Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 16
June 26, 2018
The Left’s Tactic of Harassment
The Twitter mob mentality–with its indignation, outrage, virtue signaling, and public shaming–has spilled over into the real world. So observes David Harsanyi. Leftists have been harassing Trump administration officials out with their families at restaurants, movies, and other ordinary activities. This culminated in White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders getting thrown out of a restaurant […]
June 25, 2018
Myth vs. Parable: A Religious Awakening of Paganism?
David Brooks in the New York Times offers an interesting contrast between “myth” and “parable,” arguing that we may be in the midst of a “Fourth Great Awakening,” with this time a “mythic” religion. Looking at the superhero movies that dominate the pop culture, our adulation of sports heroes, and our current political values, Brooks […]
The Free Market Argument for Taxing Online Purchases
The Supreme Court has ruled that states may assess sales taxes on online purchases. Previously, a business had to have a physical presence in a state before it could be assessed sales taxes. But now, purchasers will have to pay the tax based on where they live. “Oh, no!” you may be thinking. “Since I […]
June 22, 2018
Surprises from the LGBTQ Study
A study of Americans who identify as part of the LGBTQ community reveals some surprises, including how religious they are. According to the study report, 4%-5% of the population belongs to this category. Of these, most are women (55%). Only 41% are men, with 4-5% claiming one of the “non-binary” sexes. Only 51 of the […]
Social Pressure or Mob Rule?
Social media outrage has caused powerful executives to lose their jobs, brought down politicians, coerced prosecutions, shamed bad behavior, and provoked countless apologies. Perhaps our new information technology has brought back what some thought had died out: communities exerting social pressure to enforce conformity to cultural norms. In the past, social disapproval was expressed through […]
June 21, 2018
Church Discipline Against the Attorney General
Who says liberal churches don’t exercise church discipline? United Methodists have filed formal charges against Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his role in separating the children of illegal immigrants from their families. And for saying that the practice is “Biblical” by citing Romans 13. (UPDATE: Pres. Trump has signed an executive order stopping that separation.) […]
Space Force
President Trump has directed the Pentagon to create a sixth branch of the military: the Space Force. Thus, in addition to the Army, Navy, Marines (though part of the Navy, considered a distinct “branch”), Coast Guard, and Air Force, we would have a Space Force, designed to carry out military operations in outer space. In […]
June 20, 2018
“Bearing” the Name of the God Who “Takes” Our Sin
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). I’ve heard discussions about what “the name of the Lord” means and what “in vain” means. But what does “take” mean? The Hebrew word means “bear,” as in “You shall not bear the name of the Lord your God in vain.” So […]
Our Escalating Trade Wars
President Trump had announced the imposition of tariffs on $50 billion worth of goods imported from China. So China retaliated by imposing tariffs on $50 billion worth of American goods. So now the President has upped the ante to $200 billion. China is saying that they will respond in kind. So the President is threatening […]
June 19, 2018
The View That Everybody Goes to Heaven
We don’t hear much today about Hell or the prospect of eternal punishment, do we? The popular culture seems fascinated by darkness, horror, and cosmic pessimism, but a realm of everlasting judgment is just too dark to consider. People used to be afraid to sin, lest they incur God’s wrath. But no more, it seems. […]
