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Recent content by Hamlowe

  1. Hamlowe

    The Cancellation of an American Exorcist

    Well, yes, it is better to direct worship towards the Creator of all things than to some random Higher Being that will otherwise smite you. Those are two quite different views of why one ought to worship, and I find it hard to believe that Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs are all unwittingly directing...
  2. Hamlowe

    The Cancellation of an American Exorcist

    I feel reasonably certain that there must be more to this than merely claiming most UFO sightings are demonic. I've heard some people call it envy of Rossetti's online ministry, but I don't think online ministry is really something to encourage (he said, on a website--oh the irony), as opposed...
  3. Hamlowe

    Teaching/working in a different church from your own

    They do have a statement of faith which is pretty straightforward. The only part I'd really quibble with is referring to Christ's death as "paying the penalty" for our sin, which isn't a framework I find useful for thinking about the Atonement, but I think that's more the realm of debate than...
  4. Hamlowe

    Teaching/working in a different church from your own

    Pax et bonum, all. I am (again) looking for a new teaching gig for next year, and with my options in the Catholic school system diminishing, I'm looking at both public and non-Catholic Christian schools. I just interviewed today at a school run by a non-denominational church near me, and it got...
  5. Hamlowe

    They. Off Topic, Sort of

    The singular "they" is neither new nor unusual--it's older than Shakespeare at a cursory lookup, and eminently useful when the gender of the antecedent is not known, eg: "Someone left their book here." It isn't until the mid-1700s that grammatical prescriptivists tried to suppress it, first with...
  6. Hamlowe

    Anthony Hopkins’ powerful reminder to all after LA fire destroyed home

    Huh, I had no idea he was Herod. Makes me want to check the movie out now--I've heard it was alright, and I'll enjoy Hopkins in basically anything. More than a great actor, he seems like a good man.
  7. Hamlowe

    Pope Francis appoints first-ever woman to head Vatican dicastery

    And the population overall has gone up, so the same absolute number is relatively fewer. Happy that my diocese has many vocations.
  8. Hamlowe

    Pope Francis appoints first-ever woman to head Vatican dicastery

    Okay, religious sister. Nun sounded snappier in my head. The point stands: are we really going to call this "modern feminism", appointing a religious sister to head a dicastery related to religious life? Sounds like she's qualified in one front, at least. And it's worth noting that the...
  9. Hamlowe

    Sagrada Familía basilica in Barcelona inaugurates the towers of the Evangelists

    Let's go! Those towers look awesome. I went to the basilica a couple years ago and can only describe it as astonishing. Admittedly, after seeing all the magnificent retablos behind the old high altars of other Spanish churches, the altar in the Sagrada Familia is...pretty underwhelming...
  10. Hamlowe

    Diocese reverses hymn ban in favor of ‘synodal’ selection of sacred music

    I wouldn't play an organ, either! I used to be very opposed to guitar at Mass, but I've moderated my stance somewhat. Still not a fan, mind you, but given that it's my parents' parish and the other points in its favor, I'm not going to say it's a bad parish simply because their music isn't to my...
  11. Hamlowe

    Help me to understand this biblical (seeming) contradiction.

    The typical Catholic answer to this is to obey your parents unless they command you to commit sin. As Riley said, Jesus comes first--trusting in Him will give you the discernment to apply the principle I mention to more delicate situations.
  12. Hamlowe

    Diocese reverses hymn ban in favor of ‘synodal’ selection of sacred music

    I love "O Come O Come Emmanuel"--the tune is actually from the original medieval chant! If you want an actually more upbeat hymn with similar lyrics, Steve Angrisano wrote a nice one called "Emmanuel," which I'll embed below. Necessary caveat: this is much more contemporary in arrangement...
  13. Hamlowe

    Medium density Eco-cities as an answer to suburban sprawl and climate change?

    It's a great idea, but I think there are few places that could be developed from the ground up with this in mind. We may have to think in terms of repairing/condensing the sprawl that exists. Though I am blessed to be moving to a place that was established along similar philosophical lines back...
  14. Hamlowe

    Catholics To Battle Satanic Mass

    A new update from Twitter: while I'm not in Atlanta and can't verify this personally, it seems that it's not an "actual Black Mass" with a consecrated Host. Just a Satan-themed concert/burlesque. Still bad, but not as bad as a true Black Mass. Still could use a good ol' Rosary outside, maybe.