronouns — particularly when either gender Read more
Writing last week in The New York Times, linguistics professor John McWhorter waxed enthusiastic about the advent of “they” as our all-purpose third-person-singular pronoun. As in, for example: “Roberta wants a haircut, and they also want some highlights.” “Language change is a spectator sport,” McWhorter writes. “It isn’t whether but how things will change over Read more
It is incredible how a failed theory–Marxism–continues to make inroads into the hearts and minds of millions of societies around the world. A new poll out the other week found that for the first time, a majority of Democrats say they prefer socialism over capitalism. FoxBusiness.com reports: “A new Fox News poll showed that more Read more
Her white clergy robes flowing behind her, Sandra Signarsdotter walks down the aisle of Stockholm’s Gustaf Vasa church greeting parishioners, a ritual of hers and a familiar sight in Sweden, where women now outnumber men as priests. In the Scandinavian country, often hailed as a champion of gender equality, the statistics are clear. As of Read more
Donald Trump claimed Monday that the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 170,000 Americans is God’s way of testing him. While boasting about the “economic miracle” he claims to have achieved before Covid-19 disrupted life across America, the president described having a conversation with God about his track record as president. “We built the greatest Read more
What is the power of prayer, religion or faith when it comes to infertility? In a study of some 200 women undergoing embryo transfers, the half that had people praying for them had much higher pregnancy rates than those that didn’t. Of course, that could be correlative: People who belong to prayer groups might have Read more
Educated people who live in rich countries are far less likely to say belief in God is necessary for good morals, according to a massive new survey of 38,000 people in 34 countries. The survey, released Monday by the Pew Research Center, revealed a gaping “God gap” between relatively rich and poor countries. In Kenya, Read more
I was not blessed with a quiet mind. It’s a switchboard of extemporaneous ideas, thoughts, memories and questions that is always on, always lit up, always busy. Did I plug in the slow cooker? I wonder how many calories I’ll burn if I keep swinging my leg like this. College Dropout was definitely Kanye’s best Read more
Last summer I underwent radiation treatment. And every time I passed through the doorway marked “Radiation Oncology,” my heart seemed to skip a beat. While I was in little danger (my tumour was benign, and, yes, one sometimes needs radiation for that), I daily met people who were close to death. Every weekday for six Read more