A Jehovah-Agnostarian

What do you get when you cross an Agnostic with a Jehovah's Witness?

I don't know, but when he knocks on a door he's not really sure he believes in doing it.

Religious Place Names

Pomona, California, USA:  Pomona was the Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards.  The name of the goddess comes from the Latin word "pomum" which means "fruit." 

Trincomalee, Sri Lanka: From "Tirukonamalai," Tamil for "lord of the sacred hill."  

Braganca, Portugal: For the Celtic goddess, Brigantia.

Luang Prabang, Laos:  From "phra bang," Lao for "delicate Buddha."

Sacramento, California, USA: This is the Spanish word for "sacrament" and ultimately derives from the Latin word "sacrare," which means "to consecrate."

Book Comment: New Religions

     An extremely interesting book you may wish to check out from your local library is New Religions. A Guide, edited by Christopher Partridge.  This is a knowledgeable guide to the new 

religious philosophies which sprung up in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.  You may never have heard of George Gurdjieff, Anton LaVey, Helena Blavatsky, or Alistair Crowley, but each of them had a profound influence upon the development of Twentieth Century history.  These and many other religious figures are profiled.

Partridge, Christopher, ed., New Religions. A Guide.  New Religions, Movements, Sects, and Alternative Spiritualities (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004).

New Name for This Blog

     I have renamed this blog Saints on the Loose! to be a better reflection of the stated theme: that Christians should be, and are, present in every nook and cranny and that Christians should, and do, excel in every field.  http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com

"... to all the saints in Christ Jesus ..." Philippians 1:1

"Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Acts 28:31

     "Ακωλυτωσ," (akoletos) the final word of the Greek book Πραξεισ (Acts), means literally "unhindered."

Links

     Check out the links list at the bottom of this page.  One of the main themes of this blog is that Christians should be, and are, at the forefront of every legitimate human endeavor.  I have collected links to an eclectic group of blogs and websites which illustrate this belief.  I welcome suggestions for other links. 

Another Light Bulb Joke

How many Episcopalians does it take to change a light bulb?

Two.  One to change the bulb and another to mix the drinks.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Jerome Jean Louis Marie Lejeune: (b. 1926, France – d. 1994) Fench pro-life Catholic pediatrician and geneticist.  He developed the technique of matching the pairs of human chromosomes (the karyotype) and discovered that a link exists between certain chromosomal abnormalities and Down’s Syndrome (three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two) and Cri du chat Syndrome (deletion of 5P).  He was a friend of Pope John Paul II who appointed him to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.  He has been proposed for sainthood by the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille in France.

Muhammad Ali Kazim-bey: (b. 1802, Iran - d. 1870) (aka: Alexander Kasimovich Kazembek) Muslim convert to Presbyterianism, philologist, orientalist, historian.  He was fluent in Russian, Arabic, Azeri, Turkish, English, and Hebrew.

Amin al-Rihani: (b. 1876, Lebanon – d. 1940) (aka: Amin Fares Rihani) A Lebanese Maronite Christian who wrote the first English language Arab-American novel.   He was a proponent of Arab nationalism.

 Waymon Lawrence Tisdale: (b. 1964, Texas – d. 2009) Professional basketball player, jazz bassist.  He was elected in 2009 to the National Basketball Association Hall of Fame.

Clovis, King of the Franks: (b. ca. 474, Frankish Kingdom – d. 511) Clovis was an able but ruthless and cruel leader who overthrew the Arian King Alaric II.  Tradition says he was converted on his deathbed by his wife, Clotilde.