Interesting post over at Ignatius Insight about the attempts of one man to bring new age-type practices under the roof of the Catholic Church. Excerpt:
Born in 1900 in Russia, Valentin Tomberg was for many years an enthusiastic student of Anthroposophy, the science of the spirit founded by Rudolf Steiner. In 1945, however, he converted to Roman Catholicism and completely turned his back on the former phase of his life. By the time of his death in 1973 he had written two major works, Meditations on the Tarot and Covenant of the Heart, in which he presents much esoteric knowledge, but now under the spiritual authority of the Catholic Church. . . .
What is the mystery behind Tomberg's life, and why did he arrive at such a dramatic change in his thinking? In this forcefully argued and uncompromising book, intended for serious students of Anthroposophy, Prokofieff suggests that behind the work of Valentin Tomberg lies a clear resolve to unite 'esoteric and exoteric Christianity'. In Tomberg's terms, and those who follow his example today, this means bringing modern esoteric Christianity (Anthroposophy) under the hierarchical and dogmatic structure of the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, as Prokofieff demonstrates through his meticulous research, this is the goal of Jesuitism today, that nothing Christian should exist outside the Catholic Church.
The key question, of course, is whether the Tarot is a Christian thing at all. I would've (rather strongly) assumed it wasn't, but Balthasar apparently gave it at least a little more credence, so I should, too.
I don't post many Letterman Top 10 lists, but this one made me snicker, especially number 10:
Top Ten Signs You're Watching Too Much "American Idol"
10. At confession, you say, "Forgive me, dawg, for I have sinned"
9. Each week, you vote one of your kids out of the house
8. After sex you say to your wife in a Brittish accent, "Awful. Just pathetic"
7. FOX switchboard operator knows you by name
6. When "Idol" comes on, so do the adult diapers
5. Had your stomach stapled like Randy and you weren't even overweight
4. You understand what Paula Abdul is blabbing about
3. No number 3 – writer watching "American Idol"
2. Got Adam Sandler to guest host your talk show so you could stay home and vote for Sanjaya
1. Your TiVo recommends you get some counseling
Brews You Can Use
If Marie gets pregnant again, I'm buying one of these shirts:
The folks at Lew Rockwell definitely think outside the box. Today, a writer says drunk driving laws cause drunk-driving accidents. I can't say I agree, but it's certainly novel. Excerpt:
The drunk driver is . . . faced with two serious costs to consider: 1) dying in a fiery crash, and 2) getting caught by the police and going to jail. The cost of getting caught drunk driving and going to jail, moreover, is drastically increased if the driver chooses to drive in a manner that draws attention to himself ”“ like driving ten miles per hour ”“ even if the driver knows that driving slowly is the safer thing to do.
So, the drunk driver is faced with the following choices: 1) drive slowly and safely, and almost certainly get arrested and go to jail for drunk driving, or 2) drive the speed limit, and have a decent chance of not getting arrested, although this increases one's chances of getting in an accident. Understandably, many drunk drivers choose the latter alternative, simply because the chance of arrest and jail time is a certainty, whereas the chance of a fiery crash is only a distant risk.
