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2021-02-19T16:03:08-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My Integrity is Not Located in My Vagina

Last updated on: February 19, 2021 at 4:03 pm By Melinda Robinson

One of the creepier aspects of being a Catholic were the recurrent, often impassioned reflections of adult men on the state of an adolescent girl’s hymen. The girl in question was usually Mary. Going back to very early in the Roman church, you find a continual current of fascination with the question of how, exactly, the virgin mother was able to give birth without losing that precious, intact membrane which confirmed her virginity. Theories varied in their details, and most... Read more

martyr in defensum castitatis

2020-07-16T12:41:21-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How To Talk About Domestic Violence from the Pulpit

Last updated on: July 16, 2020 at 12:41 pm By Melinda Robinson

In the 17 years that I was a Roman Catholic, I heard exactly one sermon one domestic violence. I’d attended probably nearly a thousand Masses, and yet this was the first time I heard a priest speak directly about the suffering in my home. About a month later, I finally called the police on my ex. That one sermon made all the difference in the world. About one in three women, and one in four men, experience some form of... Read more

violence against women

2020-05-17T14:01:19-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Problem of Evil, or Problem of Ego?

Last updated on: May 17, 2020 at 2:01 pm By Melinda Robinson

When it comes right down to, our attempts to reach out across the cosmic divide and touch the face of the Divine are always fraught with one very distinct danger: that when we reach that horizon beyond which our minds cannot pierce, we will see a mirage hovering in the distance. To souls thirsty for mystical contact, these mirages are easily mistaken for God. Most often, though, they are simply representations of aspects of our own psyches. Like the “demons”... Read more

2020-04-25T14:06:47-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A God After My Own Heart: How We Make God in Our Own Image

Last updated on: April 25, 2020 at 2:06 pm By Melinda Robinson

Over the next little while, I want to talk about the spiritual life and in particular the ways in which our approach to God is shaped by psychological processes – by the process of creating gods in our own image and then wrestling with those gods, learning their weaknesses and inadequacies and, in the process, coming to greater knowledge of ourselves. I think our quest for God is, at bottom, motivated by a strong feeling or intuition that there is... Read more

2020-03-25T14:27:27-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Human Life is Priceless… Until Men Have to Pay

Last updated on: March 25, 2020 at 2:27 pm By Melinda Robinson

Yesterday, Libby Anne posted pretty much the exact blog post that has been forming in my head over the past few days as I watch the spectacle of pro-lifers and conservative media railing against the injustice of having to make genuine personal and economic sacrifices in order to preserve human life. Every Possible Sacrifice For years, as a pro-lifer, I was taught that it was selfish, utilitarian, relativist, baby-hating, death-worshiping, evil to ever decide that the cost of a human... Read more

Current Events

Feminism

abortion

complementarity of the sexes

2020-03-02T16:34:58-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Fall of the Great Man: Reflections on Jean Vanier

Last updated on: March 2, 2020 at 4:34 pm By Melinda Robinson

Since the revelations about Jean Vanier came to light, I have been mulling over the problem of heroes and saints. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the scandal, Vanier was the founder of L’Arche, a Catholic ministry to people with intellectual disabilities. He authored a number of spiritual books and was not only beloved within the Church but had also been honoured as a Campanion of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to society. Just... Read more

2020-02-26T13:38:55-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength

Last updated on: February 26, 2020 at 1:38 pm By Melinda Robinson

So there’s this communist dictatorship. The head of state is elected for life — but not by popular vote. Instead, there are officially designated Electors, all of them Party men, who are selected to represent the people and select the leader. Who selects the Electors? The head of state. All Electors are invariably selected from a particular caste. Generally, they are selected for their loyalty to the Party. Almost all of the leaders are chosen from one of the central... Read more

The Party is always right

theological circle jerk

2020-02-26T11:28:54-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Road Goes Ever On

Last updated on: February 26, 2020 at 11:28 am By Melinda Robinson

Several months ago, I contacted my editor at Patheos Catholic. “I’m not really Catholic anymore,” I said. “Or, at least I’m not practicing. I guess I kind of consider myself a Catholic-in-exile. I’m wondering if I should move to a different channel.” The Not-So-Quiet Revolution At the time, we decided that I should stay and provide a voice for all of the Catholics who were becoming increasingly frustrated with the institutional Church’s response to the unfolding sex abuse crisis. After... Read more

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