Here we are inside the Brown University Sciences Library, a building so resolutely dedicated to rational thinking that it has a thirteenth floor . . . no room for silly superstition here. The thirteenth floor houses the stacks and there have been no reports of mysterious deaths or hauntings since the Sci-Li was erected in […]
Time For Reason — Time For A Second Enlightenment Read More »
(7.28) Tickets are still available for tonight’s screening of the 1973 horror classic “The Wicker Man” starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Eklund. This new digital restoration is being released to celebrate the 50th anniversary. A thumbnail of the plot goes as follows: “A puritan Police Sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in
(2.9) If football is not your thing, this might be a good weekend for getting out of the house. Playing now at the Avon, “Women Talking” follows a group of women in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a series of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. Based
And this guy has got to go. How was this statue of cult leader Sri Chinmoy ever allowed on city property . . . in Roger Williams Park of all places? Williams rather famously espoused keeping church and state separate — it’s kind of our thing here in Rhode Island. We already hashed out this
This is the Fountain of Life located in Cathedral Square and a more perfect symbol of the so-called pro-life movement would be hard to imagine. (Build fountain . . . walk away.) Water has not flowed through this structure in decades; trash and weeds now fill the gutters. Bricks are crumbling and the metal fittings
(6.25) With klezmer and snacks and some eye-popping architectural treasures. Hosted by Doors Open RI this event provides an opportunity to learn the history of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue, where a small group continues to worship, and their plans for the future. The original synagogue dates to 1906 when there was a large Jewish
(1.20) This Friday the Sine Nomine choral ensemble will be performing Ein Deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms, the 1866 edition with chamber choir and four hand piano. Johannes Brahms transcribed an alternative edition of his beloved Ein Deutsches Requiem with accompaniment of four hands on one piano. This more intimate and transparent version was premiered
Coming soon, “New and Dangerous Opinions.” No word on whether our old friend here will have a role to play in the new installation. And while this weirdly tarted-up mannequin (eyeliner?) has grown on me over the years, it’s quite tall and, ironically,* visitors must always be looking up his nostrils. (I believe the statue
Roger Williams Memorial — New Exhibit To Be Installed Read More »
I defy you not to laugh at the centurions trying-not-to-laugh scene. “Life of Brian” got a big thumbs up from Roger Ebert who reminds us, The difficulty with a literal interpretation of the Bible is that it is a translation of a translation of a translation of documents that were chosen by the early church
Suggested Viewing For Blasphemers, Heretics, Etc. Read More »
Just watch me. Speaking to the press as he arrived in the Philippines, Pope Francis shared his take on the recent events in Paris, “You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.” In the words of Mandy Rice-Davies, “He would say that wouldn’t he?”
I will not use the editorial “we” as I don’t want to force my fellow Dosers into annoying conversations with family members over the holidays. And frankly I don’t even know what they think about religion because they never talk about it! Now there’s a blessing. That used to be how this was handled in
And Bill Rappleye should know that. Rather than forcing the candidates in last night’s debate to profess a particular religious belief, a more enlightened questioner might have confronted Cianci with the protections embedded in the U.S. Constitution. Article VI [3] states that “. . . no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification
(7.5) Protesters will be calling for a boycott of Hobby Lobby this Saturday at the Warwick store. Steve Ahlquist has the details at RI’s Future. Adding to the outrage of this decision by the all-Catholic, all-male, court majority, we are shocked . . . shocked to learn that the deeply religious Hobby Lobby owners are
Where are the visions? The ecstasies? Nobody wants to live on top of a pillar anymore. Where is the theater? Where is the common decency? Today, sainthood was conferred on two recent retirees much like a gold watch, although with two living popes canonizing two recently dead popes it feels a bit like one of
I’ve said it before, it’s because he’s jolly. Cuddly and jolly. This would be great if he wanted to be a department store Santa, but . . . oh ick, I just pictured him with a child on his lap. At any rate, disgraced New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan continues to be the go-to
Lazy Network Reporting — How Is Cardinal Dolan Okay? Read More »
(4.10) Historian David Kertzer will discuss his book The Pope And Mussolini: the Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe Thursday evening at the Providence Athenaeum. The Pope and Mussolini tells the story of two men who came to power in 1922, and together changed the course of twentieth-century history.