Eric Scheske

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Religion

These Monks Were on a Search-and-Destroy Mission Against Their Left Hemispheres

These Monks Were on a Search-and-Destroy Mission Against Their Left Hemispheres

It's hard to admit this, but here goes: Back in my twenties, I decided I wanted to be a mystic. Such a thing is absurd: The goal is foiled by the goal. You might as well decide you want to be a poor man with money (one of

"He is Interested Only in the Individual Soul Whom He Places Before God"

"He is Interested Only in the Individual Soul Whom He Places Before God"

Advocates from across the political field have claimed Christ for their side: Communists, Socialists, Liberals, Conservatives, Monarchists. They all can find something in Christ's life or his words to support their political vision. It isn't surprising, of course, since every doctrine, no matter how absurd, has

How to Think about the Cell Phone

How to Think about the Cell Phone

Weapon of Self-Destruction or Tool of Self-Improvement: The cell phone. Is it a great thing? A useful thing? An annoying thing? An addicting thing? A ton of writers have condemned the cell phone on all sorts of grounds. They’re tired of rude talkers who use it in restaurants, parks,

The Nothing Desire

The Nothing Desire

“The poor monk is lord of world.” St. John Climacus Bruno was a rising star of eleventh-century European culture. A master of the cathedral school (the precursor to the university) of Rheims, he taught grammar, poetry, philosophy and theology. He became head of Rheims by age thirty. The most promising

On words and the Word

On words and the Word

Paul Kingsnorth at The Abbey of Misrule

Voodoo and Zombies and the Absurdization of All Religions

Voodoo and Zombies and the Absurdization of All Religions

Well, far out. Voodoo is back. Actually, it never left. Voodoo was originally a pagan African religion that got mixed with Catholicism in Haiti during Spanish and French colonial rule. Since then, it has always been a religious force on the island and in 2003, it became an officially-recognized Haitian

18 Things You Can Learn from A Monk of the Eastern Church

18 Things You Can Learn from A Monk of the Eastern Church

Mystical. Passionate. Spiritual. Cranky. Monastic. Urban. Greek Orthodox. Catholic. French. English. Anonymous. . . . . . Lev (Leo) Gillet. All of those words describe an unusual man who would become known to readers as “A Monk of the Eastern Church.” He was born in France in 1893. Shortly before World War I, he became

"On the Heart," by The Pseudo-Macarius

"On the Heart," by The Pseudo-Macarius

Every sin gushes from a complex soul. The Pseudo-Macarius, a master of intimate theology, described the heart (a term nearly synonymous with soul) as follows: "The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and there are also lions; there are poisonous beasts and all the

One Mean Chick? Or Just an Unfortunate Alignment of Facial Features?

One Mean Chick? Or Just an Unfortunate Alignment of Facial Features?

Does the person who creates an air of discomfort with the RBF have a level of moral culpability? The RBF: resting bitch face. An innocent and harmless expression? Or a culpable and harmful one? I started wondering about that after reading Jacques Philippe's observation in Real Mercy that

The Five Worst Atheist Arguments

The Five Worst Atheist Arguments

If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably been in the situation where you heard a smart-sounding atheist making a point with such suave delivery that you find yourself with questions like: Does God exist or is He just a too-good-to-be-true fantasy? Is my faith real? Do I even