They have synthesized ground been – at a cost of £200,000 per patty thus far (bankrolled by Google’s Sergy Brin). Academic Ethicist Peter Singer exults that it’s “cruelty-free.” I’m with Mark Mitchell, who calls it “Frankenmeat.”
I’m not about to defend the wholesale animal cruelty of factory farming. But Peter Singer stands as living testimony to the danger of not awarding someone a PhD until they’ve come up with some original contribution to the discipline. Too often, that means “come up with some damn-fool evil if you can’t come up with something good, but defend your evil adroitly.” Voilà! The career trajectory of Peter Singer, PhD.
I understand the same sort of novelty criterion applies to doctorates in theology — which may contribute to the ongoing proliferation of novel Frankenfaiths.
Pat Archbold at the National Catholic Registers finally admits the truth of the press tale “that Pope Francis, in word and deed, is no less than the total renunciation of Pope Benedict’s papacy.” An example of the tale, from the recently-dumped-at-fire-sale-prices Washington Post:
Something unexpected and extraordinary is happening in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis is rescuing the faith from those who hunker down in gilded cathedrals and wield doctrine like a sword. The edifice of fortress Catholicism – in which progressive Catholics, gay Catholics, Catholic women and others who love the church but often feel marginalized by the hierarchy – is starting to crumble.
“Wield doctrine like a sword” is my personal favorite there. I hope Jeff Bezos knows some journalists who aren’t brain-dead.
Archbold produces 10 Quotes That Prove The Pope Is A Liberal. It would be a spoiler if I gave you the quotes, so I’ll just give you the seven proven ways in which the Pope is liberal:
- Soft on Islam.
- Encourages Homosexuality.
- Focused on the poor.
- Overtly humble and does not embrace his office.
- Makes a point of extolling women and the Church.
- Cares about the environment.
- Hates Capitalism.
When the Reformers and their predecessors talked about returning to the original Hebrew (ad fontes!), and when modern Christians talk about studying the Hebrew because it is the “original text,” they are making several mistaken assumptions. The Hebrew Bible we now use is often not the oldest form of the Hebrew text, and sometimes the Septuagint provides the only access we have to that older form.
(Timothy Michael Law, author of When God Spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible)
I’ve been hitting faith-related topics pretty hard of late. That’s not by design. It may just be that I’ve been very busy, so when I decide what to skip, non-faith stories get skipped. Priorities, you know.
But my favorite retreat, the Traverse City area, had won some nice wine awards at the Indy International Wine Competition. Focusing just on the wineries I know:
- Bel Lago Vineyards & Winery, double gold for its 2011 Pinot Gris.
- Bel Lago Vineyards & Winery, double gold for its 2012 Auxerrois.
- Gills Pier (a personal emerging favorite), double gold for its 2012 Riesling. (I definitely should have bought more of that.)
- Bel Lago Vineyards & Winery, gold for its 2011 Chardonnay.
- Chateau Fontaine, gold for its 2012 Chardonnay.
- Bel Lago Vineyards & Winery, gold for its 2011 Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay blend.
- Gills Pier, gold for its 2012 Riesling/Vignoles blend.
- Leelanau, gold for its 2011 Cabernet Franc.
You are correct: there’s not a lot of reds there.
And when I’m not at Traverse City, and the heat index is below 90 degrees, my hometown’s not bad. I’ve only eaten at D.T. Kirby’s once, but the grease really was memorable. No Frankenmeat here.
* * * * *
“The remarks made in this essay do not represent scholarly research. They are intended as topical stimulations for conversation among intelligent and informed people.” (Gerhart Niemeyer)
Tipsy Teetotaler ن 