What book(s) are you reading now?

[Kathryn]

Yes. He loves Korea and has extended his tour of duty there by another year. They are planning on getting married in May 2011. She's a sweetie!

 

[Caladan]

Yes. He loves Korea and has extended his tour of duty there by another year. They are planning on getting married in May 2011. She's a sweetie!

He looks like a really cool guy. I'm happy for him.

 

[Kathryn]

Yep, he's one cool cat. You would probably get along great with him. He's a very deep thinker, LOVES to travel, a real adventurer and philosopher. And he has a wicked sense of humor!


My son with some Army buddies, somewhere in Korea - he's the second from the left!

 

[Caladan]

haha, that's awesome Kathryn.

 

[autonomous1one1]

That rock looks pretty heavy but somehow they don't look really worried.

Just finishing two excellent books: The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow; and Eternal Life: A New Vision by Bishop John Shelby Spong. Hawking & Mlodinow conclude that the universe including its creation can be explained now by scientific theory without God. Spong concludes that there is eternal life and the vision of it comes from realizing the paradyne shift from an external supernatural God to God within.

 

[Caladan]

Just finishing two excellent books: The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow; and Eternal Life: A New Vision by Bishop John Shelby Spong. Hawking & Mlodinow conclude that the universe including its creation can be explained now by scientific theory without God.

Its pretty tragic when top scientists need to deal with such apologetics for astronomy and physics. just like its unfortunate when Evolutionary biologists do it.
God should be a non issue in modern science. no scientist needs to justify science in the face of tradition and dogma.

 

[dust1n]

Its pretty tragic when top scientists need to deal with such apologetics for astronomy and physics. just like its unfortunate when Evolutionary biologists do it.
God should be a non issue in modern science. no scientist needs to justify science in the face of tradition and dogma.

Agreed. Wasted brain power.

 

[autonomous1one1]

Its pretty tragic when top scientists need to deal with such apologetics for astronomy and physics. just like its unfortunate when Evolutionary biologists do it.
God should be a non issue in modern science. no scientist needs to justify science in the face of tradition and dogma.

Agreed. Wasted brain power.

Greetings. Not sure they put all that much brain power into that statement in the book guys - not much wasted. The book is on science. The concluding statement is:

Because there is a law like gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing in the manner described in Chapter 6. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.

It's not like they used brain power and did a lot of modeling and mathematics of God.

 

[Smoke]

Rashi, by Maurice Liber.

I've been reading his commentaries (in English), so I thought I'd read this biography, too. I thought about getting Elie Wiesel's biography of Rashi, but Liber's was cheaper.

 

[Caladan]

Rashi, by Maurice Liber.

I've been reading his commentaries (in English), so I thought I'd read this biography, too. I thought about getting Elie Wiesel's biography of Rashi, but Liber's was cheaper.

I'm impressed. what is the impression you have of his commentaries?
as a youngster a lot of my studies of the Hebrew bible were through Rashi's commentaries.

 

[linwood]

I`ve been trying to read...

Amazon.com: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (9780142003343): Steven Pinker: Books

But work and life have left me with very little time lately.

It`s an excellent book that speaks about the fallacy of the western "Nurture over nature" culture we`ve been living for the past 50 years.

Genetics do matter and Pinker tells you why.

 

[Smoke]

I'm impressed. what is the impression you have of his commentaries?
as a youngster a lot of my studies of the Hebrew bible were through Rashi's commentaries.

I like what I've read so far. I really started because I was trying to work my way up to reading some Talmud in English, but Rashi's interesting in his own right. I don't have any plans to learn Hebrew, though, so I can only get so serious about all this, but it's interesting. I've started reading a little Talmud in translation, too.

What I'd really like is to read the Gutnick Edition of the Chumash, which has Rashi and other commentary, but it's not the kind of thing I want to buy just when I'm downsizing my library.

 

[Caladan]

I like what I've read so far. I really started because I was trying to work my way up to reading some Talmud in English, but Rashi's interesting in his own right. I don't have any plans to learn Hebrew, though, so I can only get so serious about all this, but it's interesting. I've started reading a little Talmud in translation, too.

That's very interesting. do you have certain areas in the Talmud you are aiming for?
as for studying Hebrew, as long as you have the Rashi translation in English, I think that's very essential.

What I'd really like is to read the Gutnick Edition of the Chumash, which has Rashi and other commentary, but it's not the kind of thing I want to buy just when I'm downsizing my library.

Haha, yes it is bordering the insane to try and have a Jewish library at home.

 

[Smoke]

That's very interesting. do you have certain areas in the Talmud you are aiming for?

I hope to read all of it eventually. I'm not in any hurry; it's pleasure reading for me. I like the way the rabbinic mind works.

 

[Caladan]

I hope to read all of it eventually. I'm not in any hurry; it's pleasure reading for me. I like the way the rabbinic mind works.

That is a monumental task. I'm confident that little by little you can accomplish it. personally I could never do it. as an Israeli atheist I can get very furious at some of the Rabbinical logic, and other times I do appreciate their wisdom. but here's the thing perhaps, one of the beauties of the Talmud is that it contains the opinions of many rabbis, sometimes they conflict with each other and promote different opinions and agendas, but the Talmud compliers have been wise to include it all.
One Talmud scholar, calls the entire Talmud a universe unto its own, with references to any subject in life. that is quite a lot to investigate.

 

[Smoke]

That is a monumental task. I'm confident that little by little you can accomplish it.

If I live that long. Anyway, I don't have to worry about running out of material any time soon.

 

[friedrice118]

I just finished "The Gnostic Gospels" By Elaine Pagels. And the Gospel of judas by: Rudolph caser. Im reading the talmund right now.

 

[Yoshieslunchbox]

On Religion by John D. Caputo

 

[gnomon]

I'm reading Damian Thompson's Counterknowledge which gives The Secret and similar nonsense the scathing, though by this time redundant, treatment it deserves but I like how he goes after pseudo-history as well. Working in a bookstore I've seen the number of people clamoring for crap like Holy Blood, Holy Grail or 1421. It can ruin a reasonable person's day. He tackles some personalities I'm not familiar with due to his focus being on his own home, the U.K. I'd never heard of Gillian McKeith.

It's all right.

 

[dust1n]

Greetings. Not sure they put all that much brain power into that statement in the book guys - not much wasted. The book is on science. The concluding statement is: It's not like they used brain power and did a lot of modeling and mathematics of God.

I guess that's true. I just feel bad someone has to take the time to explain the basics.