SF & Fantasy Writer, Healthcare IT Consultant, Recovering Academic
This is part of a series of posts about the value of speculative fiction in understanding religion.
So far I’ve painted a rather dim picture concerning the cognitive value of speculative fiction. But being a speculative fiction writer myself, that’s … Read the rest
This is part of a series of posts about the value of speculative fiction in understanding religion.
Generally, speculative fiction is a poor place to learn about the real world. In other words, there are reasons to doubt the cognitive … Read the rest
This is part of a series of posts about the value of speculative fiction in understanding religion.
I’ve discussed portrayals of religion I think are best avoided in speculative fiction, but how can we understand what makes a of portrayal … Read the rest
This is part of a series of posts about the value of speculative fiction in understanding religion.
I’m editing an anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories about religion called Strange Religion, planned to be out in April. So … Read the rest
We’ve determined that God’s trustworthiness can’t be assumed because of how the Bible portrays His character. He does not deceive wantonly, but He has no qualms about deceiving His opponents to further His goals.
How are we to know that … Read the rest
God’s trustworthiness is taken as foundational for many Christians or presumed on the basis of His other attributes (e.g. His absolute goodness), but this is theologically tenuous because the Bible attests that God engages in deceptive behavior.
Sometimes this is … Read the rest
Generally we play by the rules of grammar in creative writing because readers will be put-off or confused by our failure to abide. Grammar is the fabric of the language. There is no English without English grammar. Even a nonsense … Read the rest
I’m regularly surprised when my readers spy ideology lurking in my writing, as if the presence of an argument or even a sensitive topic in a work of fiction is proof that the author is trying to seduce the reader … Read the rest
We construe transcendent God through analogies: God as a loving father, a just or cold-eyed judge, a suffering savior, as Jesus of the Gospel, as victor over Death, as jealous tribal god of the Hebrews, as (war)lord of hosts… Read the rest
Some commentators and translators of the Heart Sutra, leave the mantra at the end untranslated. So sometimes we find:
“The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is stated thus: gate gate pāragate pārasamgate bodhi svāhā.”
and sometimes we … Read the rest