The Providence, Rhode Island Old Mill is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The reason:
its contributions to the history of American industry, the commission said. Woolens and worsteds were spun and woven at the site by local textile workers for more than 60 years.
Of course, the "dark satanic mills" of the industrial age are now all but a distant memory in the Northeast U.S. Now occupying the structure: The Cathedral Art Metal Company, a manufacturer of religious jewelry.
Next year Orthodox Easter will be on April 27th, more than a month after Western churches celebrate Easter on March 23rd. This year, however, was one of those more or less rare times when they both fell on the same date. Which means that I basically have no excuse for putting this Easter Bunny jewelry up on the site so late, except to say that I've always tried to be a bit ahead of my time.
The Des Moines Register has a thoughtful article on the trend toward incorporating religious symbols in personal adornment from jewelry to tattoos. As the author notes, wearing articles of faith does not necessarily mean a person is religious. Says one pastor:
"It's ironic that the cross is a symbol of self sacrifice and as it is embraced in popular culture it is becoming a symbol of overindulgence, luxury and success." . . .
"For a segment of our society, everything is value neutral. That's completely the opposite of what we need to do," Hibben said. "There's going to be a tension between the cross of faith and the cross of consumerism, which is contrary to the Christian message."
And a rabbi agrees:
Rabbi David Kaufman of Temple B'nai Jeshurun, 5105 Grand Ave., said it's disrespectful to buy and sell spiritual symbols for their beauty or design.
"Jews believe that people should respect the religious traditions of others, no matter what the religion," Kaufman said. "When fashion and celebrity turn religious symbols into a fad, then there's a problem. People should wear religious symbols because they believe in it."
The commodification of faith in fashion is a classic example of cultural appropriation, the subject of law professor Susan Scafidi's engaging book Who Owns Culture?, featured up in the left sidebar. You can also find more on this topic in BootLegacy, an informative new cultural property blog by attorney Elizabeth Nevis.
The verdict's in: Mary Winkler, the preacher's wife who murdered her husband noted in yesterday's post, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter. This means she faces only a three to six year sentence, as opposed to up to 51 years years had the jury found her guilty of murder in the first degree.
It would seem that the abuse theme in her defense had some resonance. The jury included ten women, eight Christians. Her argument: she snapped after being forced to dress "slutty" for sex. As her defense lawyer concluded:
"This is not about religion, but I suggest to you that a Church of Christ preacher's wife does not wear those shoes."
A Christianity Today blog entry describes the Virginia Tech shooter as someone who left behind his family's Christian faith:
McClatchy reporters talked with Young-Hwan Kim, president of the school's Korean Campus Crusade for Christ chapter. "No one knew him," Kim said. "We had no contact throughout four years. It's amazing. We could not reach out to him." It wasn't for lack of trying, Kim said. Members of Korean Campus Crusade repeatedly invited him to meetings, he said, but Cho wouldn't even provide personal contact information.
New York Times op-ed writer David Brooks on the cognitive science of evil:
We’re never going back. We’re not going to put our knowledge of brain chemistry or evolutionary psychology back in the bottle. It would be madness to think Cho Seung-Hui could have been saved from his demons with better sermons.
Mary Winkler was a dutiful evangelical preacher's wife . . . until she shot him. The motive seemed mysterious until investigators revealed that she had lost most of their money in the Nigerian internet scam.
At trial, though, she has testified that the real reason for the killing was spousal abuse. Part of what set her off: being forced to wear "slutty" clothes.
On the witness stand in front of Winkler was an extremely high white platform shoe and a wig she said her husband bought for her to wear during sex. She blushed crimson, bowed her head and cast her eyes downward when she talked about the items.
"Why?" is the title of this Second LIfe tribute to the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy. It is a question that we will never fully answer.
However, just as online social media helped people in the midst of the horror to figure out what was going on, it is providing new ways for people around the world to rise above the pain. On Flickr, the images from campus have segued into a stream of creative memorials and expressions of solidarity. Likewise Youtube, where tributes and reflections" intermix with archived news reports.
This isn't a photoshopped fake--there really is a Church of Body Modification. Its aim: to connect the body modification community (e.g., people with skin piercings) to its spiritual roots in ancient rites of passage. The Church has even been a factor in a religious freedom lawsuit, which the believer lost. For more on the tension between prevailing standards and the younger generation, check out this news article on body piercing in the workplance.
That's what the New York Times calls 'em, but as much as I read the recipe I can't find the supernatural part. Another argument against reductionistic materialism, I guess.
Since the article in question is behind a firewall and recipes aren't copyright protected, here it is for your perusal. If you like it, buy the book.
Time: About 1 hour
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional.1. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.
2. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.
Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies.
Note: For best flavor, bake 1 day before serving, let cool and store, tightly wrapped.
From popular Muslim blogger Sunni Sister, advice on how "New Muslim Bling" can help build local religious communities:
Make up bags of things to give as gifts to new Muslims: English translations of Qur’an, a book and / or video (preferred) about the five pillars, a tape of simple Qur’an recitations that they can learn for the prayer, a hijab or prayer outfit or kufi, a misbaha, a booklet with addresses and phone numbers for area masajid, halal stores, restaurants, and Islamic bookstores, as well as URLs for good websites.
How many times has this happened to you--you're out at a pub with your friends, knocking back a wee bit of whiskey and brew, and the next morning you wake up groggy and confused with Psalm 1 tattooed down your back.
OK, probably never, but this tattoo does call to mind an interesting phenomenon. Almost from the start, Christianity has been a religion of the book. This aspect of its identity has taken numerous forms, not least of which is a recurring tendency within some quarters to value text over image as a means of expressing one's faith.
As we move beyond the Gutenberg era, however, we shouldn't be surprised to see the text itself become an image of belief. Or is this verbal display a not-so-subtle form of resistance, colonizing the tattoo form with words? You be the judge!
More Scripture tattoos here.
Ex-missionary professor stops wearing Christian jewelry. Apocalypse ensues. Believers hold cross necklaces portentiously until she learns a valuable life lesson that halts the end of the world. Or something.
Anyway, that's what I gather is the plot of The Reaping, the latest film based on biblical plagues.
Tara Subkoff discusses her role as a social engineer and explains the bony darkness of her latest line.
